Forever CHAMPS
CHAMPS Las Vegas Winter Feb 27th - Mar 1st 2019
www.ChampsTradeShows.com
This is the fifty-fifth trade show mounted by CHAMPS and the
fortieth staged here in Las Vegas. Hundreds of businesses are
represented in a space that encompasses 245,000 square feet,
the area of four and a half football fields!
The marketplace is booming and CHAMPS is proud to have
backed the cannabis business community for two solid decades.
No trade show is older and, certainly, no event associated
with the use of cannabis can equal its rate of growth. In
truth, CHAMPS is the unsung success story of our industry.
Of course, being “unsung” was a conscious business decision.
Twenty years ago, sherlock pipes, one-hitters, bongs, hand pipes
and the like were as demonized as cannabis, courtesy of a 1994
Supreme Court decision (Posters ‘N’ Things, Ltd. v. United
States), a ruling that still stands today. The Court rendered ceramic,
metal and glass pipes—even rolling papers—all “drug
paraphernalia” these items, commonly found in head shops,
were deemed designed for use with illegal drugs. In other words,
the pipe itself has “intent,” not the user. It didn’t matter that this
illegal paraphernalia could also be used to inhale tobacco or an
alternative smoking mixture. The Court had spoken.
That made selling a bong a bit problematic. In fact, in those bad
old days a pipe dealer or a customer who uttered the word “bong”
could be thrown out of a head shop in every state. Even the display
of a cannabis leaf itself was dangerous and could lead to harassment,
if not prosecution. In this uncertain atmosphere, Peter
and Jeff founded CHAMPS.
The year was 1998. For a few years, paraphernalia companies
had successfully showcased their merchandise at one of the
largest wholesale trade shows in the nation. But that September
the rug was pulled out from under those vendors. U.S.
Customs officials warned that show not to allow the purveyors
of illegal pipes to purchase vendor booths.
Peter Gage and Jeff Hirschfeld had invested heavily in Gage
Water Pipes, their own company. They had bought booths
at the show for the company but were abruptly closed out.
Which brings to mind what Albert Einstein said: “In the
middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
“We reacted,” recalls Jeff . “Peter and I both had trade show experience. We saw the empty space that had been left behind. So we got an insurance policy, signed a contract with the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino and we got busy.”
The first show made its debut in February 1999 at the Gold
Coast. It included just thirty-four 7’ x 8’ booths in a ballroom
that comprised less than 4,000 square feet. The show was undeniably
small, but they were heartened by the enthusiastic response
of pipe sellers, especially the community of glass artists.
Back then, CHAMPS was known as the C.T.A. Show. The initials
stood for “Contemporary Tobacco Accessories.” It may
have been a bit disingenuous, but running a trade show that
provided a business-to-business setting for paraphernalia
manufacturers and head shop owners necessitated discretion.
In other words, they hid in plain sight.
It was standard procedure for Jeff and Peter to decline coverage
of the show by marijuana-themed publications. “You have
to understand the level of paranoia at that time,” Jeff says. “We
didn’t want to be a target. It’s the way the manufacturers wanted
it. It’s the way head shops wanted it and the way we wanted it.
Otherwise, vendors and buyers wouldn’t have come.”
Peter says they can laugh now. “Back then, everyone’s booth
featured signs that read ‘For Tobacco Use’ only. But we had
no choice. Th e head shop owners posted the same signs in
their shops. Everyone had to distance themselves from pot in
order to do business.”
Still, the trade show thrived, moving on to convention centers
from hotel conference halls. Signifi cantly, its meteoric growth
coincided with the rising popularity of glass smokeware. Although
Bob Snodgrass, known as the “Godfather of Glass,” had
developed his techniques for glass pipe-making in the 1980s, it
wasn’t until the mid-‘90s that these new instruments of pleasure
emerged widely on the cannabis scene.
Glass smokeware was an instant sensation. They were unique
and colorful, providing a singular smoking experience.
Moreover, a colorful, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pipe became
a personal keepsake. Glass transformed the paraphernalia
marketplace.
