The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) are proud to announce a new set of graduates of the 2026 Luxury Marketing & Experiences Program. The three-day executive education program ran September 30 through October 2 at FIU’s top-ranked Chaplin School on its Biscayne Bay Campus.
Now in its second year, the program brought together cigar manufacturers, retailers and industry professionals to examine how luxury brands are built, protected and brought to life. FIU faculty and leading industry executives taught side by side across eight modules covering strategic storytelling, brand protection and responsible luxury, strategic collaborations, luxury retail and hospitality, product innovation and pairings, market developments and the cigar event ecosystem.
While rooted in premium cigars, the curriculum addressed challenges shared across luxury, hospitality, retail and experience-driven businesses: how to protect authenticity, build meaningful customer relationships and translate heritage into enduring brand value.
FIU’s Director of Hospitality Executive Education Dr. Suzanne Bagnera and Chaplin School Dean Dr. Michael Cheng opened the program. Speakers and panelists included Jonathan Drew (Drew Estate and J. Sann and Son), Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and Lissette Perez-Carrillo (Casa Carrillo), Terence Reilly (Aganorsa Leaf), Oliver Hyams, Gabriel Diaz and Mariana Hinestrosa (Altadis U.S.A.), Josh Roque (Drew Estate), John Gaglio (La Aurora), Marilyn Florez-Giordano (Quality Importers), Luz Holguin (Bartolo Cigars and Wine), Elad Smadja (Cigar Club Miami), Les Mann (S.T. Dupont), Christian Eiroa (CLE Cigars), and Jorge Luis Valdes (Sabor Havana). FIU hospitality professors Gabriel Urrutia, Mitchell Meredith and Nathan Dodge led a fireside chat on developing beverages to pair with cigars.
“Premium cigar culture brings together many of the disciplines we study in hospitality: heritage, craftsmanship, ritual, service, storytelling and human connection,” said Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean and Professor at FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. “Working with PCA allows us to engage with a living luxury culture while bringing academic perspectives to the industry. That exchange is what makes this partnership especially valuable, and we are excited to continue developing it.”
The centerpiece of the program was the Executive Co-Branding LAB. Teams of participants designed a partnership between a premium cigar brand and a complementary luxury brand, developing a brand story, strategic rationale, signature experience, brand-protection and risk-management plan, and measures of success. On the final day, teams presented their concepts to an executive panel for feedback.
“What made this week special was watching participants take ideas from the classroom and turn them into real brand strategies,” said Nathan Dodge, Associate Teaching Professor at FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. “Being part of the program from the opening session through the final presentations, I saw these teams challenge each other, think differently about the guest experience and build concepts with genuine depth. The co-branding projects showed how much the premium cigar industry has to offer the broader luxury and hospitality world.”
For the first time, the program also incorporated an on-campus premium cigar experience as part of the educational curriculum. A dedicated cigar lounge at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus hosted an experiential pairing of E. León Jimenes Rum and La Aurora Cigars, followed by the award and certification ceremony and a reception with Oliva Cigar Co.
The experience allowed participants to explore firsthand the relationship between premium cigars, ritual, luxury hospitality and human connection—bringing concepts discussed throughout the program into a live hospitality setting.
The program extended beyond the classroom as well. Participants joined a chocolate pairing with Romeo y Julieta Reserve Real Profundo, while evening gatherings took place at Smoke on the Water in Weston with Fermin Perez and at Sabor Havana Cigar and Cocktail Lounge, where Women of PCA was hosted with Gran Habano.
“This program reflects what PCA stands for: investing in the people who move our industry forward,” said Joshua Habursky, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Premium Cigar Association. “Our partnership with FIU’s top-ranked hospitality program allows us to combine the knowledge and heritage within premium cigars with world-class thinking in hospitality, marketing and business. It gives our members practical tools they can use immediately while helping us continue professionalizing the trade, expanding our culture of hospitality and creating stronger experiences for consumers. We are grateful to Dean Cheng and the FIU team, our speakers and sponsors, and we look forward to continuing to grow this program.”
The second cohort further establishes the PCA-FIU Hospitality partnership as a platform for executive education that connects the traditions of premium cigar culture with contemporary thinking in hospitality, marketing, retail and luxury experiences. The organizations intend to continue developing the program as part of a broader commitment to professional education and the long-term advancement of the industry.
PCA thanks the program’s partners, speakers and supporters.
Details on future PCA education programs will be shared at premiumcigars.org.