Canna-Tourism/
Viva Las Vegas
How Planet 13 is changing the way people think about cannabis, tourism and entertainment
We sit down with David Farris, head of marketing for Planet 13, a cannabis cultivator changing the way consumers look at cannabis, tourism and entertainment. Give us a sense of where Planet 13 was as a company before this idea of a superstore came to fruition. Before Planet 13 opened, it was the very successful and popular fully integrated cannabis company and dispensary called Medizin. It was located farther from the Vegas strip (Medizin website). Medizin had a huge following of loyal customers many of whom live and work in Vegas. When the opportunity came up to relocate the dispensary license in the biggest facility closest to the Vegas strip, the new dispensary was launched as Planet 13. The major difference being the massive size of the new superstore facility, the very close proximity to the heart of the Vegas Strip… and because of that location a new focus on tourist and visitor customers. While there continues to be a big number of local Vegas customers the majority of sales will now come from the 55-million annual visitors to Vegas. This Las Vegas superstore you’ve developed is a massive undertaking, tell us where the idea came from and what we can expect once its finished? 44
Because of its proximity to the heart of the strip and the millions of Vegas visitors, the co-founders of Planet 13 decided it was time to out-Vegas Vegas, and go big. Since opening Nov. 1, 2018, it has been a huge hit with an estimated 2000 customers a day. The first phase is a spectacular 40,000 square feet with entertainment features (highlighted above under question #1). There is room to at 72,000 sq-ft and plans include a high-end Vegas style lounge/club when local regulations permit. It’s safe to say that tourism is a much more prevalent industry for Las Vegas than many cities and states in the US, do you see a correlation between tourism and states where cannabis is legal? There are 55-million annual visitors to Vegas and this crowd of tourists comes to the city to have fun, celebrate and spend money of things they enjoy. We expect Planet 13 to become a must-see destination on the Vegas to-do list of many tourists. We think Vegas will be the most robust city in terms of a direct correlation between tourists and the
Cannabis Prospect Magazine | April 2019
cannabis industry. It has already become a very competitive market as many dispensaries are opening to cater to Vegas tourists. We feel Planet 13 has an advantage because of proximity to the strip and our spectacular facility and the experience and customer service we provide. With recreational legalization coming to Canada, do you think tourism will increase as a result of cannabis from the US? Globally? It’s difficult for us to predict what will happen in Canada, but we can say we are experiencing a massive influx of tourists visiting our superstore who are excited to browse and shop - being in a jurisdiction where recreational cannabis is legal. We would assume there will be similar enthusiasm from visitors to Canada as the rec cannabis market matures with national legality. One of the reasons Starbucks is so successful is that it’s managed to change people’s perceptions of coffee (in that it’s turned the brand