“We have always backed the glass community and tried to promote high-end glass, as well as the artists themselves,” Peter says. “After twenty years, we really have become a family.”
In the cannabis industry, the cultivators and the consumers are
the two target markets of all business. Unfortunately, since the
beginning of the War on Drugs, the federal government has
focused on arresting and prosecuting the two same groups. In
February 2003, the Feds decided to take down the paraphernalia
industry, launching Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation
Headhunter. Fifty-five people were busted for engaging in interstate
commerce to transport drug paraphernalia.
The raids shook up everyone. Were more on the way? Attorney
General John Ashcroft labeled those who manufacture
paraphernalia “no better than drug dealers.” Websites advertising
glass pipes were taken down instantly, and head shops
cleared their shelves.
The raids also happened to be launched on the eve of the C.T.A
Show. Nervous vendors canceled. The number of businesses
scheduled to attend dropped from 180 to a mere 34. On the
bright side, Jeff and Peter did open the doors and got through
the show without government harassment.
“We were nervous and on edge the whole time,” says Jeff . “I was worried about our clients and our show. But we stood by our people. We off ered full refunds or full credits toward future shows. I remained confi dent that we’d continue and survive.” In order to escape further scrutiny, C.T.A. vanished. Jeff and Peter pivoted away from tobacco and smoking and renamed the show. Th e C.T.A. trade show became C.H.A.M.P.S, an acronym for “Contemporary Handcraft ed American Made Products Show. Th e name highlights “America’s diversity of products and the creditable glass art industry,” Jeff says.
What remains funny—albeit sixteen years later—is Ashcroft ’s
boast about the success of the raids. He crowed: “We’ve taken decisive
steps to dismantle the illegal drug paraphernalia industry.”
That would be news to—well—just about everyone. Since
2003, ten states, plus Washington D.C, have legalized recreational
marijuana. Thirteen states have decriminalized, but
not legalized, and thirty-three have legalized medicinal use.
Needless to say, businesses that serve both consumers and cultivators
have multiplied exponentially.
Not surprisingly, CHAMPS growth has been impressive—more
booths and more attendees each show. Plus, new features have
been added to the event. In 2010, CHAMPS hosted the first Las
Vegas Flameoff, with scores of artists squaring off in an on-site
competition to create superlative glass art pipes. The Flameoff
has evolved into the Glass Games with substantial cash prizes
awarded in an array of categories.
At this special anniversary show here in Las Vegas, CHAMPS
is introducing CHAMPS Dispensary Plus, an entire division of
vendor booths dedicated to meeting the demands of the burgeoning
dispensary scene in states that have legalized cannabis.
You’ll find banking services, insurance groups, and credit
card companies among those businesses addressing the needs
of commercial cannabis sellers.
Las Vegas is CHAMPS’ home base, but the trade show now
stages events in Denver, Orlando, and Atlantic City, with
plans for shows in Michigan and New England in the near
future. “When a state goes legal, we’ll be there to support it,”
Jeff says confidently.
Is there a secret to CHAMPS’ success? Not really. Jeff insists:
“We listen to the community. I like to think that I treat
CHAMPS in the same way I treat my life and my family—
with respect. We believe in what we do, we do it well and we
get better with each show.” Peter puts it more simply: “The
buyers power the CHAMPS Show.”
It’s an obvious truth. The buyers at CHAMPS are very similar to
the traders who traveled the ancient Silk Road, the merchants
who transported the precious goods of artisans in faraway lands
back to the civilizations who crave them. Like them, the buyers
at CHAMPS have access to the very finest products of the retail
cannabis industry. And they’ll travel back to their own hometowns
to delight their clients with new treasures wherever they
do business. Best of all, the promise of legalization is legitimizing
their commerce at last.
CHAMPS proudly continues to grow and flourish. As CHAMPS
kicks off its third decade, Jeff, Peter and the entire CHAMPS
team want to thank all of you for being a part of the family!
www.ChampsTradeShows.com