The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) announced on Friday that its 2016 trade show will be its last for the foreseeable future, as the organization will turn its attention and resources to battling legislative issues and educating its retail members.

The decision comes after the organization’s board of directors came to the conclusion that tobacco retailers had a sufficient number of other shows to attend, and that fighting the constant attacks on tobacco use and consumption would be a better use of their time and resources. The change is being positioned as a way for them to better serve and protect their 51,000 retail members from continued government encroachment.

While NATO’s trade show could be considered tangential to the premium cigar industry, several major companies are exhibitors, including Altadis USA, Drew Estate/Swisher International, CLE, Davidoff of Geneva and General Cigar Co. This year’s list of exhibitors also includes Boutiques by Zucca, Cornelius & Anthony, Curivari, J.C. Newman, Miami Cigar & Co., Nat Sherman, Oliva Cigar Co., Rocky Patel and Ted’s Cigars, among others. Several cigar accessory companies also have booths, including The Lotus Group/Integral, Boveda and K.K. International Corp., makers of JetLine.

Additionally, both Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) are listed as exhibitors for this year’s show.

The 2016 NATO Trade Show is April 19-21 at the Paris in Las Vegas, Nev.

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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 MLB.com, 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.