By Seth MacKenzie
IG: @culinaryanarchy
culinaryanarchy.com
The last time I was given an all-access pass I ended up drunk and high on the roof trying to fight a bouncer who was twice my size. It was a bourbon festival, so that explains most it. You would think that the powers that be would know better then give me of all people a press pass, but alas, the fine folks at Candid Chronicle did and asked me to cover CannaCon Seattle.
Pardon me for not sounding like your typical reporter, but this is what you’re getting so sit down, twist a phatty, and enjoy.
Please understand, it’s not like I even had any time to prepare myself for what I was getting into since the press passes got cleared the night before. Luckily it’s not hard to take photos, so I called a friend I used to buy from and asked him to be my photographer for the day. As par for the course, we pregamed before the event so that we were in the right state of mind. This, in turn, backfired when a mix up at registration led to us having to speak to several people in numerous lines. At last, they found us and welcomed us to the event with open arms and goodie bags.
I had done some homework, so I knew that this wasn’t going to be your run of the mill weed fest. CannaCon is aimed at people in the industry and not the bottom line consumer. With over two floors and 100 vendors, it was rather overwhelming.
I’ve been to industry events similar to this with the restaurant business, and the organizers knew what they were doing and wanted to make a point. Marijuana is big business, and it’s here to stay. Walking in it was hard not to be blown away, and X and I knew that we were in for a very long day.
Want to know about the latest in smoking accessories? They were there with an array of new technologies for wax and dry herb smokers, and I am very excited about the new line of silicone pipes and rigs coming out. As someone who has shattered several hundred dollars worth of glass on kitchen floors, this alone was worth the trip.
Need a security system to cover your crops or your shop? We got to see gear straight out of a James Bond movie! The second someone steps on your land you can speak with the intruder and let them know they came to the wrong spot.
Have a crop but no way to water it? They now have equipment that is solar power compatible that pulls water from the atmosphere and filters it for you for those remote operations that still demand the best.
What good is water without the proper nutrients? We got to talk with several vendors selling the latest in all natural fertilizers and pest repellent that are designed with the needs of the cannabis plant in mind, without being harmful to the environment.
Whether you use soil or hydroponics, you are about to have a lot more choices that allow you to grow the way that you want to grow while taking the guesswork out of the process with sensors monitoring factors such as light, heat, and humidity. If something goes wrong, you’ll be notified on your phone so that you can fix things before they get ugly.
Once you have your crop, you have to trim it and if you run a big grow you know that this is when the real work starts but with the newest in barrel style trimming machines, you can focus your energy on the final product. These are precision engineered pieces of equipment that are designed for years of service, and the price tag reflects this.
When your crop is ready to sell, you have to package it and make it look sexy, and you have several companies that sell everything from bags to bottles to rolling papers with your logo on it. You’ll have no problem with establishing your brand and separating yourself and your business from the rest of the crowd.
Of course, what would an event be without a celebrity guest? This year Redman was there and was higher than we were but was cool enough to let us get some photos and take a copy of my cookbook since real men cook.
As a Seattle boy, I take pride in my town, and I asked a few people what they thought of the scene out here and was surprised when an Amsterdam native (not knowing I was a local) started raving about us having the best weed in the world. Better than Cali, better than Vancouver and better than his home town. This just shows the amount of love and dedication that people are putting in every aspect of thing out here and in the industry overall.
The other cool aspect was the sense of love from everyone including businesses selling similar goods. It was a very friendly environment, and things never felt competitive at all. This attitude is rare in business and is one of many reasons that things are growing in the industry as fast as they are.
While this is well worth going to even if you’re a bottom line consumer, this event is critical if you have any interest in getting into or growing your business. There is a wealth of knowledge to at this event so if you are serious, mark your calendars and get your tickets now for the California event in Santa Rosa in April.
