IPCPR 2016: Day 0 Recap

For the past week or so, I’ve been getting more and more convinced that this was going to be by far the most unique IPCPR Convention & Trade Show that I’ve ever attended. As people started showing up, conversations were had and more and more products got announced—many of which seemed to cross new boundaries in terms of names, sizes and in some cases, sensibility–that thought got more and more confirmation.

There really isn’t much official happening in regards to the trade show until Sunday, which is when a number of seminars are held for the benefit the retail membership.  This year was a bit different—and showed that this might be as different of a year as I was thinking it would be–as the first seminar was designated for manufacturers and was about the hottest topic the industry faces at the moment: FDA.

The most impressive part was that it turned into a standing-room only event, a trait it shared with the retailers’ version held later in the afternoon. After remarking how sparsely attended an FDA seminar held during the 2014 show was, it was encouraging to see so many people at this year’s.

90 minutes, lots of questions and not a lot of answers. If anything, it’s more of the same thing we’ve all had to do: be patient. The bulk of the FDA regulation has been announced, a lawsuit with nine counts seeking an injunction against those regulations has been filed, and now the court must review that filing and make a decision, which is rumored to be within the next 30 days. Contact your elected officials, request they support the cigar industry in this fight, etc. The injunction isn’t the only way the industry is trying to attack this, but it’s one of the more visible, at least until Congress has to decide the country’s next budget.

While a number of interesting questions were posed during the manufacturer’s FDA seminar, one seemed to really bring the room alive: would it make any difference who is elected president as it pertains to the FDA situation? All three of the panelists declined to answer, but the consensus seemed to be that one won’t be inherently better than another. Maybe in a vacuum, maybe if being president was a single-issue job that dealt with premium cigar relation, but this is a complex and complicated issue that involves more people than just the president.

As those 30 days continue to pass, retailers must make buying decisions as to what to carry, particularly over the next couple of days, which is happening as the very nice bubble that the cigar industry has been enjoying for several years appears headed towards bursting, as Charlie Minato opined about recently. It’s a reality that seems to be looming large as many in the industry shared Charlie’s sentiment. It will be one thing we won’t know the answer to until later this week.

On the cigar side, new products are being pulled out of pockets and handed out; I had the chance to sample Steve Saka’s new Mi Querida, and even late into the evening, my exhausted palate could tell that it was a solid stick. Sindicato is launching a line that will be familiar to catalog shoppers, Master Series, with blends created by other figures and companies. Rocky Patel will be one of the first to be launched, and I’ve heard that there are two others ready to go with another three in the works. One retailer positioned it to me as an annual release, but how that works with FDA remains unclear.

In more recreational activities, the halfwheel team paid a visit to two new lounges in Las Vegas, Casa de Montecristo and the Davidoff of Geneva Since 1911 Cigar Bar. Both are quite luxurious and well appointed, the humidors of each showing off their respective brands’ portfolios quite well and both with well-curated lists of imbibables. Both are worth a visit, as is the venerable Casa Fuente in the Forum Shops. All three also gave us the chance to smoke some cigars that aren’t part of the trade show, a needed break ahead of what will be a long week trying new products. Even with Nevada’s oppressive 30 percent cigar tax, Las Vegas can still be a great place to enjoy a cigar.

Heading into the wee hours of Sunday night and with the Monday morning on the horizon, there is no visible or widespread panic about the FDA; if anything the current cry is that “the industry will go on,” “we will be fine” and so on. Yet no one can ignore the elephant in the room, and once the show floor doors open this morning, it will be interesting to see just how much FDA is impacting retailers’ buying decisions, and if there is an increased push to get cigars sold. With the regulations in place, retailers have a much more tangible look at what the future holds as it pertains to how they run their humidors, though I can’t help but feel that some, maybe even too many, still don’t quite grasp what all the future holds barring an injunction and reworking of FDA regulations.

It’s good to be back in Las Vegas—expensive and hot—but still good, as the layout seems to promote bumping into people much more than other cities did, and the conversations I’ve had to this point have been fantastic and insightful. Now it’s time for the real action to begin however, which is on the trade show floor.