The diverse range of exhibitors and the high-calibre supporting programme meant that Dortmund was once again the 'place to be' for the entire tobacco industry in 2024. What's more, interest in InterTabac and InterSupply was so high that several records were broken. For example, for the first time, the events attracted over 800 exhibitors from almost 70 countries, exhibiting in a total of eleven halls. International trade visitors were able to experience products, innovations and services in all segments of the industry, and around 94 per cent said they want to come back next year.

Dortmund, 24 September 2024 – Sabine Loos, Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe which owns and operates the Messe Dortmund venue, was correspondingly up-beat in her assessment: “The huge participation and lively interest once again leave no doubt that the twin shows are the world's leading forum for innovation, professional dialogue and business transactions.”

Many decision-makers from specialist tobacco retailers as well as wholesalers, general retailers, the grocery trade and the service sector took advantage of the many opportunities to maintain and expand their networks, discovering new products and finding out about current topics and trends. With the latter in mind, the high-calibre supporting programme was a major success, with specialist presentations and discussion panels designed and organised by industry experts from all segments providing participants with in-depth insights into the foremost topics of interest including the trends and challenges facing the tobacco industry. Unique events and exciting award presentations, including débuts and world firsts, completed what was nothing short of a superb trade show programme.

Sabine Loos summarised her feelings, saying: “The shows were once again a magnet for buyers, retailers and trade visitors looking for fresh ideas to optimise their product portfolios. The strong presence of international exhibitors, who were able to present their products and services to a wide audience, was especially pleasing. This lays the foundations for new, fruitful trade relations and helps nurture existing ones.”

Finest tobaccos and fine cigars

InterTabac and InterSupply experienced growth in the numbers of exhibitors in all areas. One main point of focus has traditionally been the classic segment – from cigars to pipes as well as cigarettes, cigarillos, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own/make-your-own (RYO/MYO) and fine cuts. This was also seen in the number of spaces occupied by relevant exhibitors from all four corners of the earth, whose offerings were on display in Halls 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, constituting a major share of total exhibitor floorspace. A total of over 100 exhibitors in the cigar sector alone were represented at the shows. This prompted Bodo Mehrlein, Chief Executive of the German Cigar Industry Association (BdZ), to conclude that, “For cigar manufacturers, this year's InterTabac was an ideal platform for presenting products and making contact with customers from across Germany and beyond.”

Those with an interest in smoking accessories did not have far to go as these were strategically placed in Halls 6 and 8.

On the final day of the shows, Michael von Foerster, Chief Executive of the German Smoking Tobacco Industry Association (VdR), commented that “This year's InterTabac has been a resounding success from the point of view of the German tobacco industry. Both the commercial contacts and the numerous discussions within the industry are the compelling arguments for our members to be part of the show every year.”

Unbroken interest in next-generation products

In addition to traditional smoking products, innovative alternatives – next-generation products (NGPs) – have been popular for some years now. This growing market was represented at the venue, with the vaping industry and everything associated with e‑cigarettes and e‑liquids located in the Westfalenhalle, in Halls 1, 1b and 2, in the interconnecting covered ways and in parts of Hall 3. Heat-not-burn tobacco products, potentially risk-reduced products (PRRPs), products containing cannabidiol and products for oral intake such as nicotine pouches and snus were located in Halls 5 and 6.

“The variety of products and exhibitors demonstrates the unique innovative capacity of our industry,” summarised Jan Mücke, Chief Executive of the German Association of the Tobacco Industry and Next-Generation Products.

Innovative solutions for retailers

The design and comfort of sales and presentation rooms were also of great importance to trade visitors at the twin shows. In the foyer area of the North Entrance complex, everything revolved around the modern point of sale (POS) and solutions for specialist tobacco retailers, food and general retail outlets, roadside service stations, kiosks and vape shops, with comprehensive options on show for optimising retail space. The proposition illustrated impressively how crucial an appealing, well thought-out shop design is for success and for increased sales turnover.

Steffen Kahnt, Executive Director of the German Federal Association of Tobacco Retailers (BTWE), commented at the end of the three-day shows: “Anyone who wants to grow their expertise and loves inspiration for their business must come to InterTabac in Dortmund. It's extremely important for specialist retailers to stay resolutely at the cutting edge of innovation, especially where next-generation products are concerned, in order to offer customers the best possible shopping experience.”

