TPE20 Recap: As Show Continues to Grow

The 16th annual Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE), held Jan. 29-31, 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall, was clearly the biggest and best TPE show yet. More companies from the tobacco, vapor and alternative industries exhibited at the show and filled out the show floor to its fullest extent ever. A record number of retailers came to the TPE show as well and made purchases for their shops as the busiest times of their sales year—spring and summer—approached. And the expansion didn’t stop with more exhibitors and more retailers attending the show this year. TPE 2020 was bigger as well, having expanded from two and a half days to three full days, giving all attendees more time to do business, network with their peers, and learn something new that they can take back to their stores and use to build better businesses. Indeed, this year’s edition proved yet again that TPE has become the world’s premier total tobacco trade show and is a can’t-miss event for anyone in the tobacco, vapor and alternative industries.

Last year, Tobacco Media Group (TMG), a subsidiary of Kretek International that publishes Tobacco Business and The Hemp Business magazines and hosts the TPE show, worked mightily to improve the value of the trade show for manufacturers and retailers—especially in the premium cigar category—with its hosted buyer program, which brought some of the nation’s top premium cigar retailers to the TPE show. TMG used surveys after the 2019 trade show and also gathered feedback from past attendees and exhibitors throughout the year to understand where past shows delivered and also where there was room for improvement. TMG also revamped the show schedule and made a commitment to provide more content-rich educational seminars to spark new ideas and encourage innovation. Last year’s TPE show was a transformative year for the show, setting the framework for TPE 2020 and raising expectations coming into the 2020 edition. From all reports, TPE 2020 continued its momentum and surpassed many of the exhibitors’ expectations.

Continue Reading On: Tobacco Business Magazine