Las Vegas welcomes back trade shows with tobacco expo

A sign displays capacity limits during the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE21) at the Las Vegas Convention Center Wednesday, May 12, 2021. The convention, the first at the LVCC since the COVID-19 shutdown, is expected to attract 350 exhibitors and 4,500 attendees.

As attendees ventured into the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Hall, a security guard checked to make sure people were wearing masks.

One man had to be reminded to put his on while another said he didn’t have one. The security guard went to grab a surgical mask from a box near the entrance to give to him.

Tobacco Plus Expo — a convention featuring tobacco, vapor, cannabis, and other alternative products — was one of the last trade shows to take place in Las Vegas before the convention industry shuttered in March of 2020 because of the pandemic.

Now it’s one of the first to return. And the initial day of the three-day show, which is expected to draw between 4,000 and 5,000 people, seemed to go off without a hitch on Wednesday.

“It’s been really good so far,” said Rick Egan of Ispire, a California-based company that makes vape products. “It’s nice being around people. I’ve noticed that there are some people not wearing their masks, but most are.”

Tobacco Plus Convention Opens At LVCC

Attendees are shown during the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE21) at the Las Vegas Convention Center Wednesday, May 12, 2021. The convention, the first at the LVCC since the COVID-19 shutdown, is expected to attract 350 exhibitors and 4,500 attendees. Launch slideshow »

People dined on pre-packaged meals in the convention hall’s cafeteria area. At one end of the floor, a loading dock door was left open to let fresh air into the building. Otherwise, the event — minus attendees wearing masks — looked like a pre-pandemic Las Vegas convention.

“Everybody’s hyped to be here,” conventiongoer Ryan Puentes of Afghan Hemp said. “I think a lot of people are happy to have that vibe of getting out and doing stuff again. It’s good to see it.”

From April to September 2020, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority didn’t record a single convention visitor because of pandemic closures. They stopped tracking the stat for the remainder of that year.

By comparison, 6.6 million attended conventions in Las Vegas in 2019 before the coronavirus outbreak. The meetings and convention industry is responsible for more than $11 billion in annual economic impact to Southern Nevada, an LVCVA official said.

“We are thrilled to have TPE in the building,” said Lori Nelson-Kraft, a spokeswoman for the LVCVA. “We are at their disposal to ensure they have everything they need to have a successful show.”

Sabrina Vanbuskirk of Las Vegas is glad trade shows are coming back. She worked Wednesday as a promotional model for VaporTech, an Arizona-based vape company. Before the pandemic, she worked “most” of the big conventions on the calendar in Las Vegas.

“That was a good portion of my income, so it was really sad when everything shut down last year,” Vanbuskirk said. “I was a (food) server, too, and I was laid off from that job, so it’s been hard. I’m excited conventions are back. Besides everyone having the mask on, this all feels like normal.”

Austin Harper, vice president of sales for Virginia-based Cherokee Tobacco Co., said he and the rest of the Cherokee team arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday and were able to set up their booth without any type of hitch.

“Everything has been very smooth,” Harper said. “We were here in January (2020) for the last one. We weren’t sure if there would even be a show this year, but we’re happy they decided to have it. It’s always nice to come to Las Vegas. We’re going to take some customers out to eat tonight.”

Tobacco Plus Expo show director Ellie Hansen said in an email last week that she expected around 4,500 people to attend the convention. About 350 exhibitors were expected.

The convention industry will continue to pick up next month when the World of Concrete show comes to town. In 2019, that show brought $93 million in revenue to Las Vegas.

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