TPE 2023 Scheduled for Feb. 22-24

Next year’s Tobacco Plus Expo is scheduled to take place Feb. 22-24, 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This could pose a potential scheduling conflict for some in the premium cigar industry as that week is traditionally when Procigar, the Dominican Republic’s cigar festival, takes place. Furthermore, the Festival del Habano—Cuba’s cigar festival—also takes place in late February, though traditionally the week after Procigar. In 2019, both festivals took place during the same week.

Neither Procigar nor the Festival del Habano has announced dates for 2023.

TPE typically takes place in January, usually in late January. TPE 2021 was scheduled for Jan. 27-29 though was delayed until May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, TPE 2022 takes place Jan. 26-28 in Las Vegas.

In the last five years, TPE’s relevance to the premium cigar industry has grown immensely. There was a time when few people working in the premium cigar space—likely around 100—would attend the trade show, that number is expected to be more than 1,000 people for this year’s show. Similar exponential gains have taken place with the number of premium cigar companies exhibiting, the number of premium cigar retailers that attend, and the number of new products that debut at the trade show.

TPE, short for Tobacco Plus Expo, is owned by Kretek, a large tobacco distributor. It is one of the four major trade shows for the premium cigar industry, though differs from the PCA Convention & Trade Show in that premium cigars are only a small part of TPE. Companies that sell e-cigarette and vaping products, alternative products like marijuana and CBD, other tobacco products like cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, alternative nicotine products, and a variety of parallel products also exhibit at TPE.