PCA Says IPCPR 2019 Attendance Was Flat

The Premium Cigar Association, the organization formerly known as the IPCPR, says that the attendance at its recent 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show was essentially the same as last year.

It has announced the following attendance numbers:

• Number of Retail Accounts Represented — 771
• Number of Retail Badges — 2,085
• Number of Stores Represesented — 2,017
• Number of Manufacturers Represented — 233
• Number of Manufacturer Badges — 3,043
• Total Attendees — 5,462

The key numbers—retail accounts and retail badges—are essentially the same as last year when they were 778 (.9 percent decrease) and 2,054 (.14 percent increase) respectively.

Year	Stores	Badges
2014	827	1,914
2015	745	1,896
2016	877	2,314
2017	752	1,920
2018	778	2,054
2019	771	2,085
2021	583	1,440
2022	707	2,036
2023	809	2,155
2024	850	2,200

Like most years, many manufacturers complained about what they perceived as declining attendance at the trade show, which they blamed on the trade show being held June 29-July 2, right before the July 4th holiday.

Unlike some trade shows, the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show does not scan badges for attendance meaning the numbers above are based on the numbers of badges that were printed or registered not any indication of who actually set foot onto the trade show floor.