InterSupply: from raw tobacco to high-tech machinery

Exhibitors at InterSupply in Hall 3 treated visitors to the usual deep dive into the entire production chain in the tobacco industry. From raw tobacco, flavours and additives to state‑of‑the‑art machinery for production and packaging, the show covered all processing steps that aid and optimise the production of tobacco products, e‑cigarettes and hookahs, making the processes more efficient. The number of exhibitors at InterSupply grew by 15% to 150 businesses. The show left a lasting impression – so much so that 100% of exhibitors felt they wanted to exhibit again next year!

“These figures prove that we were right to launch InterSupply back in 2015 to complement InterTabac after receiving a lot of feedback from our exhibitors from all over the world. This 'one-stop shop' which we now offer our trade visitors has filled a gap in the market. Decision-makers and businesses thank us for this with their high level of commitment to this show,” commented Sabine Loos on this good news.

Cannabis trends and the world of shisha

The Shisha topic zone in Hall 8 gave interested visitors an insight into the current state of play regarding traditional hookahs, tobacco varieties with a wide range of flavours, disposable e-hookahs, accessories such as charcoal, mouthpieces, hoses and seals, and much more.

One innovation this year was the closer proximity of CB Expo, which was held in the immediate vicinity of the North Entrance complex, unlike last year when the inaugural event took place in the congress centre. A host of exhibitors and visitors as well as 100 speakers met over the three days at the InterTabac venue in Messe Dortmund, engaging and interacting with each other and with the tobacco and vaping industry, offering their products and services, and using a total of three stages to address and discuss all the relevant current topics in the cannabis industry. Interest in cannabis has grown noticeably again since partial legalisation in Germany on 1 April 2024, and the same can also be said of the CB Expo event in Dortmund.

Ben Arn, Managing Director of CB Company and organiser of CB Expo, was satisfied with the initial results, saying: “The merger of CB Expo with InterTabac makes perfect sense, especially as the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use continues in Europe, and as the tobacco, vaping and cannabis industries have many points of contact and share common challenges.”

Satisfied exhibitors and visitors from all over the world

Overall, around 56% of this year's visitors to InterTabac and InterSupply came from abroad, many of them from countries such as the US, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina, to name but some. Managers of the twin shows also reported high numbers of participants from Asia, especially China, Indonesia, India and South Korea. Numerous interested visitors also flew in from the United Arab Emirates and from countries such as South Africa and Egypt. Once more, InterTabac and InterSupply also recorded a high number of European visitors from countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Austria and the BeNeLux countries. Response from within Germany was also high, accounting for around 44% of visitors availing themselves of the shows' networking and information-gathering opportunities.

As in 2023, retail accounted for the largest share of visitors (over 30%), followed by wholesale and exports (around 29%) and manufacturing/industrial producers (approximately 19%). The proportion of all these visitors who are decision-makers in their respective businesses held steady at 88%.

The verdict of the international audience at the end of the three days of the shows was clear, with around 94% – two per cent more than last year – wanting to return in 2025. No surprise really, given that nearly 89% of trade visitors said they were fully satisfied with their visit to the shows. The majority of InterTabac exhibitors (around 88%) were also in favour of coming back to the 2025 show.

Support by international partners and delegations

The sister shows InterTabac and InterSupply were characterised by an impressive international presence – something that was certainly true of exhibitors and visitors – and strong support was also forthcoming from members of international delegations and also from a large number of industry partners and associations from across the world. Sabine Loos was delighted with the broad range of partners and supporters, saying: “The strong commitment of our partners and associations once again emphasises the outstanding importance of InterTabac and InterSupply as the industry's leading flagship trade shows. The presence of senior business representatives and policy-makers – and the global exchange that we work together to facilitate – create a platform which is the only one of its kind in the world. This not only meets the current needs of the industry, it provides the opportunity to inspire and drive its future development. The diversity and expertise of our partners play a major part in the success of the shows and reinforce their standing as a global flagship trade show event.”

New launches and popular classics in the supporting programme

The team behind InterTabac and InterSupply is always on the lookout for innovative concepts that boost the added value and information content of the supporting programme – and thus of the shows themselves. Exciting new features have been added to the programme again this year, in fact the twin shows' supporting programme featured all of three premières this year. Firstly, we had the very first InterTabac World Alternative Awards created in collaboration with The Vaping Group.

