If you’re at all involved or interested in the cannabis industry, there was only one place to be this weekend: CHAMPS.
What Is CHAMPS Las Vegas?
This enormous trade show takes place twice a year in Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps. The highly-anticipated four-day event takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center, this time expanding to cover two stories in the building, compared to this past February’s one floor downstairs. CHAMPS has been deemed “the premiere counterculture B2B expo since 1999.”
CHAMPS Spotlight: Smoke Odor Candles
For Summer 2023, Smoke Odor Candles flew me out to work their booth and help them with social media. The brand’s founder, Paul Hoge, has been making candles for over 50 years. Smoke Odor Candles remains a huge fan favorite amidst the cannabis community. Not only do they provide a wide array of some of the best smelling candles I’ve ever encountered (no bias, they really smell that good!), but they also provide something incredibly useful: the ability to diffuse weed smoke after you blaze.
Let’s be real, we’ve all been there. Say you just hotboxed your rental car and you need to return it, or maybe you’re chiefing in a hotel room and you need to mask the smell. Smoke Odor Candles provides candles, sprays, and even air fresheners to leave you smelling fresh and refreshed.
Hoge states, “We’re at CHAMPS to talk with retailers and distributors that represent our Smoke Odor Candles and sprays across the country, and to support them as partners with new fragrances, wix, and tips on how to sell the product in their hometown. To cure any issues and be inspired by their success with our brand.”
Which Product Categories Can You Find At CHAMPS?
The beauty in CHAMPS is definitely the wide array of categories within the 4/20 space, from glass to vapes to CBD and much more. Whether you’re a consumer, vendor, or buyer, there’s something for everyone here. In fact, people fly in from all over the world to attend this event, such as Royal Queen Seeds (RQS) all the way from Barcelona, Spain. RQS has been deemed one of the cannabis space’s leading seed companies.
*Editor's Note: Royal Queen Seeds became the first European-owned cannabis brand to be featured on billboards this past 420! Click here for more on its epic campaign.
mike tyson was not feeling the chair🤣 pic.twitter.com/UcPWNXpbqu
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) July 20, 2023
Boxing Icon Mike Tyson Appears With G Pen And Stundenglass At CHAMPS Las Vegas
While many celebrities routinely make an appearance at CHAMPS, there’s no one who dominates the show more than the one and only Mike Tyson. One of the highest-achieving boxers to ever exist, Mike Tyson has now taken his hard work and talent, and applied it to the cannabis industry. Since 2016, the athlete and media personality has been involved in various cannabis-related enterprises; in 2021, he launched Tyson 2.0, a brand offering top-of-the-line cannabinoid products in several categories as well as innovative collabs with other market leaders.
After making his many rounds downstairs, including a standout appearance next to the legendary Ric Flair, Tyson headed upstairs to the G Pen and Stundenglass booth, aptly located right in the front of CHAMPS. This was to commemorate the exciting new collab of his Mike Tyson gravity bong with Stundenglass, joining the likes of Wiz Khalifa, B-Real, and Berner (the glass brand clearly only collabs with icons).
The Mike Tyson x Stundenglass may possibly be my favorite one thus far, with a boxing glove-shaped hose and boxing glove shaped compartments to flip. Tyson then took photos with the entire G Pen team.
Which Celebrities Attended CHAMPS?
Other celebrities spotted at CHAMPS included Lil Baby, Dennis Rodman, Johnny Dang, Hulk Hogan, and many more. The show is living up to its name, quite literally full of cultural dynamos.
All in all, CHAMPS is a celebration. It’s an opportunity to network, explore new brands, see old friends, promote your own product/brand, and simply enjoy how the cannabis industry has evolved. Las Vegas is one of the biggest shows out of all their events, and thankfully the intense heat wave didn’t scare any of the attendees. The greatest blazing light in the Convention Center was the talent of the multitude of brands on display, and we all look forward to seeing them shine just as brightly at the next event.
For more about CHAMPS Trade Shows, visit champstradeshows.com. Join CHAMPS in Denver, Colorado, September 27-28, 2023!
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Shirley Ju is a journalist, media host, and seasoned music industry professional. She is the founder of Shirley's Temple, a podcast series with a focus on mental health, where her guests include Trippie Redd, Chanel West Coast, Ricky Williams, Blac Chyna, and more. Shirley's work has been featured in publications such as Variety, Complex, Nylon, Flaunt, and REVOLT; she can also be seen doing exclusive interviews for leading urban news source VLADTV, featuring a platform with 5 million subscribers. Find out more about Shirley at @shirju on Instagram and Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
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Featured image: Mike Tyson with the Mike Tyson x Stundenglass Gravity Bong at CHAMPS Las Vegas (C) Adam Stanzak @adamstanzak
