Smoke Inn has announced The Great Smoke 2021 will be a virtual event and not an in-person event. The change is due to the ongoing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed The Great Smoke “The Digital Experience” the event is slated for February 20, 2021. Smoke Inn has said the event will be broadcast in an 8-hour variety show format – and one the retailer says is like no other virtual cigar event seen before.
“The Great Smoke has become one of the nation’s most acclaimed cigar event for 15 years. Aficionados from all over the world have made the annual trip for this experience driven multi-vendor event. In light of decisions that have to be made early, and our concern for the health and safety of all our friends and guests, we are moving forward with a virtual version of TGS in 2021, “The Digital Experience!” said Smoke Inn proprietor, Abe Dababneh in a press release
“Imagine if you will, a Jerry Lewis Telethon meets QVC format for an analogy,” stated Abe Dababneh. The 8 hour broadcast will be an interactive one and consist of featured manufacturers, sponsored interactive liquor demonstrations, live entertainment, dancers, comedians, musicians, hourly raffles and giveaways, and a specially built portal for attendees to take advantage of event only promotions and sales.
Abe added, “The scope of this project will be huge and is honestly hard to put in words at the moment. The broadcast will be done in front of a small live audience and Showtek Productions, out of Atlanta, has been hired to handle all aspects of the production and broadcast. Showtek has been behind many major national broadcasts such as The Golden Globes, The Kings of Comedy, and Soul Train to name a few. It is very important to us to create something special. Something fans and consumers will talk about for months, long after the event is over. We even have some very special limited releases scheduled to debut the day of the event. While I still believe that nothing can match the physical experience of attending a Great Smoke, I am determined to create an equally special and exciting experience for aficionados all over the country.”
Current plans are to broadcast the event openly for anyone to watch. There will also be a a special portal site created that will require a password entry only emailed to ticket holders. Through this portal, ticket purchasers can take advantage of special event offers & have access to the new limited releases.
All ticket purchasers will receive an event package prior to the broadcast. This will include 40+ premium cigars, the official TGS event cap and tee, various swag, and specialty items that can be used during the interactive segments of the broadcast. Smoke Inn says due to the logistics of packaging and shipping the event pack across the country, there will be a strict limit to the number of tickets sold.
Tickets sales for the event are tentatively scheduled to begin November 2nd, Noon EST and can be purchased through the event site www.TheGreatSmoke.com.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out most of the cigar industry’s in-person events for 2020. This is the first major event to see a cancellation in 2021.
