PCA Magazine Fall 2019

34 PCA The Magazine | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG An event that will certainly be remembered for a number of reasons, PCA’s 2019 International Convention and Trade Showheralded several major announcements for the association, starting with a rebranding of the organization as a whole. Gone is the tongue-twisting International Premium Cigar &Pipe Retailers Association, to be replaced by the PremiumCigar Association. For Scott Pearce, executive director, and the PCA board, the name change was essential to helping the organization remain relevant within a changing legislative environment. “In talking with all the stakeholders and going though the rebranding process, it was really understood that we needed to be very clear and simple and concise, especially after working with the long acronymof IPCPR for all these years,” explained Pearce. “The best example is when onCapitol Hill, you have a finite amount of time in terms of meetings and you don’t want towaste it by taking the first fiveminutes explaining your name. PremiumCigar Association is very straightforward and direct, which, for an association, is always the best way forward.” Along with the name change, Pearce also announced a complete revamping of the organization’s website, whichwill debut in September. In addition to a fresh, updated look, the newwebsite is a digital hub for all of PCA’s activities and offers not only regular updates on compliance and federal and state news, but also a newPCA blog and a robust buyer’s guide that will provide retailers instant access to company and product information. The goal behind the newwebsite is to be a one-stop shop for news and informationwithin the premium tobacco industry. The othermajor announcement, and themost discussed, was the introduction of a consumer day called CigarCon to future trade shows. While opinions were loud and varied, PCA is taking several steps to ensure CigarCon is a benefit for all itsmembers (see story about CigarCon on page 16 for a deeper analysis of CigarCon initiative). Initially proposed to debut at the 2020 trade show, PCA leadership decided to take a step back, assess the feedback frommembers and develop a plan for 2021.