What is the Chicago Pipe Show?
The Chicago International Pipe & Tobacciana Show is an annual event at which exhibitors who are pipe makers, retailers, briar collectors, antique pipe collectors, and tobacco blenders gather to buy, sell, trade, educate, and exhibit. At 283 exhibit tables, the Chicago show is the largest gathering of its kind in the world and draws people from over 53 countries and six continents (we are still hoping to be visited by a resident of Antarctica).

Who puts on the Show?
The show is hosted by the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club (CPCC). Club information is available on this website.

When is the Show held?
For the years 2006 through 2010, the show will be held on the first weekend in May.

Where is the Show held?
The show is held in the Mega-Center at the Pheasant Run Resort and Spa Hotel in St. Charles, Illinois (800-999-3319). The Resort offers an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, a golf course, a spa, bars, restaurants and theatres. The web site for Pheasant Run can be found through a link on this website.

What other activities are held in conjunction with the show?
In addition to the Saturday and Sunday show, there is a pipe and cigar golf outing and a pre-show on Friday with a live auction, a Cigar Dinner on Saturday night, a free 7 course welcome banquet on Friday evening, a coffee and ice cream social, a pipe making seminar, a discussion forum with several of the world?s best known pipe carvers, the United Pipe Club of America National Pipe Smoking Contest, educational exhibits and seminars on briar and antique pipes, a silent auction, free snacks, beverages, and lively discussions in the Show?s hospitality suite, and a post-show swap session on Monday morning. Events begin on the Wednesday before the show and continue until the Monday morning after the show.

Who can attend the show?
Anyone 18 or older. Many people attending the show bring their families to enjoy all of the Pheasant Run facilities. Children may visit the show or pre-show ONLY with a parent. No sales to persons under 18 are permitted at the show or pre-show.

How much does it cost to attend the show?
Admission to the show is $10.00 for one day and $15.00 for both days. Tickets are sold ONLY at the door on the Saturday and Sunday show days. No admission tickets are sold in advance.

How do I get a hotel room for the show?
Call the Pheasant Run Resort and Spa Hotel in St. Charles, Illinois (800-999-3319). Be sure to mention that you are attending the show to get the special rates. The web site for Pheasant Run can be found through a link on this website. Call early, rooms go quickly! A year in advance is NOT too early to reserve your room.

How do I get an exhibitor table?
Current exhibitors have until September 1 to renew their tables. After September 1st tables are available on a first come, first served basis. Once all tables are reserved, a waiting list is maintained until the Wednesday before the show.

How much is an exhibitor table?
Tables are $130.00. At the time of reservation, a $60.00 deposit is requested. Full payment is requested on January 1st. Cancellations with full refund are permitted until March 1st. Reselling of tables by exhibitors is strictly prohibited.

How can I pay for my table?
Personal and business checks are accepted in U.S. dollars.

Who can get a table?
Anyone 18 years or older who wants to buy, sell, trade or exhibit pipes, tobacco, cigars and/or tobacciana. Non-tobacco products, services, sales, promotion or advocacy are not permitted. The show reserves the right to deny a table, or take back the table of any person who does not conform to the policies of the show.

What is the pre-show?
On the Friday morning prior to the show, 90 half tables are available on a first come, first served basis. The pre-show is a buy/sell/swap session open without charge to everyone. You do not have to be a show exhibitor to get a half table, and you do not have to pay to attend the pre-show. The rules are the same as the show: Non-tobacco products, services, sales, promotion or advocacy are not permitted. The show reserves the right to deny a table, or take back the table of any person who does not conform to the policies of the show.

What is the Welcome Banquet?
On the Friday night before the show, a seven-course banquet is served to all attendees and their families (visiting the show) free of charge at the Pheasant Run Resort. A cash bar is available. An educational exhibit is presented during the banquet. You do not have to be an exhibitor to attend the banquet. Everyone is welcome. Free tickets for the banquet are handed out at the Welcome Table all Friday afternoon.

How can I attend the seminars?
All seminars are educational, free, and open to the public. Seating is limited by the size of the rooms and is available on a first come, first served basis. The schedule of show seminars is, or will be, available on this website.

