Among many things, the WM Phoenix Open is known for the large amounts of alcohol consumed at the event. A number of cannabis businesses would like to see it also associated with another type of indulgence, and are making their presence known to golf tournament attendees.
While not an official sponsor of the WMPO, one of the world’s largest cannabis companies, Curaleaf, is getting “dangerously close” to being connected to the tournament without touching it directly, Luke Flood, a Curaleaf senior vice president and regional leader, told the Business Journal.
In late 2022, Curaleaf opened a dispensary and its Arizona headquarters at the southeast corner of Frank Llyod Wright Blvd. and Greenway Hayden Loop in Scottsdale, just a stone’s throw from the entrance of the WMPO. Because of that proximity, the company received a special permit from the city of Scottsdale to put on a multi-day cannabis-centric event outside of its dispensary designed to attract customers going to and from the Open, as well as expose more people to its brand and cannabis in general.
The Vendor Village, as it is being called, has 18 different cannabis brands selling products as well as entertainment, merchandise giveaways and food and drink.
“We get a lot of people going back and forth every day and just the sheer demand and the impressions that we get Wednesday through Sunday, brands were chopping at the bit to get in here,” Flood said.
