Cigar Geeks

https://halfwheel.com/pca-2020-the-reckoning-is-here/370981/?fbclid=IwAR1nLdYkAZeYbYGs_2uxFtA4RIp-TJLYi8__b3wRFmPKMKt3HxyHgmPcca4

Wow, what a great read.
I have been involved in trade shows for my company for over 30 years.  I have done dozens and dozens of trade shows around the world from small 10X20 booths to over 90,000 square feet in Vegas.  What is in the article about the trade show side concerning questionable attendance numbers, costs, and value is common in a lot of shows.  Maybe most of them.  It is the quality of the attendee that matters not the quantity.  When you have an organization whose major source of income is related to a trade show or event, then they will do the money grab.

What I felt most disconcerting was it seems the people who have out voice in DC has lost their focus.  In fighting, executive leadership out of touch with its constituents, feeling they know more and better than the people who they serve.  Seems evident they are biting the hand that feeds them.  

Does make me wonder if 6 major companies can pull out of the CRA, why am I there?

"Does make me wonder if 6 major companies can pull out of the CRA, why am I there?"
My thoughts exactly Chuck :confused:

Kinda depends on why you joined CRA in the first place.  Should the manufacturers do all the lobbying and political outreach for us, the consumers?

Thanks for the link. Interesting read. Long too.

Sweet will check it out at the gym! Started n sounds good! Thanks for link!

I wonder how many cigar smokers are like me; only buy online and don't chase the new stuff. From my perspective there was nothing surprising in the article. I've got purchase emails from JR going back to 2002 and my online buying and not buying at B&M predates that.

Quote05Venturer - 1/15/2020  9:37 AM  "Does make me wonder if 6 major companies can pull out of the CRA, why am I there?" My thoughts exactly Chuck :confused:

The CRA, or really any PAC or organized political advocate, has a reason for existing if that purpose is to represent an industry or market in DC.  Having a single "tip of the spear" focused on delivering the message has its advantages.  If the 6 tobacco companies attempted individually to get their message across it would be come diluted and quite possibly mixed.  We all understand there is power in numbers.  I get two main stories outs of this article.

 First is the ICPCR trade show worth the money spent by the tobacco companies on booth space, sponsorships, events, etc…?  If you have not done an event in Vegas the costs might shock you.  You have more than just the booth, you have travel, entertainment, inventory & swag to hand out, etc…  It would not surprise me if someone like General spends well over $1M+.  I can tell you that in 2016, our last Vegas show, our budget was north of 2.5M. For them the measurement seems to be orders placed, new store fronts and facings won.  It doesn’t matter the number of people walking thru the door, it’s the quality.  Did a B&M owner send someone authorized to buy, or just on a vacation?  In the end the ultimate driver of what sells and is put on shelves is us, the consumer.  Which gets back to the internet.  We all get emails daily either from stores or directly from manufactures.  The reach manufactures have now direct to the consumer is incredible.  I see the power in the hand of the manufactures, not the PCA/ICPCR/CRA.  If the 6 pull out, and by the way Villager did not show in 2019, smaller people will also pull out thinking there are no anchors there to draw the people.

 The second main point I seemed to get from this was the disorganization at both the CRA and ICPCR and then the merger of the two.  It seems they lost focus. In fighting on board members.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  If the PCS’s major cash infusion is the show and then membership dues then they might be in trouble.  What I can tell you is that you single voice has more power sometime than any organization.  Write your Congressmen/women.  Tell them what you want, don’t tell them what you think, tell them what you want them to do.  Hopefully this all gets sorted, maybe a new manufactures PAC gets organized?

From the article: "Two of the four—Altadis and General—are owned by companies that also own three of the largest catalog/internet retailers: Cigars International and Thompson (both owned by General's parent STG)"...  I guess that explains why I got a couple of five packs with Thompson labels on them in my last box from C-bid.  That one had me scratching my head, but it makes sense now.