#420BostonPatioEvents

Happy Hump Day readers!  We’re only just a mere week away until Summer starts.  Summer solstice is happening on the earth, creating longer days and shorter nights here in the country.  Longer days means more time spent heading to amazing events around your area.  Cities like Boston are rolling out outdoor vendor events so that many audiences can enjoy the beautiful summer weather.

On Monday we dived into cannabis-themed LGBTQ events that were happening in San Francisco.  While Boston will have to wait a while until LGBTQ events start mixing with cannabis, there are other ways the city could cash in on that PR gold.  And the key tactic for this opportunity can happen right outside.

Rooftop bars are all in the rage here in Boston, providing cold beers and magnificent views.  People come up after their work day to soak up the last few hours of sunshine before heading back home.  With cannabis legal in Boston, the next step in the strategy would be to create 4/20-themed rooftop events (which you can dive back into here).

But why stop there?  Are rooftop events the only marketing tactic for cannabis?  Why not further expand the marketing mix of opportunities that are presented to us?

And ironically enough, these answers were right in front of us the entire time.  They were there before you make it up the rooftop, even before you step onto the elevator.  Cannabis events should open within…patios.

Patios make for a perfect spot for events outdoors.  Now that the warm weather is here, people will want to be served at a table on the patio.  They want to enjoy their food and cold beers outside with their friends or family.  It makes for a simple, yet entertaining event for everyone.  After spending three months escaping the bitter cold winter, now is the time to soak in this amazing weather.

These events on the patio are great and throwing cannabis into the mix will provide for a HIGHER positive experience.  You can’t really smoke cannabis indoors in many places, so having a designated smoking area is a must for this to happen.  Providing a special designated area will keep people around longer without feeling paranoid.

Think about this – you got a cannabis-themed networking event out on the patio.  Many of these professionals want to enjoy their cannabis during the event.  Why not make it easier by mixing cannabis and networking right on this special area.

In other words, let the people have their cake and eat it too.  Let them meet up to discuss things happening in the cannabis industry all while consuming the very product they enjoy.  They spent their time and energy planning to attend the event, so it’s only fair that they spend that time wisely.  It may seem complicated, but the ending results would be incredible.

This may take a while to figure out the legality kinks throughout this process, but it’s something that CAN be done.  Cannabis-themed patio events are something we should definitely look into in the near future.  Recreational shops are opening in almost a month and these will present a lot of magnificent ideas for the city of Boston.

Patios, as well as rooftops, are some of a few places we could utilize within the marketing mix.  As human beings, we owe it to ourselves to become closer with nature.  Having cannabis-themed events indoors is great but providing them outdoors makes for a more monumental experience.

Let’s start brainstorming 4/20-themed patio events for a HIGHER experience.

Advertisements

Cannabis + LGBTQ Pride at The Stud

Pride week may be over in Boston, but many other cities are still celebrating or getting their celebrations started as well.  Popular cities like San Francisco don’t have their parade starting until near the end of June.  Being that San Francisco is the heart of many progressive sub-communities, LGBTQ residents get a lot more creative in their pride celebrations.  Celebratory events are about to get a lot more unique now that the recreational cannabis industry is booming around California.

When pride events and recreational cannabis mix together, you create something truly fantastic.  And ironically enough, that is just what is happening here in San Francisco nightclub The Stud.

June 14^th is PUFF – A queer cannabis appreciation/drag pride party.  The event celebrates cannabis consumers within the LGBTQ community.  It’s a combination of a pride event all while celebrating legalized cannabis in San Francisco.

DJ Sergio Fedasz spins your favorite 420-themed tunes as everyone meets and greets before the show.  After that, DJ Dank hosts a drag show featuring some of the best performers in the city.  There is also a stoner raffle that takes place throughout the event as well.  This event is held every 2^nd Thursday from 7-10 PM.  While this event celebrates all things queer and cannabis, there is no cannabis consumption and distribution in or around Stud.

