LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE 21) is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center – the venue’s first year-round fair – and over 5,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event.
The fair usually takes place in January, but this year it has been postponed to mid-May due to the pandemic.
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Show attendees and vendors looking for the best deals and products for companies in the tobacco, CBD and vaping industries are in town from across the country
“This is our first show of the year and I will tell you that after a long time in which we have not faced our customers or even our consumers, it is really a breath of fresh air,” said exhibitor Jaime Flores Estrada from Dynamis Ventures.
“It’s really nice not only to see people here, but also the high energy,” he said.
For the participants, this is also a social event. A way to reconnect with colleagues and customers while doing business.
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“It’s a natural camaraderie, it’s like we’re a bunch of pups in one basket,” said Mark Bryan, longtime TPE participant.
“Conventions are important to us as a small business,” said Jennifer Buksar, who had traveled from Chicago.
“It’s so hard for us to make products,” she explained. “We don’t know who’s going to be in business and who’s closed. But when we get here they’re all under one roof and it gives us an opportunity to get it all back and make sure we’re well stocked.”
There are still pandemic security measures in place to keep everyone safe, such as thermal imaging, hand sanitizing stations, and more space between exhibitors to remove social distancing.
Smoking is permitted in certain areas of this fair.
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“You can smoke in any booth, and then you’ve set up lounges that you can smoke in. As you walk around, they’ll ask you to put on your masks and stay safe,” said Omar Fernandez, an exhibitor for AB Cigar Company .
The organizers say the event had a total economic impact of $ 8 million last year, and that number could easily be larger this year.
“Their sales are up, you know, 50, 60, 70 percent, and some of the big distributors are up 70 to 80 percent and they have seen some of their best sales in years,” said Ben Stimpson, managing director of Tobacco Plus Expo 2021.
Both vendors and customers here are hoping these numbers will continue to rise in their industries, and they told me that they are ready for January 2022 when the next TPE will be here in Las Vegas.
