Committee advances bill to allow a one-time cigar convention exemption at St. Louis convention center

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen Transportation and Commerce Committee voted 4–1 to advance Board Bill 167, a narrowly drawn amendment to create an exemption allowing certain convention events at the St. Louis convention center to permit indoor smoking under specified circumstances.

Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the change is intended to allow a single, limited cigar trade show to take place in the city. "This convention is only able to be hosted in a few cities due to some regulations that other cities have," Alderman Aldridge said, describing the proposal as a way to bring an event he said would benefit the city economically.

Why it matters: supporters argued the Premium Cigar Association trade show would bring thousands of attendees and millions in spending to the downtown economy, and that the exemption is narrowly tailored to one event rather than a general rollback of the City’s Smoke-Free Air Act.

Brad Dean, who identified himself as president and CEO of Explore St. Louis, said the organization supports the bill while also acknowledging the importance of the Clean Air Act. "We don't come today to suggest anything otherwise," Dean said. He described the event as "unique" and urged the committee to allow the city to compete for the business.

Brian Acheson, chief sales officer at Explore St. Louis, offered the committee numerical estimates for the event’s local economic impact as part of his presentation. He said the trade show can generate direct spending in the community and support hotel stays, restaurants, labor and small businesses, and he characterized the opportunity as significant for downtown foot traffic.

On venue safety and mitigation, Brett Buchanan, director of facilities for the convention center, described technical steps the facility would use to limit smoke migration and lingering: zoning individual halls, using charcoal filtration and MERV-14 filter changes after the event, and using pressure differentials to evacuate smoke so it does not affect other parts of the building. "We can actually zone the air conditioning for one or two or more halls separate from the rest of the facility," Buchanan said, and added the center would perform full filter changes to "reduce the smoke lingering after the event."

Committee questioning focused on worker protections and turnaround time for the venue. Alderman Anasuya Narayan asked whether employees would be required to work the event; presenters and the sponsor said staffing would be voluntary (an opt-in model) but acknowledged that the opt-in/opt-out language was not included in the introduced ordinance and could be added. When asked how long after a cigar event the center could host a non-smoking event, a facility representative said comparable venues generally return to normal use within one to two days and that the convention center’s systems should allow a similar turnaround.

Not all members were persuaded. Chair Cone said he would likely oppose the measure in a final vote and urged caution, recounting his role in passing the city’s Smoke-Free Air Act and warning the exemption could create a "slippery slope" for future requests. "It was probably one of the most contentious debates that we've had down here," he said. Chair Cone also spoke personally about public-health stakes.

Public testimony included Patrick Stanley, who described the cigar-convention community and urged Aldermen to seize a long-sought opportunity to bring the event to St. Louis.

The committee then took a procedural vote. Alderman Jamie Cox Antwee moved that the committee give Board Bill 167 a due-pass recommendation; the motion passed on a roll call with four ayes and one no. The committee also noted there were three written public comments in support.

Next steps: the committee advanced the bill out of committee with a due-pass recommendation; that recommendation sends the ordinance forward for further consideration by the Board of Aldermen.