Outdoor Activations Revitalize Hall Of Flowers: California's Favorite Cannabis B2B Trade Show

By Sara Brittany Somerset.

The third annual Hall of Flowers takes place Wednesday and Thursday in Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. The popular B2B cannabis expo is where the industry converges to exhibit its primarily CPG wares. 

The buzz-worthy event was back in action after a pandemic-induced moratorium. The following guide highlights the outdoor activations. 

Curator Lincoln Barnett III, the former co-founder of extinct visual, high-concept brands Pluto and Hilani, worked alongside several vendors to create innovative outdoor activations, ensuring the outdoor space is as engaging as the indoor halls. 

Cannacraft’s outdoor dispensary resembles a familiar tiki bar that normalized the return to socialization. The parent company of cult-favorite brands including the gold-standard of capsules, gummies, and tinctures, Care By Design; women-focused Gem + Jane – concocted by edibles expert Elise McDonough–  a low-dose sparkling THC, THCV and Delta-8-infused  beverage; and greenhouse flower brand, The Farmer and the Felon, were also a part of the show.

Sol Spirit Farm’s outdoor flower cultivators have a cozy yurt adjacent to the food court. Sneak in there to consume some Earth-conscious cannabis and learn about their eco-sustainable retreats that are bookable through Higher Way Travel. 

Raw Garden purveyors of quality vape cartridges and pens have an antique ganja green truck on the fairgrounds and had an aroma training booth to learn to identify the scent of different terpenes. The other side of its activation contained a decorating booth filled with complimentary iron-on patches and scannable QR codes. Every email the company collects pledges to donate $1 to The Food Bank of Santa Barbara county.  Complimentary, plantable paper sachets containing basil,  parsley and chive (not cannabis) seeds.  

In addition to Raw Garden’s vintage truck, Enlighten’s TheRealCannaBus, a mobile dispensary, is podcasting interviews with cannabis luminaries Jim Belushi of Belushi’s Farm and activist and horticulture expert, and Ask Ed author Ed Rosenthal.

As always, plenty of food trucks, coffee vendors, portable water stations, surrounded picnic tables and beanbags for a casual outdoor dining experience. 

This most significant improvement in this year’s show was the addition of booth dispensaries. During the previous expos,  products were only available for purchase at one or two dispensaries, creating extremely long queues. This year, additional dispensaries located directly inside some of the booths expedited the purchasing process.

Stay tuned for details on Day 2 of the show.

Lead photo from Hall of Flowers website. Photo in article: Caroline Murphy/Virginia Is for Tokers