2013 Big Smoke Las Vegas Review

Dukeuni · 11-12-2013, 01:16 PM

My wife gave me tickets to Big Smoke for my Birthday/Christmas present this year.

I started a thread asking for some feedback and tips from those BOTL that attended before. (LINK)

I received some great tips/feedback both on the thread and via PM.

I wanted to give my own review of Big Smoke 2013 along with some tips for anyone who might attend in the future.

EVENT INFORMATION:
2013 Big Smoke
Sponsored by Cigar Aficionado
Location: Mirage Casino
The event was held in the convention center area. (Mirage Event Center Link)
The location is a decent walk from the casino floor.

Big Smoke Link: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/micro/show/id/15453

Big Smoke is a 2 day event. On Friday and Saturday nights, from 6:30-9:15 is the "Big Smoke Event" event. You have to buy a ticket for each night ($240), and really only need to go on one night (nothing different between the Friday and Saturday evening).

Big Smoke also includes seminars on Saturday. To attend the seminars you have to purchase the "package" for $550. This includes the seminars on Saturday and one of the Big Smoke Evenings (Friday or Saturday). The package was already sold out, so I was not able to attend.

Vendor List for 2013 Big Smoke:

Drew Estates- Acid/Undercrown
Aging Room
A. J. Fernandez
Alec Bradley
Arturo Fuente
Asylum
Cain
CAO
Casa Fernandez
Casino Gold
Diamond Crown
Dunhill
Foundry
H.Upmann Legacy
Joya de Nicaragua
Kismet
La Aroma de Cuba
La Aurora
La Flor Dominicana
La Gloria Cubana Serie R
La Palina
Macanudo
Monte by Montecristo
My Father Cigars
Nat Sherman
Oliva Serie O
Padilla
Padrón
Partagas
PDR
Quesada
Rocky Patel
Sublimes
Tatuaje
Toraño
Ventura
Villiger

For the 2013 Las Vegas Big Smoke event there was 36 manufacturers. There was also several liquor companies handing out samples (Guiness beer, Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Zacapa Rum, Crystal Vodka, Zaya Rum, Carpano Antica, Belvedere, Glenfiddich, etc.). There is also a decent selection of food- Mini hamburgers, large desert assortment, pasta selection. All of this was included with your $240 ticket.

TIPS:

Tip #1: Try to obtain a layout.

On Friday night I went over to the Big Smoke area in Mirage at around 9:30 p.m., when everyone was leaving. I was able to take a picture of the layout of the event so I could be prepared for my Saturday evening event. Some of these booths are PACKED with VERY long lines, so it is very beneficial to hit them up right away- the ones to make sure to go to right away are: Alex Bradley Cigars and Rocky Patel. I cannot describe how long the line for Rocky Patel was- it was crazy.

Tip #2: Get there early

The event started at 6:30 p.m. I was at the line at 5:15 p.m. The wait was not too bad since I have some nice guys to talk with. If you show-up late, be prepared to wait in a long, long, long line. This pictures is taken from the front of the line:

Tip #3: Go with Friends

I went to Big Smoke by myself. By going with friends you are able to split-up the tickets and get the cigars easier. Let me explain:
When you check in for Big Smoke, you will receive a "coupon book" The coupon book will includes tickets for each vendor. You will give the ticket to the vendor and they will give you a cigar. If you have to do this for each of the 36 vendors, it will take you a long time. Several vendors have LONG lines that take forever to get through.

If you go with friends you can break the tickets-up. Example: If there are 6 of you, then the first person can do Booths #1-6. He can collect the "Booth #1" tickets from each person, and can present all 6 tickets to the vendor. The vendor will then hand you 6 cigars. If you go this way, you can be done getting all of your cigars very quickly, and you can then sit down at a table and enjoy all the food, drink, and cigars you want.

Tip #4: Bring boxes of swag you want signed.

I did not do this, but realized I should have. If you have ever wanted Pete Johnson to sign that box of Franks, bring it with you! How about Pepin Garcia signing that hat? Bring it! There is a chance that your owner might not be there in person, but it is worth a shot. I really wish I would have brought some items for Pete Johnson, Pepin Garcia, Janny Garcia, Rocky Patel, Jonathan Drew, etc. to sign.

