PCA 2024: Day 0 Recap

And so, here we are again, back in Las Vegas to cover the annual PCA Convention & Trade Show.

Or, at least half of the halfwheel team is.

This year’s show is different for any number of reasons: for halfwheel—and thus, for you faithful readers—it will be a more streamlined event due to the fact that only myself and Brian are covering the floor for the first two days, with Charlie attending the final day and Patrick not attending at all.

In addition, more than just about any other year in recent memory, there have been massive changes to the show when it comes to how, when and where it is being held. First, the time when the convention is taking place has changed from summer—usually in July—to the much more temperate month of March. Second, the location has been changed from The Venetian to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the first time it has been held there since 2018. Finally, the length of the show has been cut from four days to three.

As has been the case the past few years, one of our writers will write a daily blog each day detailing what they’ve seen or what they’re hearing or what they’re thinking about, etc. So, without further ado, here are some of my thoughts when it comes to the main changes that we have seen in a post that I finished about eight hours before this year’s PCA Convention formally begins.

• The Change in Date — Of all of the changes to the PCA Convention this year, the March date was the most praised, albeit for a host of different reasons. Retailers from the northern part of the country I talked to were thrilled with the fact that they could attend the show in their slowest months and not in the summer when customers were actually buying and smoking cigars. In addition, some retailers—and a couple of manufacturers—from warmer climates praised the change that will allow them to spend more time with their families during their children’s summer breaks. Of course, there are some negatives as well: the fact that the convention is being held during March Madness has meant increased prices for plane tickets and hotel rooms, as well as more traffic during the busiest times of the day for those who venture out of whatever hotels they are staying at. There is also the fact that TPE 2024 took place—notably, in the same convention center—fewer than 50 days ago.
• The Change in Venue — The vast majority of people I talked to were unimpressed with the change to the Las Vegas Convention Center, with many lamenting the lack of a central place for people to hang out at night. A large number also mentioned how easy it was when the convention was held at The Venetian since just about everything someone would need was in one (giant) location: from the rooms to restaurants to gambling to the aforementioned hangout place at Bar Luca.
• The Change in the Number of Days — Anyone who has attended the IPCPR/PCA Convention for more than a year or so can tell you just how useless the final half-day had become. Sure, the media—including yours truly—loved it because we had more time to talk to manufacturers who, for the most part, were unencumbered by the stress of talking to any actual retailers, most of whom had left the night before or that morning. In fact, it was not uncommon to see entire booths shut down by the end of the third day, with empty tables and discarded paper signs the only indications there was anyone there to begin with. Most of the people I talked to praised the decision to cut the final half-day altogether, with many saying it should have been done years ago. However, there were a few who wondered out loud if this year’s third day—that would be Monday—would not suffer the same fate or at the very least see a significant downturn in the number of people on the floor.