The first in a series of four seminars was presented by members of Cigar Rights of America. Brian Berman, the CRA's Director of Membership, started things off with facts and figures about the organization. Glynn Loope, the CRA's Executive Director, talked about all the threats to the cigar industry, such as smoking bans, taxes, and more regulation. The FDA's proposal to regulate cigars is currently the biggest threat. There were a number of other speakers, most notably Tim Ozgener of CAO and Rocky Patel. Their message to cigar retailers was very clear, get involved! The industry has already waited too long to defend itself. Cigar makers and retailers must define who they are, and differentiate their products from cigarettes and other tobacco products. Cigars are an art form, similar to winemaking.
CRA is a consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works at the local, state, and federal level of government to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts. Since the CRA's presentation was geared toward cigar retailers, we cornered Glynn Loope at the trade show and asked him to record a short video addressed to cigar consumers, who are really the heart and soul of the organization. That video is available now, and also includes a few segments from CRA's presentation to the cigar retailers.
The next two seminars were given by a "whiz bang" marketing guru named Bob Negen. Since these presentations were geared specifically towards cigar retailers, we will not say any more about them at this time. However, the fourth seminar was a cigar tasting lesson to remember, and is discussed along with the next image in this gallery.
CRA is a consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works at the local, state, and federal level of government to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts. Since the CRA's presentation was geared toward cigar retailers, we cornered Glynn Loope at the trade show and asked him to record a short video addressed to cigar consumers, who are really the heart and soul of the organization. That video is available now, and also includes a few segments from CRA's presentation to the cigar retailers.
The next two seminars were given by a "whiz bang" marketing guru named Bob Negen. Since these presentations were geared specifically towards cigar retailers, we will not say any more about them at this time. However, the fourth seminar was a cigar tasting lesson to remember, and is discussed along with the next image in this gallery.