I was able to get Carlito Fuente and some of his family to sign a 2012 charity 2 cigar box (purchased for $50 at the Fuente booth).

Tip #5: Leave and come back

I was in the front of the line. I got in, got some cigars, walked around, and then left. I came back at around 8:30 p.m. and the crowd had died down some. I ended-up staying until they kicked us out. I was able to finally get to the elusive Rocky Patel table at closing time, and had only a very short line and they were handing out excess swag.

I also noticed that when I cam back at 8:30 p.m. I saw several more of the company owners- Carlito Fuente, Pete Johnson, Jonathan Drew, and Pepin Garcia. I did not notice them present when I first came in at 6:30 p.m.

Picture: It gets full in the conference center. This is a blurry picture, but still shows how many people they stuff in the room:

Tip #6: Go to Boveda Booth early on

The Boveda booth was handing out large zip-lock backs with Boveda packets already in them. I was able to put my cigars in the bag during the event. Kept the cigars safe in one place and humidified.

Tip #7: Take time to get cigars out of promotional packaging and place in your Zip Lock Bag.

Many vendors will just hand you the cigars out of a box. Some vendors already have cigars in zip-lock bags with promotional material in them. Other vendors have the cigars in small promotional cardboard boxes. I stopped several times and just took the cigars out and put them in my Boveda provided zip-lock bag. I don't think all of the cigars would have fit in my bag if I left them in the promotional packaging.

Tip #8: Bring Cash
Some vendors sold items at their booth. Fuente was selling the 2-cigar Charity packs for $50, and hats for $20. You could then get them signed by Carlito at the booth.

Recommendation to Cigar Aficionado:

If anyone from the company reads this- please make the seminars a separate ticket. In the future I would love to attend the seminars and skip out on the Big Smoke Evenings.

BIG QUESTION: Was it worth it and/or would I go again?

I would most likely not attend the Big Smoke Evening event by myself again. If I went with a group of friends, then I would be fun to go again. I would definitely want to attend the seminars sometime. As for "value", if you get samples of all of the cigars, and eat the food and drinks, then you can get your money back and then some. I did not drink any during the event, but there was a LOT of alcohol around to enjoy.

This was my collection of cigars. I was able to go to every vendor.

