The cool fresh coastline air had palm trees swaying in the distance. An impactful cannabis trade show had just come to town like a yearly fair at the Ventura County fairgrounds. Hall of Flowers took over Ventura County, a completely different atmosphere from that of Santa Rosa. As you walked into the fairgrounds, you spotted a Ferris wheel with Gelato’s branding on each seat, and the memorable Hall of Flowers logo structure in the middle of it all. It was a busy first day full of retailers, buyers, and all sorts of folks, like a cannabis industry paradise. Rows and rows of booths from every cannabis consumption method you could think of. From flower companies to concentrates to ancillary brands and everything in between.
A fun part about Hall of Flowers is seeing how creative brands get with their booth displays. Bloom had a larger than life Surf disposable pen, as if “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” came out in 2024. High 90’s went for the camping vibe, camping chairs, attire and all. One of our favorite booths was Life is Not Grape because of their puppy therapy. From 12pm-2pm on the first day, the booth had a dog trainer in a small area with two daschunds, two malteses, and a five-year-old Morkie (Maltese Yorkie mix). When you’re busy networking and talking to people all day, petting a puppy definitely allows you to decompress for a bit. Another noteworthy booth was Claybourne Co. with their biker aesthetic. You were transported into a different scene with beautiful classic cars lined up next to gnarly motorcycles. Everyone at the booth sported leather vests or biker-like attire to really seal the deal. It made sense for a brand who was created by a past photographer for Harley Davidson. We even spotted a brand with a tattoo artist doing live tattoos on the spot. Legacy brand, Kushy Punch had a carnival punching game to see which stoner was the strongest, and we couldn’t forget Gelato who turned their whole section into a carnival. The entrance to their fully functioning Ferris wheel was a balloon tunnel that lead you to the ride. At the top of the Ferris wheel you could see the beautiful ocean less than one mile away, and at that moment it felt like a cannabis festival.
For some attendees staying at Airbnb’s and a couple hotels, their venture to the Fairgrounds were a hop, skip, and a light walk away. Some people even had a nice brisk seven minute stroll to the event! To say the cannabis industry took over Ventura is not an understatement.
A great addition to the event was the art gallery. All the showcased art was done by a person incarcerated for cannabis. Each piece of art had the artists name alongside their jail time for their “crime.” A stark reality as we all wandered a cannabis wonderland, freely consuming and purchasing products.
Another difference from previous events was their new method of purchasing sample products. Instead of collecting papers from each brand like trading cards, it was all digital. Before stepping foot into the show, workers were telling us to download the Hall of Flowers app, which we had done beforehand since seeing the multiple emails about it. Attendees needed to provide their banking information onto the app since it was a cashless event. Each booth had their own QR code for each sample product to scan and add to their cart to purchase. Whenever you were ready to cash out, you’d put the order in and wait by the dispensary until the app notified you that your order was ready. As with all new things, glitches and problems arise and the first day took longer than expected to receive our product. All in all, it was worth it, as it made less of a paper trail and no trading card mess.
Hall of Flowers is the time for brands to showcase their new products and to let people know what they’ve been working on. One of those items was Puffco’s newest glass edition, the ripple. Countless collaborations were announced and one we were surprised by was Chris Brown’s brand with Originals, “Bussin.” Brown also spoke on a panel one of the two days.
We love coming to Hall of Flowers to see our favorite brands, what products they’ve been working on, and getting to know new brands. The opportunity to try products from booths by purchasing their $3 samples is unimaginable. It really allows people to get the real experience of what a brand has to offer and we believe that’s what makes Hall of Flowers the best. Not only can you have meetings face to face with buyers and retailers, but you can talk to the founders themselves. It is so direct and easier for businesses to create a relationship with the brands. The cannabis industry is always growing and these events shed light on how much it has grown. It keeps on growing, and with every new season of the show, there are more and more brands waiting to be showcased.
Hall of Flowers is like a reunion for those in the cannabis space. Everyone from all corners of the industry meet up at one place for two-days to enjoy catching up, networking, doing business together and of course, smoke! It’s as harmonious as the entourage effect.
We saw a lot of new products, new strains, new devices, and all around amazing cannabis. We can’t wait to be back at the next Hall of Flowers!