The Stud has been open since 1966 and remains as the heart of San Francisco’s LGBTQ culture.  It was formerly located at the western end of Folsom Street, but eventually moved to the corner of Harrison and Ninth street in 1987.  Some famous icons that have entered the doors include Bjork, RuPaul, Charo, Etta James, and even Lady Gaga.  Fifty years later and the Stud continues to be an iconic bar for pride events.

Ok folks, I have heard of pride events all around Boston and this right here takes pride to a WHOLE other level.  Think about it – the LGBTQ audiences come together to the Stud to celebrate recreational cannabis use in San Francisco.  You basically have this incredible combination of sub-communities forming together under one legendary bar in one of the most iconic cities of all time.  To date, this is the only cannabis-themed LGBTQ appreciation event anywhere in America (better, yet anywhere in the WORLD!).

San Francisco continues to push the envelope with their bold pride celebrations every year.  Its things like the Folsom Street Fair and Amsterdam-style cannabis lounges that flourishes the city’s reputation even higher.  Surprisingly enough, it still remains as the top LGBTQ friendly city here in America.

What we are left is two PR miracles meshed together into one amazing sandwich.  The cannabis industry is in full swing in California and is even helping businesses as well as other industries.  San Francisco was a historic town for both the LGBTQ and cannabis community, so it only makes sense to mix them together in one special occasion.  This is definitely one sandwich that will be easy to swallow for years to come.

This is the time to celebrate not just LGBTQ pride, but also cannabis pride as well.  Whether you are a trans female who enjoys smoking joints or a gay masculine man who is an avid dabber, every audience of the LGBTQ community should enjoy some cannabis.  Cannabis touches all colors of the psychedelic rainbow.

Rooftop Recreational Cannabis Events

We are just a few weeks away from summer, being that the rooftop bars are opening.  Rooftop bars provide patrons with drinks up on the roof of a restaurant.  Once the weather gets warmer, employees open up the rooftop or patio area for the season.  This marketing tactic rings in tasty beers, more audiences, heavier foot traffic, and even some entertainment along the way.  It’s the perfect way to get the crowd together to drink some tasty brews all while enjoying the beautiful weather outside.

Days are getting much longer, so it’s a perfect time to take advantage of the rooftop bars.  But besides the minor benefits, the obvious one is the fact that you can consume alcohol outside.  While you can’t consume in public around the city of Boston, you can enjoy your drink on the rooftop deck of a restaurant.  That’s the intriguing loophole that helps both restaurants and patrons alike.  Customers want to drink outside on a lovely summer day and businesses want to offer those drinks as well.

But alcohol isn’t the only product we can offer for entertainment on a rooftop; with recreational cannabis dispensaries opening this summer, it’s definitely HIGH time to add cannabis to the mix of rooftop events.

Rooftop cannabis bars would make for an incredible and entertaining idea.  It would be a great social event where cannabis enthusiasts come together to consume cannabis out on a rooftop or patio.  Audiences from around the Boston area could come together to network about all things cannabis.

Best part about this tactic?  Patrons are able to consume OUTSIDE…on a glorious summer day while the sun is still out.  Whether it’s a pipe or pre-rolled joint, cannabis enthusiasts will appreciate the benefit of consuming cannabis within a confined space.  Consuming in public is still illegal in MA, but these rooftop cannabis events would create a safe and designated area for consumption as well as provide some outdoor entertainment.

You are practically getting the best of both worlds with this nifty idea.  Add some cornhole toss or other activity into the mix and you got yourself a successful event.  Even when the sun goes down later on at night, there’s still some time to roam around the city.

This would make for an amazing idea.  I certainly would love to see cannabis-related events on a rooftop or patio area.  The weather is getting much nicer, so I would definitely take advantage of these outdoor events when possible.  Rooftop bars with alcohol are one thing, but cannabis-themed rooftop events would be a whole other level of entertainment.

If we want to do more for the cannabis industry, we should definitely consider holding events on a rooftop or patio area.  Being outside is one of many components of the place within the marketing mix.  Rather than establish events taking indoors, we can hold them outside on a nice day during the summer.