These awards, which were held on the opening day, explicitly honoured alternative nicotine products for the first time – closing what has been a clear gap in this segment. The awards went to the following products: Bar Juice by Bombo Liquids/NAAM Distribution GmbH & Co KG (category: Best E-Liquid Range), the ARGUS G2 mini pod kit from VooPoo (category: Alternative Nicotine Product of the Year), the Pod Kit Elfbar ELFA from Intrade Concepts GmbH (category: Best Pod System), the e-liquid Gold Bar Salts Blue Raspberry from GB Tech LL (category: Best E-Liquid), the Rush nicotine pouches from Dholakia Tobacco (category: Best Newcomer Nicotine Pouch), the NUZO HNB sticks from Broad Far Hong Kong (category: Best HNB Product), the Clue Pouches from Nevcore (category: Best Nicotine Pouches) and the Maverick Frost Wood nicotine pouches from Luna Corporate (category: Best Nicotine Pouch Innovation). Awards also went to First Union (category: Best HNB Innovation) and Alchem (category: Most Innovative Pouch Formulation).

There were also many great conversations at the newly introduced PouchXchange networking event on Friday evening in Hall PA4, an exclusive forum enabling representatives of the nicotine pouch and snus industry to engage and network in a relaxed atmosphere – an opportunity that many of them took advantage of and really appreciated.

The final of Mission Mixologist on Saturday afternoon on stage in the North Entrance complex turned out to be a real nail-biter. Six talented finalists who qualified for the finals in preliminaries held at EVO NXT competed in three rounds for the title of Master of Vape Flavour Compositions. The accolade was scooped by an old acquaintance, with Cristian Gallardo Gonzaléz from Bombo Liquids winning the event, just as he did at EVO NXT.

Two other accolades also go back a long way: the Cigar Trophy Awards, which were presented on Thursday evening by Cigar Journal and have been recognised as one of the premier awards in the cigar industry since their introduction in 1998, and the InterTabac Stars which were awarded on Saturday. These awards, presented by trade journal DTZ ('Die Tabakzeitung'), honour the most popular products on display in all retail-related categories, thus attracting additional attention. The following products scored particularly well this year: the Glo Hyper Pro tobacco heater from BAT (category: Heat‑not‑Burn/Hardware), the Elfbar Energy Drink from Intrade Concepts (category: Product Innovation), the Mademoiselle from Landewyck (category: Cigarette), the Activ'Tips Slim from OCB (category: RBA), the Levia nicotine sticks from Philip Morris (category: Heat-not-Burn/Accessories), the Jucan from Vauen (category: Pipe), the Long Red Filter from Villiger (category: Cigar/Cigarillo) and the Icewave pod system from VooPoo (category: E-Cigarette).

Important topics such as sustainability and regulations were in demand

Also, the supporting programme at the twin shows was once again characterised by in‑depth specialist presentations, lively panel discussions and practice-minded workshops. This enabled participants from all segments to take an in-depth look at key trends and issues from different perspectives. In the conference programme, the topics of sustainability, regulations in the industry, Track & Trace and tobacco alternatives were particularly well received, with the sessions 'Lessons Learned? – Discussion on the implementation of track and trace systems in the cigar industry to increase transparency and efficiency' and 'Future of Nicotine Technologies: Innovations and Advances in NGP products' and the presentation 'Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches and Their Potential Contribution to Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Scoping Review' proving the most popular events.

Interactive formats also went down very well, with some events such as the 'Cigar Pairings' for combining cigars and fine spirits and the 'Blending Tutorial' fully booked in advance.

“Year after year, it's become clear that the opportunity for engaging face-to-face makes the twin shows a must-attend industry event,” emphasised chief show organiser Sabine Loos in conclusion. “Coupled with a huge range of goods from all relevant segments and the high level of information content, the full package was on offer again in 2024, showing conclusively that it's here in Dortmund that key strategic moves happen, leading to successful business and shaping the future.”

New date already set

As a result, next year's twin shows are awaited with great anticipation. The date has now been firmed up, with InterTabac and InterSupply set to welcome visitors between 18 and 20 September 2025.

