Day Three of the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show took place on April 14, 2025. As I evaluate this Trade Show, I’m inclined to rank this as one of the best ones I’ve attended (and I’ve attended the last 15 in a row). The PCA, led by Joshua Habursky and the Board of Directors, deserves enormous credit for putting on an outstanding trade show and convention. While not perfect, Day Three went quite well.
In 2024, PCA shortened the show from three and a half days to three days. The show floor was open for eight hours on the final day. In 2024, the hours for the last day were from 9 am to 5 pm, whereas this year, the hours changed to 8 am to 4 pm. I welcomed this change, but many people did not. Some attendees assumed the hours were still 9 am to 5 pm, like last year. The net result is that the Trade Show got off to quite a slow start on Day Three with foot traffic (which I refer to as the number of people on the Trade Show floor at a particular point).
I would say that by mid to late morning, the foot traffic increased. The increase wasn’t necessarily at the levels of Day Two. However, from about 10:30 am to 2 pm was still one of the better timeframes for foot traffic. But after 1:30 pm, there was a drop-off again.
It’s fair to say that the lower foot traffic on the final day is still an issue. This is understandable in that, due to human nature, 1) people tend to stay out late during conventions; and 2) people generally prefer not to stay away from home on business an extra night if it isn’t necessary. Thus, this makes any final day challenging. The other thing is more specific to PCA: many retailers are not big enough to continuously buy for three days. Cigar brands exhibiting at the Trade Show are looking for buyers and not folks to use their booth as a smoking lounge unless an order is being written.
Once the second drop-off occurs, some booths (regardless of size) start shutting down early.This year, I noticed many exhibitors held internal meetings away from their booths on Day Three. While this helps their objectives, it makes it difficult for the media to connect with stakeholders and disappoints attendees wanting to meet key individuals. A better balance is needed to ensure accessibility and connection.
Still, the positives outweigh the minuses. Five years ago, there were people saying the Trade Show was close to death, and look how far the PCA has come. On top of that, they pulled off an amazing show in a city where many had doubts.
This concludes our daily post-game recaps. However, plenty of product and booth coverage will dominate our pages for the next few weeks.
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
