News

2003 Feb , 26

Entrevista a Manuel García

noticiasentrevista01-manuel-2003Q: Can you talk about the main characteristics of Habanos Festival, an event that has become a tradition?

This year we celebrate the 5th Habanos Festival, event that has become a tradition among smokers and lovers of the Habanos. This is a festival that every year gathers more participants having a high level of acceptance.

This year, for example, we gather 950 persons for the general program, which means, persons participating since the inauguration at Tropicana until the Gala Dinner. In particular, around 400 persons attended the theoretical seminar. As you can see, this is festival with a high level of participants from more than 55 countries.

Q:  Which are the main objectives of the Habanos Festival?

This festival is not a common fair, it is not a space for signing contracts, because Habanos has a wide network of distributors around the world, with the exception of the United States market, for obvious reasons and the market of Mongolia, country where the persons don’t smoke cigars and there is a low income level in the population. We are represented throughout the world and through our network of distributors we signed contracts for buying and selling Cuban cigars. This justifies why this festival is not a framework for signing contracts but an opportunity to gather smokers, as I said before, there are more than 950 participants from 55 countries.

This is something we take into account every year, we try to celebrate interesting Festivals, we don’t repeat the same activities from one festival to the other, because there are many persons that attend every year. That is why our participants feel motivated, for instance, yesterday we manufactured a cigar different to what we did last year. Likewise, we listened to a conference given by Eusebio Leal, Historian of the city and an important intervention about the topic “Duty free and the Habanos”. It is incredible the way this Cuban product gathers so many people so as to be considered the best one of the world.

So far, for the Dinner Gala on the 28th we will carry out an auction of special humidifiers. All the money collected at the auction is going to be granted for Cuban public health institutions. We have received the most favorable opinions. We hope to make better and have more incentives for participants every year.

Q: How long have you been working in the Festival’s organization?

This is an important question, there is an intense period, four months, where everyone works in the organization of the event, but I would say that organizers of the festival start planning the next one right after the first one finishes, in order to plan several activities. It is indispensable to highlight the work carried about by the Marketing Department of Habanos S.A., directed by Ana López, which plays an important role in the Festival’s organization.

Q: Can you defined this festival as the biggest celebration of the Habanos?

As you have said, this festival that is not an occasion for signing contracts, nor agreements but the opportunity to enjoy, to pay honor to all activities related to the Habanos. There are many people that comes to smoke a very good cigar, the best cigar of the world: the Habanos.

Entrevista a Manuel García


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