ISSUE 21 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
cover sponsor
Content Looking Back at CHAMPS Virtual 1.0 By Amear Moretall
CHAMPS Orlando - We’re BACK!
By Bernie Boulders
Masquerade and Maskuerade
By Bernie Boulders
CHAMPS Virtual 2.0 Tips and Tricks By Kevin Dankman
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Advertiser Index 6
ABR AFG DISTRIBUTION ALIENVAPE ATMOS BAD ASH BENTFISH TRADING BLAZER CANNABIZ WHOLESALER CHAMPS DIGITAL SHOW CHAMPS GREENPAGES CHAMPS ORLANDO CHAMPS UPCOMING SHOWS CHOICE EARTH KRATOM EMPIRE GLASSWORKS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORS FAM GOURMET INNOVATIONS GREENLANE HIGH HILL HEMP HUMBOLDT VAPE TECH HUSH ULTRA JM ENTERPRISES KASHMIR KRAKEN KRATOM KRATOM KAPS MT DISTRIBUTION OMNI VAPES OPMS KRATOM PARTYNUTS POWERHITTER PUUR VAPOR RYOT SMOKE HOUSE SMOKE ODOR SOL TRADING STR8 BRAND SUNSHINE JOY SUNSTATE HEMP TOP EXTRACTS ULTIMATE GOLD DETOX UNS WHOLESALE URBAN BOTANICALS VAPE IN THE BOX WHOLE HERBS KRATOM X VAPE ZIG ZAG ZION HERBAL
71 14-15 27 49 22-23 25 43 29 62-63 42 8-9 79 INSIDE FRONT COVER SPREAD 44 71 69 36 68 65 54 73 78 18 32 41 72 12 45 33 46-47 37 39 INSIDE BACK COVER SPREAD, BACK COVER 2-3 64 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61 5 67 48 60 75 74 50 31 34-35 77 16-17 10-11
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Contacts
ISSUE 21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Publisher CHAMPS Trade Shows
Editorial Director Kevin Dankman
Ad Sales: Kevin Dankman Office 818-616-7424
Credits Writing:
Kevin Dankman Bernie Boulders Amear Moretall
Photography: Kevin Dankman
Cover Art: Sean Dietrich
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By Amear Moretall Have you ever been somewhere and felt like you were somewhere else? I don’t mean the feeling you got that time you woke up after drinking too much at the HardRock circle bar next to some porn star from the AVN awards and not being sure where you are cause the last moment you can remember was in the convention center the day before. More, that feeling in a dream when it feels familiar, but nothing looks familiar? That was the Virtual Show, and it felt like I was at a show seeing people walk by and step into a booth to learn more. Every time I visited a booth, a customer showed up! Business was good for everyone I talked to during the show. There were four full Halls of vendors. Ganja Garden. There was also the Reefer Road, Joint Junction, and Hotbox Hall. The CHAMPS Show Magazine booth was in the Ganja Garden.
Heavenly-Candy
Zion Herbals
Each hall is filled with great vendors, some you usually see at every show, and a fair amount of new vendors jumping in for the first time. We will start in the Ganja Garden, Sponsored by Heavenly Candies and Zion Herbals. This Continues On Page 19 CHAMPS SHOW MAGAZINE
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hall was full of great vendors, including the sponsors come of our best and brightest were in this hall. Booths: Bumble CBD, Dynavape, Eyce, Evolution Wholesale, Fashioncraft, G Pen - Studenglass, Got Vape, GrabbaLeaf, Greenlane, Kasher, Masterminded Distribution, Platinum X CBD, Pure Hemp Rolling Papers, Sean Dietrich Art. Reefer Road - Hall Sponsor AFG Booths: Alternative Health, Chronic Candy, CleanAF CBD, Genius Pipe, Hemp Bud Wholesale, Hush Kratom, Koi CBD, Mood Mats, Ohio Valley Glass, Natures Element CBD, Pulsar, Slyng, Vegan Wick, Vulcan.