What is the Cigar Dinner?
A steak dinner with all the trimmings together with a ?goody bag? of cigars and tobacco provided by our generous sponsors. The Cigar Dinner is held on the Saturday night of the show. Wine, coffee and tea are served with dinner. Other beverages are available at a cash bar. The cost of the Cigar Dinner is $60 per person. You do not have to be an exhibitor to attend the Cigar Dinner.

How can I attend the Saturday night cigar dinner?
Only 150 Cigar Dinner reservations are available on a first come, first served basis. You do not have a dinner reservation until you pay $60 for each dinner reservations. Once a reservation is made, no refunds can be given.

What is the Silent Auction?
The show is financially supported by the donations of auction items and the sale of those items on the Saturday of the show. Pipes, cigars, tobacco, tobacciana, and non-tobacco items are donated by pipe carvers, exhibitors, club members, and benefactors of the show, and are deeply appreciated. We could not run the show as it is without these donations. From 11 a.m. until around 3 p.m. on Saturday, everyone attending the show can bid on the donated items by writing their name and their bid on sheets provided for each item. Bids are frequently raised. Some time around 3 p.m., a whistle is blown by the auction manager, and the highest bid on each item wins. Payment is accepted by cash, check or credit cards immediately after the auction and before 5 p.m. We are able to accept credit cards through one of our generous sponsors. All proceeds of the Silent Auction go directly to the show and make it possible for the show to continue at its present level. Everyone is encouraged to participate as a donor and/or a buyer at the Silent Auction.

Can I sell or trade pipes out of my hotel room?
Buying, selling and trading begins early (Wednesday night for some) and keeps on going until the Monday morning post-show session. Many pipe carvers, collectors, and retailers choose to open their rooms for sales and trading. Some pipe carvers and retailers make arrangements with the hotel for receptions and trunk sales in suites and conference rooms. The show has announcement boards where notices for room sales and receptions are posted by participants in this wonderful tradition. At the request of the hotel, notices may not be posted in the hotel elevators or on the walls of the hotel.

What is the golf outing?
The golf outing is an 18 hole ?Best Ball? tournament. Those wishing to play in the Friday morning tournament are placed on four person teams. There are tobacciana goody bags given to those who participate in the event. This is a good way to relax, make new friends, visit with old friends and maybe conduct some tobacciana business. After the tournament there is an awards party with a raffle. Golf rates are very reasonable. For further information follow the golf link.

Can I smoke at the show?
Yes. You can smoke at the show, at the hotel, and everywhere throughout the Resort, except in the Theatres, the Theatre?s restaurant (the Harvest restaurant), and the Sunday Brunch.

Can I drink at the show?
Yes. The hotel has several bars. During the show, a beer garden serves provided by the hotel sells, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages to those 21 and over. Hotel bars are required by law to close at specified hours. The show has a hospitality suite where complimentary beverages and snacks are available during posted evening hours. No alcoholic beverages may be taken out of the hospitality suite.

What can I learn at the show?
You can learn about the history, art, manufacture, literature and lore of pipes, cigars and pipes. Education is our mission. Exhibits, seminars, informal discussions, and demonstrations are all available, and most of these resources are free of charge.

What is the post-show?
On the Monday after the show, tables are located between the hotel swimming pool and the elevators. Those wishing to sell or trade may take a half table between 8 am and 11 am to sell pipes and related items to those leaving the hotel and those waiting for flights home. There is no charge for use of these tables.

Is there a dress code at the show?
Yes. People attending the show are asked only to not offend others. Partial or complete nudity, either male or female, is not allowed. Swimsuits, bikini?s, thongs, etc. are not welcome on the show floor, at the welcome banquet, or at any show function. Offensive T shirts, which contain vulgar words or pictures, racist depictions, or political insults, are not allowed at show functions. Flagrant violations, repeated violations, or refusal to correct violations may result in expulsion of the violator from the show by the Show Director.

Is there a standard of behavior at the show?
Yes. Any criminal conduct such as theft, fraud, fighting, assault, battery, stalking, or sexual assault will result in immediate expulsion from the show and an immediate report to law enforcement authorities and/or hotel security. Public drunkenness is discouraged. Also, loud arguments with obscenity or vulgarity is discouraged. Violations may result in expulsion of the violator from the show by the Show Director.