The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) has announced the attendance numbers from this year’s convention and trade show, and they’re up, at least from last year.

“This year we saw increased attendance overall by 3.3 percent, with retailer badges up 6.6 percent,” the organization wrote on Tuesday afternoon, calling it “a turn of good news” just a few hours after the show floor closed. The overall attendance was 5,328 people over the five day event, which includes retailers, manufacturers, media, guests, brokers, suppliers, and other invited guests. Of that number, a total of 2,054 retailer badges were issued, which represents 778 retailer companies and 1,742 total stores.

While it doesn’t return the organization to the mark set in 2016, it is an increase from 2017’s show.

YearStoresBadges
20148271,914
20157451,896
20168772,314
20177521,920
20187782,054
20197712,085
20215831,440
20227072,036
20238092,155
20248502,200

Now the attention turns to the 87th Annual IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, which runs from June 29-July 2, 2019 and will be held at the Sands Expo, located in between the Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nev. While many are excited about the move back to the facility that the trade show called home for several years, some have expressed concerns about the show’s proximity to the July 4th holiday.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.