AFG at Reefer Road
B2B Wholesaler at Joint Junction
Joint Junction - Hall Sponsors, BlackBall Corp, Choice Botanicals, Kraken Kratom Booths: B2B Wholesaler Magazine, Bad Ash Wholesale, Cherry Glass, Delta 8 Direct, Formline, Happy Kit, Helix Glass, Humboldt Vape Tech, Novelty Ink, Polar Blast, Powerhitter, Purr Glass, Rock Plus, Terp Nation, Windship Trading, Valiant Distribution Exclusive Distributors at Hotbox Hall
Hotbox Hall - Hall Sponsors, Exclusive Distributors, NJoy Kratom Booths: Addall XR, All American Payments, Boundless Technology, Dama Distributing, Empire Glassworks, Futurola, Glass Distractions, Glasslab 303, Gourmet Innovations, Homeblown Glass, Medicali, Nectar Collector, Physician Remedy, Puffco, V Syndicate, Vaportech. CHAMPS Staff called around after the show and got a few quotes from buyers, and we did some interviews live in the show with vendors. These will give you an idea of what actually happened.
BlackBall Corp at Joint Junction
First, here is what the Buyers had to say: At Smokey Shays in North Carolina, Shana sent in this quote, “The implementation of a digital trade show was a remarkably innovative idea from the creators of CHAMPS! With minimal glitches on the first time around, the show was easy to set up and navigate! Continues On Page 20 CHAMPS SHOW MAGAZINE
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It was a fun experience to talk to my reps as an avatar, and you can hear like you are standing next to them in real life! I ran the show floor pretty quickly to find my reps at current distributors to say hello and found a few new distributors that I bought from as well. I’m confident in the next digital Champs more distributors will attend with better show deals. I’m excited to see the future of digital trade shows. It definitely made it easier for me to attend without having to book a flight and room!”
Choice Botanicals at Joint Junction
Greenlane at Ganja Garden
Mak from Hazel Sky Smoke & Vape in Texas had this to say, “Overall, the CHAMPS Virtual experience was mind-blowing, being able to walk a showroom floor while in the comfort of our office was very cool!” “The Virtual Tradeshow was exciting and new. It was super convenient to be able to sit down in my office at home during lunch and just log in to the show. We were able to restock on items we needed, visit and chat with our CHAMPS family, and save a ton of money on travel and lodging.” - Chris Childers Owner - The Glass Mule Indiana
Sean Dietrich Interview
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Cronic Candy Interview
CHAMPS SHOW MAGAZINE
When it came to vendors, they definitely had something to say, “For the first virtual experience in our world, it was great. We got to meet new people and see a bunch of our existing customers”, Chronic Candy Tony. Kenisha from Medicali Glass had this to say, “This virtual show is definitely an interesting start to a different process of the wholesale business… My favorite part is the qualified buyers that were able to join… I noticed every buyer I talked to was highly qualified… they were ready to buy.”