What the associations and partners had to say

Steffen Kahnt, Executive Director of the German Federal Association of Tobacco Retailers (BTWE):
“Face-to-face contact makes all the difference, which is why our flagship show – InterTabac – is more important than ever. Anyone who wants to grow their expertise and loves inspiration for their business must come to InterTabac in Dortmund. 800 exhibitors from all industry segments promise plenty of input. It's extremely important for specialist retailers to stay resolutely at the cutting edge of innovation, especially where new-generation products are concerned, in order to offer customers the best possible shopping experience. With an exciting supporting programme and numerous events, this year's InterTabac was not just the heart of the industry, but also the perfect forum for networking and maintaining contacts. The addition of product categories such as spirits and shop fittings made a visit to Messe Dortmund even more attractive. The retail sector is proud of this industry event in an extremely dynamic market and wishes to place on record its gratitude for the excellent work done by the Messe Dortmund team.”

Bodo Mehrlein, Chief Executive of the German Cigar Industry Association (BdZ):
“InterTabac 2024 was once again a great event and reflected the entire diversity of the tobacco industry, highlighting yet again the uniqueness of cigars and cigarillos as luxury items and as cultural assets. For cigar manufacturers, it was an ideal platform for presenting products and making contact with customers from across Germany and beyond.”

Jan Mücke, Chief Executive of the German Association of the Tobacco Industry and Next‑Generation Products (BVTE) and Executive Director of the German Cigarette Association (DZV):
“InterTabac 2024 has been another resounding success. We look back with great satisfaction on this year's flagship trade show for tobacco and nicotine products. Once again, Dortmund proved to be a great host. The variety of products and exhibitors demonstrates the unique innovative capacity of our industry.”

Michael von Foerster, Chief Executive of the German Smoking Tobacco Industry Association (VdR):
“This year's InterTabac has been a resounding success from the point of view of the German tobacco industry. Both the commercial contacts and the numerous discussions within the industry are the compelling arguments for our members to be part of the show every year. We're already looking forward to InterTabac 2025.”

Philip Drögemüller, Executive Director of the Alliance for Tobacco-Free Enjoyment (BfTG):
“InterTabac in Dortmund has been a total success for the BfTG and remains the premier platform for the e-cigarette industry. We've been able to hold a lot of excellent discussions that have provided valuable inspiration for the work we do. The many exciting suggestions for our engagement with policy-makers have been especially pleasing. The show has confirmed once again its crucial importance for dialogue and interaction within our industry, and for its ongoing evolution. The InterTabac programme once again offered participants valuable insights from experts.”

Oliver Pohland, Chief Executive of the German E-Cigarette Retailers' Association (VdeH):
“InterTabac is one of the most important events of the year for us. This year again, we've been able to welcome numerous policy-makers, media representatives and – especially important for us – many of our members to our stand. We were able to exchange views on numerous current topics in in-depth face-to-face conversations. This year's focus was on 'Protection of minors and the black market', on which we presented a new factual report as part of our current protection-of-minors campaign. We were also able to explore this topic in depth in lots of discussions and stimulate people's thoughts. We're already really looking forward to InterTabac 2025.”

Ciprian Boboi, Board Member of the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA):
“We are very satisfied with the results of this year's InterTabac. Our international members were represented in large numbers in Dortmund. By signing the updated declaration of the Global Vape Alliance, the international associations have taken another important step towards global co-operation.”

Thomas Schäfer, Executive Director of the North Rhine Westphalia Retailers' Association (Westphalia & Münsterland Branch):
“The twin shows InterTabac & InterSupply have proven once again this year to be the crowning event in the tobacco world. Though scarcely imaginable, it's nevertheless true to say that this show is getting bigger and more interesting every year. The variety and diversity of the stands, the international credentials and the diversity of the exhibitors and visitors as well as the varied supporting programme and the daily rush of visitors from near and far have delighted the visitors and put smiles on their faces. And it's no wonder either, seeing as the range of exhibitors, stands, exhibition space and products has been bigger than ever before. Thanks and respect to the amazing professional team at Messe Dortmund for all the planning, preparation and hosting effort that went into the show. We're already looking forward to InterTabac 2025 with excitement and great anticipation.”



Folke Rega, Chief Executive of the German Shisha Tobacco Association:
“There was also good news to report in the field of shisha tobacco. Although the number of exhibitors declined due to the volume restrictions on packaging in the German market that were in place until June, there were clear signs of a new beginning. Significantly more product innovations and exhibitors are expected again next year.”