On September 13th and 14th, the province of Ontario hosted the first ever Hall of Flowers event in Downtown Toronto. The inaugural event was presented by The Vetrina Group and Hall of Flowers. My experience at Hall of Flowers Toronto was top notch and life changing in terms of the relationships that were built.
At each Hall of Flowers event, there are always brands activating and displaying their products or services. Canada definitely showed up and supported in a big way, making my experience both memorable and extremely valuable.
The Welcome sign and directory at HoF Toronto
I personally want to give thanks to the likes of Aurora, Boveda, BZAM Cannabis, Collective Project, Canopy Growth, Cheech and Chong Glass, Green Monke, Hemper, PAX, Papa’s Herb, RAD, Spinach, Tilray, TOQI, Wyld, and the Ontario Cannabis Store. As well as all of the other brands I’m not mentioning here who also supported Hall of Flowers Toronto. This event gives buyers, customers, as well as press and media like us here at Respect My Region, the opportunity to discover and learn about what makes your brand and products special. I love doing what I do so thank you to everyone who attended and supported 10,000%.
Also, I have to give special credit to the teams at BZAM, Collective Project, Green Monke, RAD, Spinach, and Wyld for going above and beyond to create a memorable experience at the first ever Toronto Hall of Flowers.
Walking Through Hall of Flowers Toronto 2022
BZAM held it down in the consumption area outside. They built a lounge area that was complete with samples and cornhole. Collective Project’s team brought a bunch of non-infused sparkling juices and tea to give away. Then, on day two they had a woman painting live in the booth. My friends over at Green Monke brought out the pong table. They were offering non-infused samples of their sparkling sodas along with some delicious baked snacks. Spinach had a bunch of their signature s-shaped sour candies readily available for me and others to devour throughout both days.
In my opinion, Wyld had the most beautiful and attractive booth by far. They had it perfectly curated to set the Pacific Northwest vibe. To top it off, they also offered hats, shirts, pins, non-infused gummies and stickers. Their staff was also all on-brand inside and outside of the booth. It was clear that they really came to knock it out the park this year.
Wyld Cannabis Booth at Hall of Flowers Toronto 2022
Canopy Growth’s mini golf booth was super cool. Although, I always find that there needs to be a balance between being fun and cool and being effective with your experience. I don’t know that playing mini golf makes sense in terms of generating buyer relationships or educating people about your brand. Nevertheless, they still had a cool experience!
Day One at Hall of Flowers Toronto
Day one at Hall of Flowers is always dedicated to just buyers. Although I don’t have products for sale in Canada just yet, I still casually spoke to about ten actual buyers and three to four business owners who oversaw purchasing for more than 200 combined stores. Canada as a whole is a unique market. Each of the provinces oversees their own cannabis laws and they all vary in different ways. It is a tricky situation and one that was regularly described as troublesome and very expensive to navigate. Lucky for those in attendance, the Ontario Cannabis Store also participated in the event, opting to have a booth so that they could answer any questions.
Joey Brabo, COO of Respect My Region with friends at Hall of Flowers Toronto in 2022
Brands that I spoke to at the end of the first day said that they engaged with buyers who collectively oversaw hundreds of retail locations. I was specifically told about new accounts being landed by three to four friends that were activating that day. I also witnessed reorders placed on the showroom floor. There were even a few conversations that I was included in where some retail and vendor problems were worked through problems in real time. It was fascinating and inspiring to say the least.
What other event exists in the Canadian cannabis industry where buyers and brands specifically come together to buy, sell, reorder, discover, fix current problems, and build relationships?
From what I heard from those who attended, there isn’t another event of this caliber or this type in Canada.
Day 2 in Toronto at Hall of Flowers
Numerous people with ties to the Canadian legacy market said that the traditional market guys didn’t show up. Although this is pretty standard for an event like this, I’m still confident that things will continue growing in the right direction. It takes help from the community uniting together to bring these legacy operators into the industry. We have to help them see the value of attending events like this; understanding that it’s a place where they can network and foster beneficial relationships.
Now, I wouldn’t say that either day of Hall of Flowers Toronto were as active or lit as I expected. However, I also definitely wouldn’t say the experience was a disappointment either.
On day two of the event, it was obvious that there were more people in attendance. Buyers and industry folks are both welcome to attend the event on the second day. It was clear that a notable chunk of Eastern Canada’s cannabis industry made sure they didn’t miss out on the networking opportunities. Compared to day one, I had more conversations with ancillary businesses. I did, however, still chat with numerous dispensary buyers and business owners.
Overall Thoughts
In summary, this first Hall of Flowers event in Toronto was everything I could’ve imagined. There were a bunch of cannabis brands, and their higher-level staff were all in attendance. The event had buyers and dispensary owners who oversaw at least 1,000 retailers. Education and constructive feedback were flowing freely between the Ontario Cannabis Store, different brands, and dispensary decision makers. It was great to see the Canadian cannabis industry come together, even if it was only a small segment of their community.
Read my full recap from Hall of Flowers Palm Springs here.
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