PCA Announces Date and Location of 2024 Trade Show

For 2024, The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) is moving its annual trade show and convention earlier into the year. Today it was announced that the PCA’s 2024 trade show will be held March 22-25, 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The PCA trade show and convention is held annually and brings together manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers working within the premium cigar and pipe industries. In addition to serving as a launchpad for many of the year’s new premium cigar and pipe tobacco releases, the PCA trade show is a major networking event and one of the largest gatherings of the premium cigar and pipe tobacco industries in the U.S. The show is usually held during the summer, making today’s announcement one of interest and importance as it will mark the first time the trade show will take place earlier in the year.

In a press release, Scott Pearce, executive director of the PCA, commented: “From pretty much my first day on the job, I have heard from numerous members that moving the trade show earlier in the year would be better for the annual business cycle. Over the past couple of years we have sent out several surveys inquiring about time of year and location and we held a town-hall style meeting with the membership at last year’s trade show to elicit feedback from our members. Our board has listened and put in some good work to respond to the voice of our membership.”

Greg Zimmerman, president of the PCA Board, added: “With the move to March, the board really feels that this an optimal time for the industry as retailers will be able to place orders before the busy season hits and get the new and exclusive products on their shelves when demand is the highest. Plus, we anticipate that many retailers who are not able to attend in summer when business is at its peak, will be able to attend our industry’s largest event.”

To make the move to March work, the PCA worked closely with the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA), an organization that typically holds its annual meeting in March.

“I know the new dates have presented a big challenge for TAA as March is typically when they hold their meeting. Throughout this process they have been incredibly understanding and supportive and I would like to sincerely thank their board for the hard work they have put in to adjust their plans to make the PCA date change a reality,” Zimmerman explains.

Mike Conder, who served on the PCA Executive Committee as an associate board representative, says the earlier dates makes sense and predicts it will lead to positive results for exhibitors and attendees.

“As an exhibitor, I do think having the show earlier will enhance our potential for product turns during the prime selling months for much of the country. Additionally, having the opportunity to meet with our retail partners earlier in the annual sales cycle to plan our events and other promotional activities will give everyone a better chance to maximize activity right through the year,” he commented.

Chair of the PCA trade show committee and vice president of the board, Scott Regina, commented on the importance of PCA to continuously look for ways to evolve the trade show to meet the changing needs of the industry.

“As a board, we seriously consider all aspects of the trade show as a way to benefit our members. We made sure to get a lot of feedback via surveys, meetings, and conversations to ensure that we were making good, informed decisions. I think that not only moving the dates of the show, but with many of the new initiatives that we’ve been adding to the show to enable more networking, exclusive products, and better educational seminars, the impact of the show will continue to grow,” he says.

This year’s PCA trade show will be held in Las Vegas from July 7-11, 2023. PCA is currently negotiating contracts for its 2025 annual convention and trade show for an early spring date. It is anticipated that the 2025 show will take place in a new location. PCA says it anticipates announcing the new location in the coming weeks.

For all the latest news about this year’s PCA trade show, visit pcashow.org.