Once again, the new year begins and the first trade show of the year has come and gone. Year after year that I attend TPE, otherwise known as the Total Product Expo (and formerly the Tobacco Plus Expo), I often find myself asking the same question – is this show worth it? The answer to that question continues to grow towards a hard “no”. But I will explain why that is below.
Shrinking Cigar Exhibitor Attendance
A few years ago, the Premium Cigar Association Trade Show and Convention, perhaps the premier premium cigar trade show, was still taking place in July in Las Vegas. Last year, the PCA decided to move its show to the spring where it took place in March of last year and this coming April. Because of this, many manufacturers decided it wasn’t worth the cost of attendance for both shows in such short window. This year, it was even more evident that this was the continuing trend. The footprint of the cigar section of TPE was again much smaller than the year before and to be honest with you, allowed me to finish gathering my coverage within a day and a half. I spent the rest of my time catching up with friends and partners in the business.
For next year, Kretek International, who hosts the TPE show, announced that the show will take place March 31st – April 2nd 2026. The dates for the 2026 PCA Trade Show in New Orleans are April 17th – 20th 2026, making it about two weeks later. I spoke with many manufacturers who told me they would not be returning in 2026 and the few who did told me they would only have one or two sales reps and a single folding table merely as a way to support Kretek. Otherwise, this show means almost nothing at this point. Almost everyone in the premium cigar industry is going to prioritize the PCA show over TPE and for good reason. Almost no one is going to want to spend the money to attend two shows within weeks of each other where the value is almost entirely one sided. That is just common sense. Long term, I think the premium cigars will have no presence at TPE, we could even see a full exit by 2027 – 2028.
Almost Nothing New To See
There were some new products, I am not to pretend there wasn’t. However, in the grand scheme there was virtually nothing worth getting excited about. Couple of line extensions, some new accessories and a few small brands made a debut. Outside of the that, the running theme continues; manufacturers are saving their shot for the 2025 PCA Trade Show in New Orleans. Almost every booth I visited told me the same thing, “just business as usual but…we have something coming at PCA.” I will go over what was actually new in another article.
I can’t blame them, and I cannot blame the retailers or other potential customers for either not coming to TPE or not spending any money. Everything on the floor was either ordered or could be ordered over the phone from their offices back home in their shops. Once again, great for tire kickers and social connections, but this was not a major buying show. There were a few manufacturers who actually had a great show but told me that if it wasn’t for a few new customers they opened up, they wouldn’t have been able to justify their cost to attend. But overall there wasn’t a vast selection of new products that retailers needed to come see, try and ask questions about. So why bother?
The West Coast Argument
Many manufacturers continued this running trend of saying, “well I think that we will have some kind of presence here for the guys on the west coast who don’t want to go all the way to New Orleans.” I call BS on that merely for the reason that with a show like PCA retailers will make the trip to a place where almost everyone in the industry is going to be, with all of the newest products and they are going to use it as their one stop shop to take care of all of their business before the busy summer season. I don’t think many west coast retail stores are going to think TPE is a fine substitute for the longer travel when…there wont be much to see and buy anyway.
Was TPE Worth The Trip?
For me, it was worth getting caught up with the manufactures who were in attendance. I met some new brands, got better acquainted with others, and spent some quality time off the floor with great partners and peers. For the average retailer, I think there was just enough meat on the bone here depending on the size and focus of your shop. But I do think by next year, most premium cigar retailers should and probably will just save their money and attend the PCA trade show instead. The clientele is different at TPE overall, with many alternative smoke and head shops attending who might be looking to add cigars to their scope. And for those retailers, I think that’s great because you’re already coming for so many other things. For premium cigar retailers, the time has passed. Just don’t bother.
