Davidoff National Event: A Weekend of Excellence

On August 31st and September 1st, the annual national Davidoff event was held between Bardolino and Verona, organized by ITAGENCY in compliance with the high-quality standards required by the Oettinger Davidoff group. A weekend dedicated to elegance and excellence, attended by tobacconists who have chosen to embark on a path of knowledge and training, leading them to become ambassadors of the Davidoff brand in Italy. The 2024 national event was themed around the color white, the unmistakable symbol of Davidoff’s class, and particularly of the prestigious “White Band” cigar lines. Those who attended the event were taken on a journey specifically designed to guide the tobacconists through the four cigar lines that make up the White Band Collection 2024: Signature, Aniversario, Millennium, and Grand Cru.

The days were organized to ensure that the right cigar was enjoyed in the ideal setting, thus highlighting the diversity of Davidoff’s offerings while allowing guests to experience firsthand part of the brand’s identity, creating the perfect conditions to convey Davidoff’s values. The two-day event began with a welcome in the charming smoking garden set up for the occasion at the Aqualux Hotel in Bardolino, where guests could freely enjoy the mini cigarillos Gold and Silver and the Davidoff Primeros.

The event continued with a welcome speech by the Brand Manager for Italy, Enrico Della Pietà, along with the representatives who came directly from Basel, Monika Wysocka and Jean-Christophe Hollay. During the introduction, attention was focused on creating unforgettable and memorable moments, emphasizing the importance of conveying the values that have always accompanied Davidoff, not only by knowing the products but by integrating moments of excellence, quality, elegance, and perfection into one’s life.

This introductory moment also provided an opportunity to thank Pietro Fabbrini, founder and president of ITAGENCY, who has always embodied the values of the Swiss brand and whose entrepreneurial vision shares several traits with that of Zino Davidoff. The picturesque setting of the Aqualux Hotel in Bardolino was the venue for the presentation of the new Davidoff White Band lines, starting with the Signature 2000 line, a cigar enjoyed at the hotel’s sparkling bar and cigar lounge. During the lunch preceding the tasting, the brand ambassadors were asked to describe in three words what it means to hold this prestigious role. Loyalty, elegance, excellence.

These were the words chosen to describe what it means to be Davidoff ambassadors in Italy. The event continued with the nominations for the second edition of the Davidoff Band Awards Italia, special awards for tobacconists who have excelled in various categories, from event organization to product displays.

The presentation ended with an elegant poolside aperitif where all guests wore the brand’s colors: white and gold. It was the perfect occasion to taste the second cigar of the White Band 2024 line, the Aniversario line. For the occasion, this fine cigar was offered in the Entracto format, traditionally smoked during intervals between acts of operas—a subtle hint of what was to happen a few hours later.

As mentioned earlier, creating unforgettable moments is crucial for Davidoff. This is precisely why ITAGENCY surprised the brand ambassadors, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience: attending an opera at the Verona Arena. The thrill of entering the Roman amphitheater and finding oneself in front of a majestic set and the assembled orchestra is truly indescribable. The opera, in this case, The Barber of Seville, symbolizes Davidoff’s identity—the class, the pursuit of perfection in sound, in singing, in movements, and in everything that made the almost three hours of performance at the Arena special. The evening concluded in the best possible way, with a wonderful post-opera dinner overlooking the Verona Arena, hosted in one of the city’s most prestigious venues, the Vittorio Emanuele restaurant.

During the gala dinner, the ambassadors enjoyed a selection of dishes accompanied by wines kindly provided by Cantine Sartori, whose Patron, Andrea Sartori, was present, much to the honor and pleasure of the organizers and guests. The dinner concluded with the tasting of the third cigar from the White Band collection, the Davidoff Millennium in its Robusto format, characterized by a full-bodied and intense smoke, all accompanied by a glass of Recioto and a three-chocolate dessert.

The event took place between August and September, a time when the grape harvests usually begin. The combination of tobacco and wine, “between Bacchus and Tobacco” in the words of Brand Manager Enrico Della Pietà, was central to the experience on Sunday.

Welcomed in the splendid setting of the Cantine Casa Sartori 1898 in Negrar, in the heart of Valpolicella, guests started the day with an excellent glass of Ferrari Perlé, a brand present as a partner of Davidoff and nobly included in the tasting by Andrea Sartori, patron of the company that hosted the second day of the event. The guests, delighted by the Trento sparkling wine, visited the cellars and, among the majestic barrels where Amarone is aged, attended the national preview presentation of the limited edition of the Grand Cru line, Diademas Finas.

The tasting continued under the shade of the majestic trees growing in the park of the cellars. The final day of the event took place within the area hosting Cantine Casa Sartori 1898, one of the main producers and exporters of one of the world’s top wine excellences, Amarone della Valpolicella. Andrea Sartori has been one of Davidoff’s most loyal partners for years, so much so that he was named Best Partner in 2021, receiving a special recognition. The Grand Cru line presentation event also featured another ambassador of excellence in the wine sector from our country, Marcello Lunelli, representing Cantine Ferrari, one of the world’s finest sparkling wine producers. It was to Marcello Lunelli that the Best Partner baton was passed during the Davidoff Band Awards 2024.

The awards were held right before the tasting of the Grand Cru cigar, accompanied by a 2016 Conte Bra’ Amarone Riserva, produced with grapes from a small four-hectare vineyard, symbolizing the excellence of the great red wines of Valpolicella. Among those awarded was Pietro Fabbrini, president of ITAGENCY. The final convivial moment, immersed in nature among the aromas released by the tobacco and the exceptional scent of the wine, represented the perfect conclusion to a two-day event dedicated to excellence.