AfterGlow Champs Denver 2014
Philanthropist Jason Glowacki addresses the industry he has come to know as family.
When Champs Tradeshow is underway, a common questionis asked among the vendors and buyers, “Is Glow throwing a party this time?” This year, customers and vendors of Glow Industries had that question answered in a big way. Not only was a soiree on the agenda, but quite possibly the single greatest industry party to date was about to take place.
Those who have attended Afterglow in the past, know that it is THE function to attend as it just keeps getting better and better every time. From over occupied Las Vegas night clubs, to ice luge shots, to cage dancers, to….Coolio? That’s right, even Coolio took a vacation from Gangsta’s Paradise to attend this epic gathering of industry corner stones in recent years.
But this year was different from other functions. This year had a greater purpose than just connecting manufacturers with vendors. This year, it was all about bringing the industry together as one to take a glimpse at what the future has in store for them as the country starts to address the elephant in the room. The Afterglow party in and of itself is a collaborative event that is put on not only by Glow Industries, but the event is also sponsored by industry leading vendors and manufacturers, who contribute to help make these amazing celebrations lasting memories.
Companies like Formula 420, Cannafresh, HQ Magazine, TastyPuff, and Wild Berry Incense made sponsorship contributions to this amazing display. Other sponsors like Cloud Penz, No Goo Nonstick, Smart Dabb, Zephyr, King Volcano, and Happy Daddy Products had their latest and greatest products on display at sampling stations. People could see for themselves why these products rule their respective corners of the market.
It takes an experienced and professional event coordination company to coordinate AfterGlow events. Special thanks to Mervat Berryat Industry- PM, based out of Las Vegas, NV for making these events run smoothly.The venue itself even seemed to cater to this particular event. With 3 floors, each armed with its own wet bar, City Hall in the heart of downtown Denver, was the absolute perfect setting for such an occasion. Offering perfect vantage points from just about anywhere in the room, City Hall delivers a well spread out floor plan, which allowed the over 1000 in attendance a comfortable space from which to enjoy the festivities of the evening.
To get things started, the event’s MC , the McGuyver of Pot himself Master Bong, addressed the crowd from the DJ booth on the second floor balcony asking everyone in the room to High Five the person standing behind them. Watching the crowd anxiously engaging each other in a conglomerative high five, Master Bong reflected all of the positive energy in the room. After his high octane address to the people, all eyes were fixed front and center for the main attraction of the evening.
Every Afterglow party has its own source of entertainment and distraction, DJ’s, beautiful women dancing the night away, pyrotechnics, but the eye candy for this evening was a little more memorable than most. This evening’s distraction would be provided by none other than the two legends of the glass blowing world, Bob Snodgrass and Jason Harris. Over the course of four hours, the two barons of boro, along with help from over 30 other glass artists who are friends and family of the two, came together in their first onstage collaboration, to create a piece for auction, for which the proceeds benefit the MPP (Marijuana Policy Project). Audience members where caught in a gaze, watching the legendary spectacle by the light of the torches knowing for those short ,few hours, they were watching history in the making. A few hours into the evening, the music went silent, and attention was shifted and fixed on the second floor balcony, this time occupied by a new face. It was Jason Glowacki, President of Glow Industries Inc. poised to address the industry he has come to know as his family.
Jason’s father, an early figure head the industry, set his destiny in motion at a young age, a now he stands in front of the industry he has watched grow and mature over the years. He talked about the way things used to be in this industry, and how things need to change. How we shouldn’t have to hide under the rock anymore. How we are all just business owners trying to seek our fortune and glory, not criminals.
He was followed in speech by a gentleman by the name of Mason Tvert of the MPP, an organization that encourages legalization and regulation of marijuana in the United States. You may remember seeing Mason on CNN, MSNBC, FOX news ,and as the gentleman who locked horns with Nancy Grace over marijuana regulation in the US. His address to the crowd is the calling card of the MPP, urging people to open their eyes, get out and vote, and help take action to legalize and regulate marijuana in your area. By the end of this epic event, the torches burned low, the finished product of the evening’s entertainment rested safe in the kiln for the rest of the night, the MC wished his crowd a good night, and the rest, well the rest is in the books. Until next time, Denver. The only question is, how do you top that?