InterTabac expands to South Africa with Cigar Culture Summit

World-leading trade show further expands its international event portfolio

With more than 800 exhibitors from around the world and trade visitors from over 70 countries, InterTabac has established itself as the world’s leading trade show for the international tobacco industry. Over the course of more than 45 years, the former regional product showcase has evolved into a unique global industry platform whose profile continues to develop dynamically. Now, Messe Dortmund is taking the next strategic step in one of the exhibition’s core segments. Following its successful launch in 2025, the Cigar Culture Summit is expanding to South Africa – and thus into one of the industry’s most promising growth markets. 

Dortmund, 21 May 2026 – With the InterTabac Cigar Culture Summit, Messe Dortmund introduced an exclusive new event on the eve of InterTabac for the first time last year. Together with renowned partners and sponsors from the international cigar industry, the organizers created targeted impulses to further strengthen one of the key segments of the world-leading trade show. 

The highly positive feedback from the industry, strong demand, and the active involvement of partners and market participants demonstrated the benefits that focused event formats can create within global industry platforms. By bringing together relevant topics, key decision-makers, and innovation drivers, the event provided a high-quality environment for exchange, networking, and new business opportunities. 

As a result, the Cigar Culture Summit will return on September 14 ahead of InterTabac 2026 (see here press release no. 147). First high-profile sponsors and partners have already been confirmed, while development of the conference program is progressing rapidly. As part of its strategic growth plans, Messe Dortmund is now taking the concept one step further: the organizers are planning the first-ever InterTabac Cigar Culture Summit South Africa this October. 

By expanding into additional international markets, InterTabac is consistently strengthening its role as a global industry platform. The aim is to foster closer connections with regional market players, actively shape global industry trends within local growth markets, and provide companies with direct access to new business opportunities. At the same time, the expansion creates additional spaces for targeted knowledge exchange, international networking, and sustainable partnerships – combining the strength of a global platform with the advantages of regionally focused events to generate real benefits for the industry. 

Following its partnership with the Lagos Cigar Festival in Nigeria (also see press release no. 147), the expansion into South Africa marks another important milestone in the internationalization and strategic development of InterTabac. The move not only strengthens the global visibility of the format, but also opens up new perspectives for market access, innovation, and long-term international collaboration for participants, partners, and sponsors alike.  Planning for the InterTabac Cigar Culture Summit South Africa has already begun. Further information regarding partners, the conference program, and event details will be announced in the coming months. Those who do not want to miss any updates can follow InterTabac via the official trade show website, on Instagram and LinkedIn or directly by Newsletter.