Let’s start establishing cannabis events on the rooftop for a HIGHER entertaining experience for everyone.

MA Recreational Dispensaries – 30 DAYS

Well folks, here we are – June 1^st, 2018.  A lot of exciting things happening this month.  Summer starts, the school year ends, and pride week starts around the world.  But besides that, it also marks an important milestone for the cannabis industry.

In exactly one month from now, recreational cannabis dispensaries will open in Massachusetts.  Just thirty days left until the shops open.  You heard me right – THIRTY DAYS LEFT.

Thirty days until it all goes down.  Recreational cannabis dispensaries will be hitting the streets before you know it.  This is about more than just a few shops able to sell some legal cannabis; its about a whole new business entering society.  We have been grateful enough with the medical cannabis industry, but now we will see the recreational industry enter the spotlight.  A new industry means new businesses and those business will drive in even more diverse audiences.

So much change will happen within the recreational side.  New businesses, new brands, new products, new services, new audiences, new publicity.  But most importantly, fresh new ideas will be making waves around Massachusetts.  It has been a long while since voting yes on Question 4 back in 2016, but now the people will finally get what they deserve.  We made the PR miracle happen and now its time to reap in the benefits.

If I were you, I would pay CLOSE attention to what is happening the next few months (especially if you’re in the field of communications!).  These next few months will bring about the most important stories within the recreational cannabis industry.  The buzz will start generating, prompting more audience to become interested in what is happening.

That is all for now.  More stories will be cranking up for next week.  Who knows where the first dispensaries will be opening around Massachusetts or what kind of future holds for the cannabis industry.  But in just THIRTY DAYS, we will have our questions finally answered.

 

Countdown Till Recreational Cannabis Dispensaries

30 DAYS

MA Recreational Cannabis Shop Update

So yesterday we dived into how NIMBY has been put into play in Massachusetts lately.  Various communities around the state are voting to prevent recreational cannabis shops from opening.  Even with cannabis being voted legal back in 2016, many people still oppose the idea of the shops opening in their community.  The whole ‘Not In My Backyard’ mindset is strong around the Bay State.

With July 1^st quickly approaching, one thing that is on many people’s mind is how many legal dispensaries will be open.  How many dispensaries are set to open in July?  The total count isn’t released yet; one thing is for certain – there could be fewer dispensaries opening than anticipated.  At this point, we are looking at about 12 or less dispensaries that will be ready to be open for business by July 1^st.

This definitely comes as a shock, especially to cannabis connoisseurs like me.  I’ll admit that I was baffled myself when I first heard of this news.  It truly is tough to grasp the fact that there won’t be as much dispensaries open as anticipated.

But just remember this – July 1^st marks as the STARTING point for the recreational dispensaries.  These dispensaries start launching on that date and many others will open up over time.  Very few will be offered to the community, but a small number is better than nothing.  The number of dispensaries will continue to grow over the next few years.  July 1^st is one of many important dates for the recreational cannabis industry.

At this point, it will be important to keep watch of the dispensaries that do open on time.  Any number of dispensaries opening, whether it be six or thirty, is better than none opening at all.  These leading dispensaries will set the stage for many businesses to come.

One thing to keep track of is what kind of competition comes into play.  Since no recreational dispensary has opened, there is zero competition happening within businesses.  No competition means no publicity is generated for the public (just remember — NO publicity is worse than bad publicity).

There are still some major hurdles that the industry is currently facing (Not In My Backyard being a major one!), so there is still a long way to go for the cannabis industry.  It is a long and sluggish process that is being rolled out here in Massachusetts.  Even still, we have come a long way since cannabis prohibition.

In the end, it isn’t all bad news for Massachusetts residents.  There are going to be recreational shops open, but fewer will operate by July 1^st.  For now, we will have to keep watch of the dispensaries that do open up this summer.  It is then that we will see some competition happening between businesses.

For now, all we can do is wait to see what this next chapter brings for the cannabis industry this summer.