11-12-2013, 01:16 PM	#1
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	2013 Big Smoke Las Vegas Review My wife gave me tickets to Big Smoke for my Birthday/Christmas present this year. I started a thread asking for some feedback and tips from those BOTL that attended before. (LINK) I received some great tips/feedback both on the thread and via PM. I wanted to give my own review of Big Smoke 2013 along with some tips for anyone who might attend in the future. EVENT INFORMATION: 2013 Big Smoke Sponsored by Cigar Aficionado Location: Mirage Casino The event was held in the convention center area. (Mirage Event Center Link) The location is a decent walk from the casino floor. Big Smoke Link: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/micro/show/id/15453 Big Smoke is a 2 day event. On Friday and Saturday nights, from 6:30-9:15 is the "Big Smoke Event" event. You have to buy a ticket for each night ($240), and really only need to go on one night (nothing different between the Friday and Saturday evening). Big Smoke also includes seminars on Saturday. To attend the seminars you have to purchase the "package" for $550. This includes the seminars on Saturday and one of the Big Smoke Evenings (Friday or Saturday). The package was already sold out, so I was not able to attend. Vendor List for 2013 Big Smoke: Drew Estates- Acid/Undercrown Aging Room A. J. Fernandez Alec Bradley Arturo Fuente Asylum Cain CAO Casa Fernandez Casino Gold Diamond Crown Dunhill Foundry H.Upmann Legacy Joya de Nicaragua Kismet La Aroma de Cuba La Aurora La Flor Dominicana La Gloria Cubana Serie R La Palina Macanudo Monte by Montecristo My Father Cigars Nat Sherman Oliva Serie O Padilla Padrón Partagas PDR Quesada Rocky Patel Sublimes Tatuaje Toraño Ventura Villiger For the 2013 Las Vegas Big Smoke event there was 36 manufacturers. There was also several liquor companies handing out samples (Guiness beer, Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Zacapa Rum, Crystal Vodka, Zaya Rum, Carpano Antica, Belvedere, Glenfiddich, etc.). There is also a decent selection of food- Mini hamburgers, large desert assortment, pasta selection. All of this was included with your $240 ticket. TIPS: Tip #1: Try to obtain a layout. On Friday night I went over to the Big Smoke area in Mirage at around 9:30 p.m., when everyone was leaving. I was able to take a picture of the layout of the event so I could be prepared for my Saturday evening event. Some of these booths are PACKED with VERY long lines, so it is very beneficial to hit them up right away- the ones to make sure to go to right away are: Alex Bradley Cigars and Rocky Patel. I cannot describe how long the line for Rocky Patel was- it was crazy. Tip #2: Get there early The event started at 6:30 p.m. I was at the line at 5:15 p.m. The wait was not too bad since I have some nice guys to talk with. If you show-up late, be prepared to wait in a long, long, long line. This pictures is taken from the front of the line: Tip #3: Go with Friends I went to Big Smoke by myself. By going with friends you are able to split-up the tickets and get the cigars easier. Let me explain: When you check in for Big Smoke, you will receive a "coupon book" The coupon book will includes tickets for each vendor. You will give the ticket to the vendor and they will give you a cigar. If you have to do this for each of the 36 vendors, it will take you a long time. Several vendors have LONG lines that take forever to get through. If you go with friends you can break the tickets-up. Example: If there are 6 of you, then the first person can do Booths #1-6. He can collect the "Booth #1" tickets from each person, and can present all 6 tickets to the vendor. The vendor will then hand you 6 cigars. If you go this way, you can be done getting all of your cigars very quickly, and you can then sit down at a table and enjoy all the food, drink, and cigars you want. Tip #4: Bring boxes of swag you want signed. I did not do this, but realized I should have. If you have ever wanted Pete Johnson to sign that box of Franks, bring it with you! How about Pepin Garcia signing that hat? Bring it! There is a chance that your owner might not be there in person, but it is worth a shot. I really wish I would have brought some items for Pete Johnson, Pepin Garcia, Janny Garcia, Rocky Patel, Jonathan Drew, etc. to sign. I was able to get Carlito Fuente and some of his family to sign a 2012 charity 2 cigar box (purchased for $50 at the Fuente booth). Tip #5: Leave and come back I was in the front of the line. I got in, got some cigars, walked around, and then left. I came back at around 8:30 p.m. and the crowd had died down some. I ended-up staying until they kicked us out. I was able to finally get to the elusive Rocky Patel table at closing time, and had only a very short line and they were handing out excess swag. I also noticed that when I cam back at 8:30 p.m. I saw several more of the company owners- Carlito Fuente, Pete Johnson, Jonathan Drew, and Pepin Garcia. I did not notice them present when I first came in at 6:30 p.m. Picture: It gets full in the conference center. This is a blurry picture, but still shows how many people they stuff in the room: Tip #6: Go to Boveda Booth early on The Boveda booth was handing out large zip-lock backs with Boveda packets already in them. I was able to put my cigars in the bag during the event. Kept the cigars safe in one place and humidified. Tip #7: Take time to get cigars out of promotional packaging and place in your Zip Lock Bag. Many vendors will just hand you the cigars out of a box. Some vendors already have cigars in zip-lock bags with promotional material in them. Other vendors have the cigars in small promotional cardboard boxes. I stopped several times and just took the cigars out and put them in my Boveda provided zip-lock bag. I don't think all of the cigars would have fit in my bag if I left them in the promotional packaging. Tip #8: Bring Cash Some vendors sold items at their booth. Fuente was selling the 2-cigar Charity packs for $50, and hats for $20. You could then get them signed by Carlito at the booth. Recommendation to Cigar Aficionado: If anyone from the company reads this- please make the seminars a separate ticket. In the future I would love to attend the seminars and skip out on the Big Smoke Evenings. BIG QUESTION: Was it worth it and/or would I go again? I would most likely not attend the Big Smoke Evening event by myself again. If I went with a group of friends, then I would be fun to go again. I would definitely want to attend the seminars sometime. As for "value", if you get samples of all of the cigars, and eat the food and drinks, then you can get your money back and then some. I did not drink any during the event, but there was a LOT of alcohol around to enjoy. This was my collection of cigars. I was able to go to every vendor.