The 2022 edition of Hall of Flowers Santa Rosa was once again, one of, if not the most valuable cannabis event in California. Although the overall attendance was said to be down and there were less brand activations across the tradeshow as a whole, myself and many others had nothing but great things to say about our experience.
When it really comes down to it, what other cannabis event curates 100s of buyers in one central location? And not just for one day either. Hall of Flowers and the parties and mixers surrounding the tradeshow legitimately attract buyers for two, and sometimes even three days if you decide to include the pre-party before the show.
This year, we approached the event a bit different but still had a similar outcome as years past. Our overall goal was to talk to buyers and decision makers for 25-50 stores, 50 or so cannabis brands, complete 10 interviews for Youtube, and also attend at least two events each night including the pre-party before Hall of Flowers.
On the very first evening that we arrived in Santa Rosa, we attended two different mixers featuring our friends at Grasslands and Compound Genetics. These two events alone brought in 10 or so buyers from San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles,the Central Coast, and Central Valley, plus it gave me the chance to invite some of my buyer network and industry friends out too.
With the exception of a heated debate about weed being better ten years ago compared to now, I must say that my experiences at both events were thoroughly enjoyable. Sipping a locally brewed IPA and smoking on some Whoa-Si-Whoa joints really kicked the night off. Once we made it into the Compound Genetics event, we got to sample their latest phenohunted genetics and vote for our favorite ones. It was honestly a historic moment getting to try their most recent work. Huge shoutout to both Grasslands and Compound for kicking off the Hall of Flowers festivities super proper and having our team out.
The first official day of Hall of Flowers Santa Rosa was honestly solid on all fronts too. The decrease in overall attendance allowed everyone to get inside super easy and there weren’t long lines. Parking didn’t really get crazy and traffic into the fairground wasn’t even a pain in the ass. It never really got too hot or windy outside, but day 2 definitely got a little warm. The food options were also surprisingly pretty flame too.
Inside the exhibition halls, the homie Xzibit was at his Napalm booth smoking a couple of big ass blunts that smelled FIRE. Source, Heights, Claybourne, and Seven Leaves all had seriously impressive flower displayed. My friends at Ember Valley, The Parent Company, and Nug held it down in the smaller hall near the entrance. The homies at Ray’s Lemonade made a big splash by doing a soft launch of their brand, expanding from Washington State into California. Alien Labs and Connected definitely had the most notable hype, the coolest merch, and they also had what some have already dubbed as the best product at the show.
I was impressed by many different booths and brand activations, but the companies below really stood out to me. I have to give credit to Country, Stiiizy, Gelato, Ember Valley, Alien Labs and Connected, Dabwoods, True Classic, Source, Green Monke, Seven Leaves, and Wyld for knocking it out of the park with their various experiences. Needless to say, it was a really solid, great first day of the show.
Hall of Flowers, the tradeshow, ends at 6pm each day, which gives people 30 minutes to an hour or so to prepare for afterparties and happy hours at various local bars. There are usually massive afterparties following the completion of the first day of the show however this year, we collectively all experienced a series of major cancellations for the bigger events. It seems that the local venues aren’t comfortable promoting cannabis consumption at their establishments.
Since the larger events didn’t go on as anticipated, Mitch, Dominique and I elected to attend three different events including a mixer at a local bar, a mansion party hosted by Gelato, and a late-night gathering over at The Flamingo hotel. Each of these events brought about different types of networks but the one key overlapping aspect was the number of buyers that were hanging out, smoking, drinking, and eating at each of the locations. It was an incredibly valuable night of networking and a really enjoyable time too.
Heading into the show for day 2, I immediately went and used my sample coupons at the pop-up Nug dispensary. I was so excited to get a bunch of different eighths, joints, edibles, and even some beverages too. My first haul included some great-looking flower from Heights, Coastal Roots, Seven Leaves, Source, Nug, Alien Labs, Connected, and Ember Valley.
Immediately after getting my products, Mitch and I started banging out some interviews around the various exhibition halls and even outside on the fairgrounds. I only assisted with two before RMR’s CTO Lorenz Houston took over and filmed the final eight interviews.
Here are our favorite Hall of Flowers Santa Rosa interviews below.
Josh Schmidt of Natura and Dee Thai Gummies Interview
Maha Haq of The Highspitality Group Interview
Sean Shepard Of The Artist Tree Interview
All in all, day 2 can be summarized as significantly valuable, but definitely notably less busy or active as compared to previous shows. It was clear that buyers knew what to expect for the most part and they seemingly got in and got out, versus hanging out and experiencing the fairgrounds and networking outside. I wouldn’t say the tempo was that way the entire time for both day 1 and day 2, but it definitely felt like people were on a mission to hit up Hall of Flowers and then get right back to the grind.
Considering how tough the market is right now, I can’t blame anyone or complain about much of anything, Hall of Flowers as a team and/or the tradeshow experience. We’re all doing what we can to create opportunities and maximize our efforts to grow and prosper, and the HoF team once again produced an event that without a doubt deserves a big shiny W for yet another win.
My only real feedback is that I’d like to see more budtenders, press, media, influencers, and of course buyers in attendance. I might also possibly recommend the creation of a true media and press row where content can be created with brands, buyers, and even attendees.
I believe that groups like the Beard Bros, Cannabis Talk 101, The Pot Brothers at Law, MITA, and even RMR can elevate and shine a light on the people and brands who are busting their butts in the industry, and that doing so live on the floor would create an even more elevated experience.
If you attended the show, drop a comment and share some details about your time!
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