What I’m Watching for at Hall of Flowers Ventura
Happy birthday, Hall of Flowers.
Fifteen editions in and something about this one feels different before it even starts — not because the floor is bigger or the brand list is longer, but because of what got added to the front of it.
Media Day
Tuesday, March 17th. First time in the event’s history — a dedicated media experience, co hosted by Beard Bros Pharms Media, designed to pull press, storytellers, and industry voices into the same room before a single buyer badge gets scanned.
That’s not a scheduling detail.
That’s a statement about what this industry is ready to showcase and how it continues to collaborate.
The structure says everything. From 4 to 6pm it’s media and brands only. No booth traffic, no floor noise. Just the people building companies and the people telling their stories, face to face. From 6 to 8pm it opens up and the momentum builds from there.
I spoke with Brian Holler, CRO at Beard Bros, ahead of the event. What he emphasized stuck with me — Beard Bros occupies a rare position in this industry as both an MSO brand and a media outlet. That dual perspective gives them a unique understanding of the bridge that needs to exist between brand awareness and media relationships. Most people on either side of that conversation are only standing on one bank. Beard Bros has been on both.
I’ll be there connecting with brands that have their narrative and voice dialed in — and watching the ones that don’t. Because the media day is actually an opportunity for both. The brands that show up understanding that story is part of the product are going to stand out immediately. The ones still figuring that out have a room full of people who can help them get there. Which brands treat media visibility as seriously as their booth presentation is going to be one of the more interesting things to watch all weekend.
Experiential Space
Then Hall of Flowers opens at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on March 18th and 19th. 300+ brands. Over 1,000 retail doors represented. Tactical Talks debuts this year in a classroom format — real operators speaking directly to retailers. Thomas “Dope As Yola” Araujo, Dustin Moore, Erin Coffey, Harrison Baum, Jun Lee, Kristina Chavez, Neema Samari, Sue Carlton, and more. Grown Womxn Good Weed runs their Women’s Lounge both days — full programming built around connection and community, not tucked into a corner. Wavves curates the show floor music.
Every one of those details is a choice.
And choices tell you everything about intention.
The Stand Outs
My lens through all of it is specific.
In a room this size — brands stacked next to brands, all competing for the same thirty seconds of a buyer’s attention — product alone doesn’t close the gap anymore. What separates the brands worth documenting from the ones filling square footage is whether they understood that a booth is an environment. Something you enter. Something you feel before anyone hands you a sample or runs a pitch.
Who built something that made people stop and stay?
Who created a moment that was still being talked about on the drive home?
That’s what I’m watching for.
The Day Two Blitz
Day two, the Budtender Blitz opens the floor to budtenders on a complimentary pass. The brands that bring the same energy to that room as they brought to buyers on day one are making a longer but smarter investment than most. Getting a buyer to add your product to their dispensary is one hurdle — but the often missed gap is whether the budtenders actually know your brand, or better yet, are
excited about it. That’s the real weight behind whether your product moves once it gets to the shelf. That relationship is key infrastructure. Most brands still treat it like a bonus round.
After Hours
After the floor closes day one, Bloom & Blaze — the official Hall of Flowers after party, hosted by Canna Management Group — takes over for the night at the Victorian House — a multi-room, indoor and outdoor venue. Brands are still in the building, conversations are still happening, but the energy shifts. The collar loosens.
This year they’ve added new programming alongside a VIP Influencer Suite — something Jason Zahler, Founder of Canna Management Group, mentioned personally when we connected ahead of the event. It’s not an escape from the industry. It’s where the industry exhales. Where the follow-up conversations from the floor finally get room to go somewhere. Where you meet the person you kept almost crossing paths with all day and actually talk.
And then you go back to your hotel, reset, and do it all again on day two.
That’s where I’ll be peeling back what the night actually looks like once the floor energy finds somewhere to land.
Insiders View
If you want an insider look at what’s actually being seen beyond the curated content — the floor, the energy, the moments between moments — my Instagram Stories will have it in real time throughout the event week.
If you want to know which brands built something worth remembering in Ventura this year — stay close.
Victoria Burkard is a cannabis strategist and content consultant who helps brands grow authentically while navigating the ever-changing landscape of shadowbans and platform restrictions. She writes from the intersection of creativity and compliance—because in this industry, you need both.
