been to two big smokes in the old days.
first was dallas...felt like halloween, filling up a bag with great gars, smoking some super fine dunhills, fuentes and some single malt and the best food you can imagine. but, it was packed...you were elbow to elbow the whole time, also all the smoke (poor venilation )got to be a little too much. if i remember i came away thinking my $75.00 (i think that was the cost)was the best money i ever spent i came home with over $200.00 worth of cigars, ate and drank like a king and loved it. ( had to go buy a bigger humi).
the second was in NYC, this was when the boom started going strong. while i had a great time, the drink didn't seem to flow like it did in the first one, but the biggest suprise was the gars they were giving out were not anywhere near the quality of the first one. at both events they give you a coupon book which you take to each booth and trade a coupon for a cigar...neat deal like tricck or treat...in dallas i traded a whole bunch of my coupons for dog rockets at the dunhill booth. the guy was trying to hook me on dunhills (duh) i came out like a bandit with about 25 dunhill double coronas tubed (made my night) in NYC it was a way different approach... no big shots from the gar companies, just a bunch sales people or worse yet just people they hired to man the booth, nobody would accept anyone elses coupons ( got a alot of crap that i gave away when i got home). also, in NYC they had drink coupons (bum deal) when you run out of coupons no more scotch (thought i was gonna cry). overall impression of big smokes...everyone bent over backwards at the first one because this was before the boom and they would do anything to please you, at the second it was pretty much like- just get in line and be grateful for what you get. in summary, you will probably have a good time if pushing and shoving and crowding doesn't bother you. you will probably get your money's worth, but i doubt you will make a haul.