REHASHED

HALLOFFLOWERS.COM | @HALL_OF_FLOWERS

DAZZLE IN THE DESERT

HALL OF FLOWERS | PALM SPRINGS | DEC. 8-9, 2021 “When people are allowed to come together over the plant, in an environment where everyone can be themselves and be surrounded by like-minded Cannabis consuming individuals, amazing things happen.”

THERE ARE INSTANCES IN LIFE where one recognizes just how unique the moment they’re living in actually is. It’s these profound moments of clarity and realization that often lead to an overwhelming sense of euphoria and gratitude, acknowledging the beauty of life and of the world around us.

My experience at Hall of Flowers brought me several instances where I found myself at a good vantage point, surveying the scene and just grinning from ear to ear, stuck in one spot soaking in the high vibes and perfectly unrepeatable nature of the moment.

Hall of Flowers is a mashup of B2B trade show style vendor booths, set up almost exclusively by brands from the supply chain side of the industry, paired with a consumption-friendly outdoor lounge area complete with additional booths and a food court for when the munchies kick in.

Beyond the immense business opportunity that industry events like these offer, simply due to the sheer nature of bringing a large number of (usually insanely busy) operators to one place, shows like Hall of Flowers do a tremendous amount to bolster Cannabis culture – a much overlooked and underrated piece of the puzzle to overall industry success. And when people are allowed to come together over the plant, in an environment where everyone can be themselves and be surrounded by like-minded Cannabis consuming individuals, amazing things happen. The true beauty in Cannabis is that it breaks down barriers and allows people to come together – those who otherwise would have no reason to interact – creating a shared experience around the plant’s consumption. This is the cornerstone of, and to me, the very definition of Cannabis culture: the shared experience.

I witnessed this shared experience happening in droves over the course of the two day event. The result was a buoyant and excited vibe, as if there was an electric current running throughout the crowd. People were lifted, comfortable and clearly enjoying the thrill of in-person connection, especially after an extended hiatus where we connected almost exclusively through phones and computers.

Almost every single vendor I spoke with told me they’d made new business connections and that the show was certain to have a positive impact on their brand as they head into the new year.

While the venue had a smaller footprint than the September event in Santa Rosa, the community turned out around 4,000 heads strong and kept the space packed out and busy for the entirety of the show, and several after parties kept the vibe going late into the night and into the next day.

As expected, there was a different mix of vendor representation when compared to the event in Northern California, with a ton more Los Angeles area and Coachella Valley based brands – mostly indoor cultivators, and far less Emerald Triangle and sungrown representation. However, several sungrown mainstays like Flow Cannabis and Redwood Roots were present and repping strong with double wide booths to make sure that sustainably cultivated Cannabis was part of the conversation at Hall of Flowers.

At the end of the day, the team at Hall of Flowers is doing a fantastic job bringing well organized, compliant B2B events to both halves of California.

Increasingly, this is a must-attend event for any supply chain operator or retailer in the state, and with events in both Northern and Southern California, as well as more businesses coming online across the state as legalization increases, we’re likely to see the scale of their shows grow even larger in coming years.

CALIFORNIA CANNABIS COMMUNITY REUNITES

EMERALD CUP HARVEST BALL | SANTA ROSA | DEC. 11-12, 2021

WHEN THE EMERALD CUP was forced to shift to a COVID-safe, online-only webstream for its annual award ceremony and festival in April 2021, its absence left a gap in the California Cannabis community.

After nearly two unbroken decades of annual gathering, the community was suddenly without the communal measuring stick by which to mark the march of progress. Then, in December, founder Tim Blake and his daughter, Taylor Blake, staged a comeback. They reassembled their team to throw the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball, a celebration of the bounty of the California Cannabis cultivation community.

The Ball felt more like a reunion than an industry event, and in many ways it was. Old friends hugged each other tight after years apart. Collaborators who began working together remotely over Zoom during the pandemic connected face-to-face for the first time.

A diverse, powerhouse roster of performers soundtracked thousands upon thousands of conversations, adding a music festival vibe to the proceedings.

In many ways, it felt utopic. The Harvest Ball was the type of party that had people standing in the hotel parking lot at 3:30 in the morning, getting yelled at by hotel staff to disperse, trying to find the next place to keep the vibe alive.

In one of the most powerful moments of the weekend, Origins Council founder Olivia Coleman took the stage, along with Emerald Cup founder Tim Blake and a number of California’s legacy farmers, in a show of solidarity and resilience.

Standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a sign-carrying crowd, Coleman spoke about the importance of the small farmer, casting a rebuke of the regulatory structure and tax code that continues to decimate the legacy Cannabis community and the small towns it has built and supported over the decades.

“I think it was a powerful Emerald Cup for the legacy producing community,” Coleman said when reached for comment after the event. “There was a certain electricity in the air that is present when communities are organizing, unifying and preparing to move as one.”

Through her work at the Origins Council, Coleman seeks to educate and advocate on behalf of the Cannabis legacy farmers and the towns and communities their efforts have built over the decades. She sees events like the Harvest Ball as being crucial and hopes that the state regulatory bodies allow for such events to continue, and for farmers to ply their trade and showcase their products without harassment.

As it stands, not even the Cup – a beloved institution that beckons enthusiasts from all over the world – could pass by without instances of what farmers say amounts to harassment at the hands of the Department of Cannabis Control. “I think we are somewhat surprised sometimes by our community’s resilience,” Coleman said. “In short, we know how to long game. I was reminded just how true that is this past weekend.” The truth of that statement was evident throughout the Harvest Ball, as legacy farmers, many of whom face extreme financial hardship and difficulty in the face of mass consolidation and increasingly unfavorable regulations, continued to energetically share their passion with the attendees.

Walking among the booths, connecting with farmers, extractors, old friends and new connections, Coleman and the legacy farmers’ chant from the stage rang in our ears:

“We are California Cannabis!”

“The Ball felt more like a reunion than an industry event, and in many ways it was.”