The IPCPR 2011 Wrapup

Today is a sad day in the cigar industry- the 79^thIPCPR trade show comes to a close, and tobacco professionals will have an
entire year to wait before getting the opportunity to socialize with thousandsof others in their trade.

Encompassing nearly 1,500,000 square feet of booth space, 2011’s IPCPR was a step back towards the way things were before our global
economic collapse.  Of the 125 cigar vendors- not counting multi-line aggregators, pipes, accessories, apparel,
cigarettes, humidors, leather goods, etc.- we counted 3 empty spaces.  Pretty good attendance for a show this size.

People always ask us how IPCPR- the industry-only trade show- compares with the Big Smoke, which is more consumer focused.  The main difference is in the pace and the
patience.  Retailers slowly meander from booth to booth, asking questions and spending time learning about lines.  Others frantically race across the floor from
appointment to appointment- their eyes locked on the deal in front of them.  There’s 7 hours a day of time to investigate- after two and a half days we were still stumbling on corners we’d missed and
friends we thought couldn’t make it.

Evenings are very different as well.  The main hot spots- Casa Fuente and Rhumbar- are still packed, but people sit closer together.  Groups are a little more open, and the topic
of conversation is never in doubt. After-parties are a much more intimate affair as well- we were fortunate enough to attend a Blogger Party hosted at a suite at the MGM by Drew Estate
Cigars.  This party was press only- no retailers or other brands were allowed.

We smoked Steve Saka’s Dirty Rat, chatted with Jonathan Drew & Pete Johnson, and got to meet “Cigar-lebrities” (thanks for the term, Cigar Authority!)
from across the country.  Big Smoke parties are about grabbing as much free stuff as you can carry.  IPCPR is about smoking what you take, and making
educated judgments beyond the cost of the cigar in your mouth.

The exhibitors at the show fight to out-do themselves and each other every year.  In previous years
we’ve seen shoe shine booths, caricature artists, and open bars.  This year it seemed that people dispensed
with the luxuries like pens and stickers, but were deadly serious about getting down to business.  Every large booth
(ranging from 2000 sq. ft. up to a pair of 6000 sq. ft. monsters) was set up like its own little world.

High walls kept people either in or out, products were displayed either in walk-through
dioramas or in jewelry-quality display cases, and the use of color patterns and
uniforms made you feel like you were in their factory.  A truly impressive sales experience.

Smaller retailers were the more interesting story- some fought for attention with women in low-cut shirts, others featured bourbon
barrels, live rollers, or men in centurion costumes, and still others seemed as if they’d given up before they started.
Some consisted of nothing but a few leather couches and hanging banners, while others were set up like the set of a vampire movie with red velvet
upholstered, golden gothic furniture.

There were people selling every conceivable type of accessory- from travel suitcases to golf/cigar tools to shirts that featured chest pockets sewn
down the middle to make two separate cigar pockets.

There were some interesting decisions- a meet-and-greet with Dennis Rodman, or a give-away consisting of a five-inch steel spike, but as
always, there was something for everyone’s taste.

Next year the show is in Orlando.  Good news for the Miami cigar industry, bad news for us.  But as always, from 112 and
dry to 85 and humid, we’ll be there to report back to you.

Did you attend the show and see something you liked?  Any brands you think are hot?  Or not?  Any questions for us?

Let us know in the comments section!