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This BLOG comes to you from Nice Airport where instead of heading home on the BA 18.40 flight to London many Cannes delegates have been delayed due to technical problems with the plane. Just what you need after a long tough week on the exhibition floor and networking till the early hours in the scene…
By most accounts it was a good Cannes, even for the tobacco houses which had half their stock seized by French customs earlier in the week. It will be interesting to see the ramifications of that one. Without the support of the tobacco companies big and small (note to TFWA: don’t just keep the big guys in the loop) the Cannes show would be a very different event. The sector plans to work closely with the assocation to ensure no repeat of the debacle but that will not be easy given the heightening anti-tobacco climate in France.
One house told us today they were destroying the stock seized by Customs as it had French health warnings and would not be of any use back home. Also import duties would have to be paid. TFWA did some good last minute work under crisis conditions to ensure at least some stock got through but it will be urgently seeking a renewed exemption from French law before next year’s event.