Spannabis 2016: review

Ten days ago, we were at the’the 2016 edition of Spannabis, in Barcelona. What conclusions can we draw from this?

Spannabis 2016 took place from March 11 to 13 at the Fira de Cornellà, near Barcelona. This thirteenth edition welcomed the most renowned professionals (and/or those who could afford a booth) and featured two days of conferences on current issues surrounding cannabis around the world. We’re not going to lie—we weren’t there for the conferences, even though the topics of discussion were interesting (CSCs, a gathering of women in the cannabis business, therapeutic uses, etc.). So let’s move right on to the fair itself.

When the doors opened at 11 a.m. on Friday morning, a crowd was already gathering at the entrances. After waiting about half an hour to pick up our tickets, we were inside. We really expected the trade show to be smaller, but it’s actually huge: three halls plus outdoor booths, enough to accommodate more than 500 companies and 3,000 professionals. The food stands were already preparing bocadillas and hot dogs, and the beer taps were in full swing. Any hunger pangs will be satisfied in no time!

We must have seen about 30 different seed vendors, which made us wonder how amateur gardeners will ultimately choose their seeds: probably based on price and brand appeal, rather than seed quality. And the seed booths pull out all the stops to attract customers: a free wheel of fortune where visitors can win seeds, caps, and stickers; a duck pond game; hostesses; and more… It’s a far cry from the garden.

The latest innovations in cultivation are on display. The grow rooms on display are quite incredible, and we can’t help but dream that maybe, one day, we’ll be able to do this in France—especially since our Spanish cousins have already embraced the shift toward home cultivation and cannabis clubs.

Accessory wholesalers are also showcasing their latest products, which has given our colleagues at Green Box a few ideas 😉

On the celebrity front, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the French people we met at the booths, especially the Breaking Dab’s Crew, who are doing incredible things, ParisKushOp, Sara (aka Kush Princess), Dexso and their extraction system that’s accessible to (almost) everyone, and Nicolas Trainerbees for letting us try some its famous honey and tested the Sublimator…. We also got to see Shantibaba and Arjan Roskam not very far from each other, which is amusing given their shared history.

In the end, we were pleasantly surprised by the buzz surrounding and within the trade show. Beyond the massive marketing budgets of the big brands, Spannabis 2016—and other trade shows of this kind—are always an opportunity to meet key players in the French, European, and global industries. And it goes without saying that we’ll see each other again at the’Expogrow in Irun !

Bonus: Results of the 2016 Spannabis Awards

• Best seed bank: Genehtik Seeds
• Best Fertilizer: Phosphoderma by Planta Sur
• Best Smoking Accessory: Xpositor by 00Box
• Best Growing Tool: Black Smart Pot by Smart Pot
• Best Hemp Product: Cannabeer
• Best Booth: Genehtik Seeds