Hall of Flowers hosts its first Palm Springs trade show in Cathedral City after two years of organizing and fighting to have the event in the SoCal location. This is the last HOF until 2022, making it the last “Cannabis SuperBowl” of the year. It was a perfect in-person event following the huge comeback for Hall of Flowers in Santa Rosa this year.
Though the Palm Springs edition was smaller compared to the normal NorCal HOF, it still made an impactful punch on the cannabis industry and community. With its desert debut, HOF Palm Springs had roughly 3,700 attendees, which is less than Santa Rosa, but nonetheless, over 400 brands came out to the desert; which makes sense when you consider Palm Springs’ new method of using cannabis for tourism.
Image via @hall_of_flowers on Instagram
Hall of Flowers Palm Springs 2021
Just like Santa Rosa, Palm Springs had a combo of on-site retail from individual cultivation and distribution brands, in addition to the pop-up dispensaries provided by brands like NUG. At the pop-up dispensary, you could exchange the QR code coupons for samples at just a few dollars each. Then, you could journey and relax in the massive lounging area, where you are welcome to consume your products free of stigmas!
Hall of Flowers kills the curating game when it comes to selecting California’s best cannabis brands for their expo. The events create true opportunities that connect buyers and press to quality companies. Respect My Region CEO Mitch Pfeifer and COO Joey Brabo were able to connect and coordinate meetings that would have been extremely difficult without the opportunities Hall of Flowers provides.
What makes Hall of Flowers special is the energy that moves nonstop through the two days. Even the most casual and relaxed conversations of people lounging on bean bags might actually be full of moves and connections being made.
Day One
Just like day one in NorCal, the first day was filled with buyers taking advantage of their priority on samples to see who they may potentially want to bring into their shops. Electricity filled the room as people were determined to hit every booth. This is something different than just a normal cannabis event connecting brands to the community and industry. This was a B2B event, which means this is way more corporate and about business than anything else.
Everybody in attendance was able to talk and link with brands like Maven Genetics, Oakfruitland, The Cure Company, Buddies, Ember Valley, and so many others. At each of the numerous booths, exhibitors gave tickets for samples, education on their products/services/expertise, and the chance to chop it up with some of the brightest minds in the industry.
These booths and demonstrations of products give the buyers the opportunity to really dive into the brands themselves. Every booth was filled with brand representatives in constant conversation with anybody remotely interested in what their booth is up to. This gave the buyers a chance to fulfill their mission of finding California’s best cannabis brands, products, and services.
Day Two
Day two had people just as eager, if not more, since they knew what was behind the fences. Though there was still lots of business and moves to happen, day two focuses more on the general cannabis community.
This typically makes day two energy different from the energy of day one. Sure, day one has heightened energy, but day two is a bit more chaotic with people rushing around to make purchases and get tickets before everything runs out. In fact, there were brands that ran out on day one and had nothing for the next day because that was all they brought to the desert.
For Joey and Mitch, this was the perfect day to touch base with brands that they didn’t connect with on day one, and also to solidify important connections made on the first day.
Celebrity Appearances
Hall of Flowers is known for attracting some of the biggest cannabis advocates and users within the community. There wasn’t anything quite like the Core Conversations, which had an incredible roster of speakers during HOF Santa Rosa 2021. However, there were still some big names roaming around the desert for Hall of Flowers.
The event hosted OG rappers like B-Real and Xzibit. Additionally, Curren$y even showed up on day two to roll up blunts at his booth for Andretti Cannabis. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Hall of Flowers without Bill and Jeff of Beard Bros Pharms around.
Favorite Brand Activations
With roughly 450 brands in attendance, Hall of Flowers was full of fantastic booth activations. However, there were a few that went all out. These brands gave people in attendance the ability to truly immerse themselves and get educated. Beed Co. seemed to have the most cutting-edge technology with their fully-automated joint-rolling appliance called the Beed Machine. The flower is in a Keurig-like cup that you insert into the machine.
Buddies Brand came in with a shirt press so people could try to get in on their popular all-white look that they’ve been sporting. Moreover, 420 Kingdom showed off how an aeroponic grow method works to help people understand why they prefer this method of growth.
Image via @hall_of_flowers on Instagram
Best booth has to go to Ember Valley with their Christmas-themed booth. Along with flower in transparent gift boxes and Santa on his throne, they had a 420 winter wonderland snowfall. The design was perfect to the smallest detail, which included a white and red pin-striped floor that had the Ember Valley symbol as the pattern.
Though, best flower may have to go to Maven Genetics and their sophisticated phenos. Whether it was the Diamond X or the Blueberry MAC, Maven Genetics came with the freshest flowers and the most beautiful tops that could ever come forth for a cannabis-themed December event. With strains like Ambrosia, you literally get flavors of divine qualities.
Afterparties
After such successful afterparties during Hall of Flowers Santa Rosa, people were expecting it to go off in the desert. However, no one expected there to be not only three plus afterparties after each day, but also multiple parties the day before HOF Palm Springs.
Parties were thrown left and right from cannabis companies like The Cure Company, CBX, and Weed. There were also parties thrown by media companies like The Blacklist, Immersia Labs, and HighRise Co. Some of the most notable parties were any of them at the Bing Crosby Palm Springs estate and the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Reflecting on Hall of Flowers Palm Springs
RMR’S CEO Mitch PFEIFER felt that the event was refreshing considering how many people still work remotely. He said, “Hall of Flowers is the premier cannabis networking event for the California industry. It’s always great seeing some of our partners, clients, and friends who are in the culture all grinding together in a unique business setting. After Zoom calls all year, it’s very valuable to get some face time with everyone. I love to see new products, talk about 2022 plans, and scope out the phenos everyone is dropping.”
Joey Brabo, Respect My Region’s COO, notes the consistency of the impact of the event, even when it is in a different city. “After attending our second Hall of Flowers in the last 90 days, it is clear there is no other event in California that is capable of bringing out significant quantities of buyers and store managers.”
Brabo also expresses that the “…nighttime activations brought a great element in the desert because I was able to contact numerous people in Los Angeles and invite them in the evening festivities even if they weren’t actually attending the tradeshow.”
Regardless, they weren’t just parties, they were further opportunities for connections and moves. Overall, every moment turned out to be very important and productive, and Respect My Region is ready to see what the next Hall of Flowers will bring in 2022.
More Content
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BACKWOODS AND HIP-HOP
TERPENES FOR ANXIETY: 3 TERPS IN CANNABIS WITH STRESS-RELIEVING PROPERTIES
RAPPER WEED: WHICH RAPPERS HAVE CANNABIS PRODUCTS IN THE MARKET? WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE FIRE?
18 COMPANIES THAT DON’T DRUG TEST THEIR EMPLOYEES FOR WEED
7 TIPS FOR MARKETING CANNABIS AND CBD ON TIKTOK AND INSTAGRAM