Bumble CBD
DYNAPAV
Puffco Tyler, “We saw a steady stream at all times of people checking in to see the product…nice to be able to hop to my email and get their order in.” Sean Dietrich Art It’s been really cool when they announced they were doing a virtual show like this. I was really interested in the second life type format… I liked that I could have my actual artwork all over the booth… Continues On Page 26 CHAMP Virtual 1.0
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That is not to say that nothing went wrong, Studenglass there were a few issues with access to the virtual world, most of which were the last-minute sign-ups that did not take the time to access the tools and pre-registration demos. I can’t express more how important it is to attend these pre-show events. Once the attendees got the hang of using the voice and all the shortcuts, they had an easy time navigating and purchasing from the vendors. The overwhelming consensus was that the first of its kind show was a success all around. Now get your earphones or earbuds and log into a demo session. To do this, just head over to www.CHAMPSTradeShows.com and start your matrix adventure! The Next show begins in a couple of weeks Sept 15-17th located wherever you want to get online from with good internet reception! Puffco Interview
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Medicali Interview
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Kasher at Ganga Garden
Formline at Joint Junction
Humboldt Vape Tech at Joint Junction
The Powerhitter Co. at Joint Junction
Windship at Joint Junction
CHAMPS crew discussing the show
CHAMPS SHOW MAGAZINE
By Bernie Boulders
- Frankenstein CHAMPS Trade Show, last February saw the largest CHAMPS show ever, 2020 was about to be the year of the smoke shop‌ We all went home riding high and feeling successful. It was then that the world around us collapsed. Zion Herbals
Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster in Bride of Frankenstein
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Like the rest of the world, we were struck with a pandemic. Stores shuttered doors, and vendors couldn't get products from their usual supply lines, and everyone was looking at bidets because there was no toilet paper. It's been almost six months since our last in-person trade show. The world has changed immensely since that show. I almost believed we were preparing for the zombie apocalypse. You can definitely expect some changes in the show. Continues On Page 38 CHAMPS SHOW MAGAZINE
They continue to lead us back to success this October in Orlando Florida at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center. We are famous for our safety meetings‌ They take on a much more important and somber feeling these days. Meeting the safety standards laid out before us is no small task. Being a resident of Florida, I can already tell you that there is no statewide mask mandate. The Gaylord Palms does require all patrons to wear one while inside their facilities. Continues On Page 40
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It will be a very interesting event, indeed. Bring your mask and your money, and let's get back to business. You likely didn't get to take a tropical vacation this summer. This would be a great chance to go on a workation that's a working vacation if you didn't already know. What's the benefit of a workation? Well, the most significant benefit is the tax write off. You can basically write off your trip that is both work and vacation. Continues On Page 50
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October in Florida is a beautiful time of year, not too hot and not too cold. When you get to the Gaylord Palms, you will likely notice it has a gigantic indoor glass atrium and their own waterpark outside! Pools, hot tubs, restaurants, and even a pretty sweet Sports bar for watching the games on Saturday and Sunday. It is the only CHAMPS Trade Show that happens on the weekend. What can you expect from the show? That's a good question with an easy answer. Everything‌ Yes a one-word answer, it doesn't get any easier than that! If you are looking to up your profits and raise your awareness, this is the place to be. Continues On Page 52
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Some of the best businesses in the industry will be there. If you live in the South East corridor of the US, you're a great candidate for this show. Orlando was built for adults and kids alike to have a great time. It hosts more tourism than almost any other town in America. With Places Like Epcot Center, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios in town, there is never a shortage of things to do on the weekend after the show. In a change from the usual, the first day of the show falls on Friday, October 23rd, and will be open from 6:00-10:00 and Saturday and Sunday will be back to our regularly scheduled 11 am - 6 pm. As Jeff, the boss at CHAMPS, often says, "Florida We Comin' Since 1999".
Photos by Alex Person on Unsplash
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By Bernie Boulders Masks… Are you tired of hearing about them yet? What’s the funniest one you have seen? Have you gotten branded ones for your shop? Maybe you hate the mask and refuse to wear one? Maybe you don’t even trust a mask? It’s science right? Why would anyone lie about it? I have gone through stages that included many of these attitudes myself. At the end of my self-discovery of masking up, I came to the honest truth, I love to Masquerade for Halloween, why can’t I Maskuerade it every day? So rather than take a side or have my own stance of right or wrong, I’m taking the step of enjoying it. Not just the wearing of it, I like people watching and looking at what others are doing, there are some funny and disturbing masks out there.
Heavenly-Candy
Zion Herbals
Masks are being used for so many reasons… from promoting a political candidate to protesting Masks. My favorite use is to entertain others plain and simple! What do I think the shops and vendors in our industry should be doing? Continues On Page 58 56
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Every order should go out with a few free brand-specific masks, and every store should have store branded masks on every employee. Even if you hate them or hate the ideology of the mask, it is a great chance to promote and cross-promote your product line and increase sales. It also keeps others stank ass dragon breath to themselves… BONUS! Just consider this… When CHAMPS Trade Shows re-open to in-person shows next February… I bet there’s a Mask Sponsor! Mask Up and save lives!
