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Cannabis Confidential: TeeHC Open shakes up stiff cannabis event norms

Eric Casey
Correspondent
Armani White, co-founder of Firehouse Cannabis in Hyde Park, fires a golfball out of a cannon towards a target as part of the festivities at the TeeHC Open.

I’ve been to a lot of business-to-business cannabis events in my day, and let me be blunt: they can be a bit stiff. 

The latest cannabis policy and business developments tend to dominate the conversation, and with it being so difficult to find a venue that is willing to allow cannabis use, attendees are usually stuck with consuming an over-priced bottle of Sam Adams instead of the cannabis products they produce and interact with on a daily basis.

Luckily, some folks in the space are working on producing cannabis business-focused events that have a bit more of a human touch. The latest example is the TeeHC Open, a cannabis golfing event that was co-hosted by Joint Ventures and Cannabis Creative Group at Highfields Golf & Country Club in Grafton this past Friday. 

“There’s something that we’re actually doing that’s more engaging than just a six-foot table at a traditional networking show,” said Ann Brum, CEO and founder of Joint Ventures, which describes itself as a collective of interdisciplinary professionals experienced in building brands. “I feel like what we’ve done here is being able to position our industry with the mainstream in a really well received way.” 

Given that it was a private event being held in the spacious outdoors, attendees were actually able to consume the products and brands that they spend their professional lives creating, something that is probably taken for granted in every other consumer goods industry. 

Even for attendees who have never picked up a golf club, there were plenty of activities to keep them entertained. As the golfers made their way around the links, others were participating in cannabis-themed trivia on the deck, or playing mini golf in an impromptu course set up in the parking lot. 

But perhaps the most exhilarating activity was the air cannon.

Set up on the course just behind the clubhouse, golfers and non-golfers alike could attempt to fire a golf ball at a flag stick set up around 200 yards away, using a device that resembled a potato gun. A helper set up with a radio was situated down range, letting the contestants know how their attempt was looking as it arched through the air and landed (hopefully) somewhere near the pin. 

The prize for a hole-in-one? A cool $10,000.

As my shot left the barrel with a satisfying thud, the radio beeped and the helper on the other end proclaimed my shot was looking on-target. My heart rate quickened a bit as I started fantasizing about my newfound riches, but alas, it was not to be. My ball kicked to the right and ended up about 12 yards from the hole. Still, it was one of more enjoyable and engaging experiences I’ve had at a business-to-business cannabis event. 

Heading back to the clubhouse, I ran into Charles Smith, who works as general counsel for Greencare Collective, a cannabis cultivation company based out of Millbury. He also saw the value in a gathering of the minds like this. 

“This type of event is game changing,” he told me, explaining the value that these types of events had for a company like Greencare. “You can actually engage in conversations with buyers and other businesses while you're consuming the actual product. That’s a very challenging thing to find in this regulated environment.”

The value of this event didn’t just apply to business owners and workers. Others in the space also found immense usefulness in the unique environment at the event. 

“It’s wonderful to be able to talk with business owners and see what their priorities are,” said Dr. Marion McNabb, president of Cannabis Center of Excellence, a marijuana-focused nonprofit. “As a cannabis researcher, being able to have the opportunity to meet in a casual setting and talk about the work that others do and the work that I do and see if there’s any overlap is valuable.”

As winter approaches, there are storm clouds on the horizon for cannabis business executives and workers. The lingering threat of a recession remains on everyone’s minds, and a glut of cannabis flower threatens to crash the wholesale market, putting cultivators in a precarious position. The tax burden for businesses remains extremely high, and the threat of layoffs remains in the minds of every worker. 

Surviving in the cannabis industry has never been easy, but there’s many signs that point to it getting a whole lot tougher in the months ahead — which is exactly why events like this one are so important. Not only do they give people working in weed the much needed chance to blow off some steam, they also allow new business connections and relationships to be formed, perhaps providing a future lifeline when times for that particular business get difficult.

At the end of the day, these types of relationships are what make the entire industry function. A cultivation facility is useless if it doesn’t have any dispensaries that are willing to take their product. An edibles manufacturer can’t make cannabis-infused goods if they don’t have anyone who will sell them cannabis extract, and a dispensary is useless if it has no product to sell. Even the larger companies that have their own cultivation, manufacturing and retail facilities still often rely on third-party transporters to move their product, or still require help from other companies that produce niche products that they can’t. 

Events like the TeeHC Open are a potent reminder that no one cannabis company is an island. If this industry hopes to continue to thrive, the types of conversations and relationship building that can only happen at face-to-face events in a comfortable setting will be one of the keys to that success.