I arrived at the L.A. Convention Center 30 minutes early for the BIG Industry Show. The Staples Center is next door, I had time, so I quickly ran over to see if the Shaq Statue was up (it wasn’t). I got inside the convention at 12:00 pm. Damn, even if you had a ticket, the line-up was already looped around the halls for registration. I’m realizing that the Marijuana green rush is no joke.

“To this date I can’t think of a better way to promote and sell my artwork than by hitting the road and selling directly to the public. The fact [that I can use art to]  personally converse with fans and customers means the world to me, and judging by the emails and social media posts I get, it means a lot to them too.” ~Sean Dietrich

It was pretty cool to speak with the Sean Dietrich, the Artist for OCB brand. He started off as a freelancer and his goal was to find a big company as a client. Luckily, he found one that he really liked in OCB. He mentioned they were giving away 100-200 autographed rolling trays to the first few that come in the next day. Did I get one?

Walking around the exhibit, the energy was great. There were tons of people. Lots of free samples. You pretty much could find everything: Farmers, Products, Papers, Juices, Media, Hemp Wicks, Supplies, Bongs, Vaporizers, Rollers, Compressors, POS, Cleaners, CBDs, Dabbing Stations, Edibles, Legal Lean, Grinders, More Vaporizers, Pipes, Infusers, Pre-Roll Packers, Podcast Stations, MoonRocks, Lawyers, Clothing/Bags, Artwork, Sprays, and Cultivation and Extraction Equipment.

The Big Players: Advanced Nutrients, Formula420, FlavRX, Crop King Seeds, WeedMaps, OCB, Moon Rocks, Kush Bottles.

Most Common Products: Vaporizers and Bongs

With the rise of dabbing, bongs have made a comeback. However, it seemed like wherever I walked there were glass bongs, everywhere! I’ve noticed many are coming from/being manufactured in India or related. The margins are high, just be careful of knock-off products.

Most Hilarious Product: Pee Pack

If for some reason you need a urine test, pee-in-a-bag is ready to save your ass and help you pass your test results. He even showed me that the bag is very durable by squeezing and pulling at it. I was a bit scared that he was holding the one faulty bag that would explode. I wasn’t in the mood for a golden shower. I didn’t ask where the pee came from, but I can maybe see how there is a market for this. Where would I carry or store this?

Most Promising Product: Smokit

I loved chatting with these guys. They are a great example of young innovative entrepreneurs. They designed and built this product on their own. An all-in-one Dug Out kit. It grinds, its packs, it stores; you can dab and smoke out of it. Great tool. I think the biggest challenge for them will be the consumer choice surrounding the product and its user base. There are papers, bongs, pipes, vaporizers dry/liquid, dabbing bongs etc etc. So I think they should market their campaigns on why Dug Outs are a better/fun/easier/more convenient way to smoke.

Stand Out Booth: Kurupts Moon Rocks

If you want to get attention, you throw a party. That’s what MoonRocks did by having their brand ambassador Kurupt and DJ Zodiak take the stage and go HAM. They drew a huge crowd, even other vendors left their booths to check out the scene. You could hear the music booming throughout the whole hall. MoonRocks looks like they’re doing big things and not stopping.

Most Creative Product: Alpha Cat

I thought this was a pretty cool product. It’s compact, it’s a water pipe, it’s a grinder; it holds your weed, has room for papers, a lighter, and room to hold pre-rolls. It seems like an awesome tool for camping. My only issue is that I’m not a big fan of smoking out of plastic devices.

Video Critique of Other Vendors

Featured Products mentioned in video:

Easy Grinder: https://www.easygrinder.com/

Dime Life: https://dimelife.com/

Higher States Creations: https://higherstatecreations.com/

Vapourous: https://www.vaporoustechnologies.net/

Undoo: https://undoo.com/

SLX: http://slxherbgrinders.com/

DavinciIQ: http://www.davincivaporizer.com/iq-vaporizer/

And yes… I did head to the exhibit the next day to get a signed rolling tray! Which turned out to be my favorite gift, signed by Sean Dietrich 🙂