Most cannabis events are centered around trying products, according to Justin Miller, svp-brand marketing at Curaleaf, but consumers want more from brands. They want to connect with other enthusiasts, and experiential is giving them a place to build that community.
Among home growers, for example, I Love Growing Marijuana’s 2024 brand survey found that 48% see community as essential, both for learning and for finding a sense of belonging.
Still, it can be challenging for cannabis brands to develop gatherings, as regulations vary by state and city, so they’re getting creative to adhere to guidelines while hosting vibrant, welcoming atmospheres for new and returning users. Here, we round up three tactics that are worth watching in the cannabis space.
Turn product testing into shareable content.
Anthem launched a Western-themed Sunset Showdown event series in Chicago, Phoenix and New York City this summer built around a blind test of its pre-roll against a competitor’s product.
Inspired by the Pepsi Challenge, the Sunset Showdown invited attendees to step into a booth with a counter, as budtenders prepared and served the products for evaluation.
The results ultimately leaned toward Anthem, with 70% of attendees choosing the brand over the competitor. Anthem filmed their honest trial experiences, where they narrated their first impressions, tastes and feelings as they sampled.
“We wanted to ensure that whatever we created, we were able to extend the impact beyond the event, really amplify it and use that information,” Curaleaf’s Miller says. “Moving forward, we intend to use the content derived from those experiences and the testimonials from the consumers to bring to life both the emotional element of the event and the functionality of the product.”
Additionally, Anthem activated the Americana theme through live country music, line dancing, a mechanical bull, custom cowboy hats, free tattoo sessions, giveaway bags and branded cocktails. The Anthem Sunset Showdown drew more than 2,000 attendees and generated 6 million earned social impressions.
“I don’t think [cannabis consumers] are used to being marketed to very well at all. It’s a function of the fact that it’s a young industry,” Miller says. “A lot of the type of marketing that takes place is visual merchandising at the point of purchase, in-store marketing to educate consumers on your products. That’s why bringing a high-end, large-scale experiential strategy is so unique and powerful in the space.” (Agency: Ayatana XP)
Build a charitable cause into an activity-based event.
When Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division started cracking down on cannabis consumption events, Spherex pivoted from sponsoring those events to hosting ones that didn’t involve sampling. The brand found that its community was enthusiastic about roller skating and giving back.
The upcoming Skate with Spherex event on Oct. 28 at ReelWorks Denver marks its sixth annual Halloween-themed night of skating, free drinks, aura photography, costume contests, prizes and food trucks.
The event has grown through the years from 150 attendees to 700, at its biggest, and word of mouth has largely contributed to the growth, even extending beyond cannabis consumers.
For each of its events, Spherex partners with nonprofit organizations to collect donations, food, clothing and essentials. After the last Halloween skate party, the brand delivered more than 400 brand-new and gently used bags and blankets donated at the event to The Gathering Place in Denver.
This year, Spherex is partnering again with the organization by holding a menstrual hygiene product drive to collect unopened boxes of tampons, pads or cups.
Tailor programming to the host city and bring in local creators.
I Love Growing Marijuana (ILGM) rolled out a U.S. Home Grow Tour in spring 2025 that brought together beginner- and intermediate-level cannabis home growers for grow classes hosted every hour and curated moments of community connection.
An Airstream trailer anchored the six-city mobile tour, powered by educational cannabis platform Leafly, functioning as a roaming billboard as it crossed the country.
ILGM and Leafly tailored each tour stop to the city’s local culture for an extra layer of authenticity. In Chicago, for instance, where culinary is a key passion point, attendees could participate in a cannabis cooking demo led by a local chef and terpene-infused F&B tastings.
In Palm Springs, CA, where wellness is a top priority, consumers could take an influencer-led yoga class, and attendees at the Boulder, CO, stop could embark on a consumption-friendly hike in the Rocky Mountains.
Appearances from industry influencers like Koala Puffs, Deisha Dabs and Jungle Cae, as well as local creators in each market, significantly amplified the tour, and ILGM gained more than 2,000 Instagram followers during the run, in addition to garnering 29 million impressions by the end. —K.S.
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