PCA and Intertabac dates for 2021. This year, the cigar industry saw may cigar trade shows and events canceled. Consumer-based events such as the Drew Estate Barn Smokers, Rocky Mountains Cigar Festival, Big Smoke events in several countries. But also trade shows such as the TFWA, PCA, and Intertabac. 

TFWA

TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference, a large duty-free tradeshow in Singapore hasn’t announced new dates. Normally the tradeshow takes place in May. It was canceled for 2020, and no news for a 2021 edition has been revealed yet. That show isn’t specifically focussed on tobacco, although some cigar companies have a presence. Others visit each year, but without a boot. They just meet their local Asian distributors for meetings off the tradeshow floor. That has to do with the no-smoking policy at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Conference Centre.

PCA

The largest cigar tradeshow in the world is the PCA, formerly known as IPCPR. It takes place in July. The 2020 cancellation would have been the perfect opportunity to pick a better time to host the show. A tradeshow earlier in the year would make many cigar manufacturers very happy. But PCA has announced the new dates. And again, the organization picked mid-July to host the show.

The trade show will take place from July 13 to July 15 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas. According to the PCA, the floor plan is the same as for the canceled 2020 show. Exhibitors that paid for the 2020 show won’t get a refund but a spot on the show for the 2021 edition.

Intertabac

Every year in the third week of September, Dortmund is the location for the largest tobacco trade show in the world. This is where you find cigars, cigarettes, pipes, vape, and accessories in several large halls of the Westfalenhallen. Many manufacturers and distributors hoped for a change in dates to the spring. Yet the organizers picked dates in September again. With one small change. Instead of a Friday to Sunday tradeshow, 2021 will be a Thursday to Saturday trade show.

Intertabac 2021 will take place from 16 until 18 September. The setup will remain the same, with exhibitors spread over several halls. Just like in previous years, vape and e-cigarettes will be in separate halls than the real tobacco and accessory manufacturers.

Missed opportunities

Earlier this year, we published an editorial with our thoughts about the trade shows. We talked about improvements that should be made in favor of the industry and the shows. None of our suggestions was considered, even though many people in the industry agreed. We feel that’s a missed opportunity for the shows and the industry. Yet, we will be at the TFWA and Intertabac if all goes as planned.