As we prepare for the “Superbowl” of the premium cigar industry, the PCA trade show, in New Orleans this April, the state of your trade association and the overall industry continues a sustained upward trend. On the membership side, the association has grown exponentially with over 150 new members, over 50 renewals from members that haven’t renewed in 5+ years, growing sponsorship revenue, and a sold-out trade show floor. These membership additions include retailers and manufacturers that will converge at the marquee event and epicenter of the premium cigar industry at PCA 2025.
The trade show will embrace innovation while steadfastly maintaining tradition with quality programs that encourage business development, networking, education, entertainment, food & spirits, and, of course, plenty of premium cigars. The staff of the association and board of directors have approached all new programming with your input and feedback in a proactive way. We listened to calls for the “Circle Bar” experience, where attendees can socially gather after the show floor closes. We have put together two large-scale options for several hundred people to have that late-night experience at Manning’s near the convention center and Cuban Creations in the French Quarter. This is just one example of the evolution and improvement of the overall trade show experience.
Our membership has a lot to be proud of this year already, with critical victories such as the withdrawal of the flavored cigar ban and affirmation of the Mehta decision at the appellate level. Your support, membership, and participation in the direction of the association were key contributing factors to this success. Our team will continue to defend specialty tobacco retail at all levels of government and focus on what unites us rather than divides us. The PCA is the epicenter of premium cigar advocacy.
Involvement and participation with PCA beyond general membership and in volunteer leadership is surging. The association had 44 applicants to the board of directors elections and several new additions to our committees that steer the direction of the association alongside our professional staff. Together, the PCA team is driving forward new initiatives and creative collaborations with manufacturers and suppliers to improve our technology, communications, and outreach.
The association recently launched a new website and has spent time on the road visiting members and supporting partner organization events around the country and world, including Puro Sabor in Nicaragua and Pro Cigar in the Dominican Republic. Our team is committed to being accessible, responsive, and attentive to our members’ needs through more direct contact and outreach. PCA hopes to continue to be the incubator of new ideas and the epicenter of innovation to advance the industry into the next chapters.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Cigar Journal for awarding PCA the Ambassador Award for advocacy and Cigar Coop for Awarding me their “2024 Person of the Year”. I hope our team and I can live up to these honors and continue to be stewards of the premium cigar industry. These accolades and the prestigious recognition are a testament to the value of our entire staff and board of directors.
Finally, I look forward to welcoming all of our members, new and old, to PCA 2025, the epicenter of the premium cigar industry, at the many industry events, or in brick-and-mortar shops around the country.
– Contributed by Joshua Habursky, Executive Director of the Premium Cigar Association (PCA). You can reach him at joshua@premiumcigars.org.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 1, 2025. To receive a copy of this magazine you must be a current member of PCA. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.