Las Vegas was sizzling outside, but inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, the energy at CHAMPS Trade Show 2025 was unmistakably cool. Blunts sparked. Bass dropped. Booths blurred the line between retail and real life. Right in the middle of it all? Hemp World, an immersive experience from hemp wellness brand hhemp.co – where music, fashion, and flower collided like it was meant to be.
“We wanted buyers to feel the culture, not just browse a catalog,” said Dr. Bao Le, founder and CEO of hhemp.co.
And feel it, they did.
A Trade Show That Played Like a Festival
Since 1999, CHAMPS has been the go-to B2B expo for counterculture brands. But the Summer 2025 edition in Vegas raised the bar. The show floor felt less like a convention and more like a block party. A booth wasn’t just a booth; it was a whole vibe.
Hhemp.co transformed their space into a cultural stage, with performances by LaRussell, Twista, and Curren$y bringing real-time heat to buyers and fans alike. Reggae band Fortunate Youth kept the good energy flowing, while a roast session hosted by comedians Uncle Lazer and David Lucas (of Kill Tony) had the crowd doubled over.
“It’s a youth-driven sport,” Twista said after stepping off stage. “But us OGs are learning how this next generation moves product through culture.”
Culture Moves Units: Cameos, Collabs, and Content
At a trade show, deals are usually made over handshakes. At Hemp World, deals were being made while Lil Baby shot promo for his new Wham hemp line with Litty Flower Shop, drawing a mob of vloggers and buyers chasing the drop like it was a Travis Scott sneaker release.
Meanwhile, Yung LB of Runtz teased a Runtz x Litty collab that had attendees buzzing for more, and visual artist Luna Steward turned the behind-the-scenes energy into content that hit Instagram before the day ended.
High Times x RAW x hhemp.co: A Smokeable Legacy
One of the most talked-about announcements came from three names with serious weight: High Times, RAW Rolling Papers, and hhemp.co. The trio is launching a new product line, flower, pre-rolls, and vapes, that merges legacy, innovation, and compliant white-label execution.
“High Times doesn’t need reinvention,” said co-owner Matt Stang. “It needs re-ignition.”
With RAW’s cult status in rolling gear, hhemp.co’s vertically integrated muscle, and High Times’ legacy, the collab has all the markings of a power move. From the page to the pre-roll, cannabis storytelling is getting a new form factor.
The Future of Cannabis Retail Is Loud
The CHAMPS Trade Show is headed next to Austin (September 9-11) and Fort Lauderdale (November 11-13), and if Vegas was any indication, the future of cannabis retail won’t live in spreadsheets or corporate decks. It’s living in sound systems, IG Reels, and split-second collabs.
At the center of it all? Brands that get it. Like hhemp.co – bridging legacy and legality, culture and commerce, music and cannabinoids.
Keep your eyes on the booth. That’s where the real action is happening.
