Marijuana Venture magazine hosted its first Interchange speed networking event in Massachusetts in early September, building on its previous 30-plus Interchange-style events in Washington, Oregon, and Michigan, which it launched in June 2016.
Retail buyers participate for free; vendors pay to have a booth and meet with retailers in pre-scheduled, 20-minute meetings. In order to participate in the “speed dating,” participants signed up online in advance.
Approximately 30 retailers and 27 vendors/sponsors exhibited during the expo at the AC Marriott in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Cannabis industry fixture and Editor of Marijuana Venture Magazine, Garrett Rudolph, designed the events to be hyperlocal, more intimate, and focused on b2b sales than larger conference-style events.
“We were happy with the number of companies that participated in our first Massachusetts event,” said Rudolph, “but more importantly, we were thrilled that almost everyone we talked to said they loved the format and saw tremendous value in having scheduled face-to-face meetings, which is what distinguishes Interchange from the vast majority of cannabis trade events. We’re looking at event and venue schedules right now, and hoping to schedule two Interchange events in Massachusetts in 2026, and look forward to really building this series into an industry staple in the northeast.”
“We learned a ton about the Massachusetts market in the process of organizing this event.” Rudolph continued. “Of course, it has its ups and downs like every other state. Still, the people there are truly passionate about what they do, and we were fortunate to have a nice mix of bigger businesses and smaller companies participating in Interchange.”
Participating retailers:
6 Bricks; Blossom Flower; Blue River Terps; Bud’s Goods; Canna Provisions; CannaBarn; Deezle; Diem; Dris Corp; Elysian; EMBR/Fire Ants; Firebrand; Fire & Soul; Green Meadows; Green ‘n’ Go; Green Soul; Holla MGMT; Major Bloom, Nova Farms; Rhelm; Rooted In; Solar Cannabis; Stem; The Agriculturalist; The Vault; Uma Flowers/Bliss Cannabis/Stories Cannabis; and Zaza Green.
Participating vendors:
Cali Blaze, Cannabis Creative Group; Dialed In Gummies; Divvy Digital; DMC Cannabis/DIME Industries; Good Feels; Green Meadows; Harbor House Collective; HAVN/Stingers; High Ledges; Highsman; Infinity Extractions; Jeeter; Local Roots; Major Bloom; Morabeza; Phat Panda; Rhelm; Rove; Sky High/Your Highness; Solar Cannabis; Stashie; TerpBae; The Healing Rose, and ZZZ’s Collective.
Sponsors included SafeTiva Labs and Summit Measurements. Dime Industries provided tote bags and stash scrunchies.
Next Up for Interchange
The second Indie-Change took place in Seattle, WA, on September 30. This event, based on the Interchange format, is designed specifically for craft producers, processors, and retailers with only one or two stores.
Interchange in Seattle, the signature event, will feature around 70 retailers and 70 vendors participating, taking place November 4-5.