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Ad Sales:
Kevin Dankman Office 818-616-7424
Photo by Michael Discenza on Unsplash
Photo by zaya odeesho on Unsplash
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By Kevin Dankman
Heavenly-Candy
If you are reading this, you chose the red pill; you are aware of the world around you and willing to risk it all to enter the Matrix and move your life forward in a business you love. It should be some two weeks before the next CHAMPS Trade Show Virtual event. September 15-17th, we will all once again don our virtual presence and enter the matrix. After a full three days of adventuring, I have learned a few things. I will pass these essential tips and tricks to you. Initially, we suggest you upgrade your computer to the most recent version of your operating system, preventing many issues from even having a chance of happening.
rounding people up in registration and getting them started. David was also like a sound GURU. He was able to fix most of the sound issues for people. We also had many company staff members monitoring for people having problems. Many of the problems could have quickly Zion Herbals been taken care of by spending 5-10 mins a couple of weeks in advance, to demo with the training staff. That way, you could walk in and go straight to buying.
One of the most critical parts of the experience is clear and concise communication. So essential that the first screen that you see when loading the app‌ is this:
The number 1 thing that made the most difference was going to the demo and learning all the shortcuts from the CHAMPS Staff. Randy, Olivia, Susan, and the rest of the crew did a great job of 66
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person to person chats with individuals in that scene. These are two significant options of communication.
Another hint when someone is talking, their name turns white above their head.
Talk Button‌ You can use this in two different settings. First, it comes automatically set like a CB where you press the TALK Icon and speak and let got to let others talk.
There is also the CHAT options, located in the far left bottom of the screen. This icon allows you to text chat with everyone in the scene you are in or private
Next on my list would be getting familiar with walking around the virtual scenes. I think it is way better to walk from booth to booth like a real show; it lets the vendors and Continues On Page 70
You can also go into your settings using the gear icon in the top right corner and make it, so the talk automatically starts as you talk.
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other buyers see who is around them. Just point at a spot in the scene click, and you run to the place, as easy as that. Now understanding that not everyone has the time or patience here is a shortcut you should know:
vendor and back to the portals that lead to each scene. If you are in a rush and trying to move fast, this is the answer.
This symbol appears in the top right corner of the screen when you a r e in a scene. This link is the Star Trek transporter room symbol, and This button opens a screen with all the drop points in the room. You can jump straight to a
There are two options you can use for finding people. The User Search Icon, which is located in the top right corner, can find anyone at the show in whatever hall they are in, you can then ask to join them or ask for them to join you.
Now, what if you are looking for someone instead of someplace?
The second option, that is located in the bottom left corner, is the User List Icon. This one can find who’s active in the scene you are in, press it, and see who is there. You can also view part of each person’s Professional Profile here. Continues On Page 76
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Choice Botanicals at Joint Junction Choice Botanicals at Joint Junction
Now that I have mentioned the Professional Profile, it opens up the most crucial networking feature, sending your info and a way of contacting you outside Greenlane at Ganja Garden of the matrix. Whether you’re a vendor or buyer, filling this form out accurately is the key to success. It is the same as having a physical business card in your pocket. You fill this out initially during registration during CHAMPS Virtual 2.0.
Sean Dietrich Interview
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You do not need to be a technical guru or an internet savant for this to work. If you have a newer and updated computer or smartphone, you can make this work quickly. Some buyers were even able to work their store while they shop!
no hotel costs, no per-diem for employees, and all these savings leave more money for you to purchase excellent new goods for your shop and better bottom lines on your profit and loss sheets!
The most significant advantage of the virtual show for both the Buyer and Vendor is the cost. There is no traveling,
Don’t delay! Now, I suggest you log onto
www.CHAMPSTradeShows.com
Cronic Candy Interview
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