Farechild Events is focused on making connections within the cannabis industry. They launched at the beginning of 2020 but their event calendar went on hiatus amid state lockdowns. In the meantime, they built a cannabis-friendly event ticketing platform. Later this month, they return to hosting with The Zodiac Party in Las Vegas.
Founders James Zachodni and Dave Tran planned their first cannabis event in Seattle before Washington legalized adult use. The partners hosted that first party as DOPE Magazine and it was unlike any other cannabis gathering at the time. With that success, they went on to throw coveted events all over the US. Planning networking parties and celebrations was their favorite part of owning the media company so when DOPE was sold to High Times, the entrepreneurs started their next chapter in the events sector. At Farechild, the mission is simple: Dave and James want to foster community while throwing kickass parties.
“There was excitement about building a new project. There was excitement about building solutions for problems in the industry because the industry still is very young, and there are a lot of opportunities to build solutions to help the industry grow,” said Co-Founder Dave Tran. “As we started looking into things we were really passionate about, events seemed to serve that purpose.”
Before James and Dave established DOPE Magazine, they worked together in the Seattle nightlife industry, an experience that served them well as they moved into cannabis events in 2012. Throwing an above-board weed party was unheard of at the time — most cannabis gatherings were underground secret seshes and exclusive cannabis cups to avoid attention from the law. DOPE events stood out then, and the experiences that the pair picked up from their nightclub days to the years of DOPE parties have been essential in launching Farechild.
“For us, the event side of it just made sense, and we took our skill set that we naturally had and built over years and years and applied it to the cannabis industry. And I think that’s where you find the success stories is when you hear of people doing those types of things and bringing a great professionalism and experience to our industry which is still very new so there’s still a lot of room for people to find their niche.” — James Zachodni
Farechild throws signature events and also plans gatherings for businesses and organizations. They love throwing parties, but most of all, the event pioneers want to serve the cannabis community. After they canceled all of their events in 2020, James and Dave spent the time considering what problems in the industry needed solving. Cannabis event planners will often run into issues with ticketing platforms shutting down their listings for their industry involvement. In response, Farechild decided to build their own ticketing platform so event planners could avoid these issues altogether. Now, the Farechild event platform is operating in Beta for any event interested in being included on their calendar.
To effectively solve the problem, they had to understand the root of the issue. Cannabis events being booted from ticketing platforms is just one thread in the complex knot of cannabis banking. Mainstream event ticketing platforms use Stripe or other payment processors with federally enforced rules of service. So, their first step was to find a banking partner that they could work with transparently in the cannabis space. To do this, James worked with a consultant to find the right bank. They took several meetings before finding a partner willing to offer low enough rates to keep the platform affordable. The Farechild platform consists of cannabis events for now, but soon-to-be legalized psychedelic retreats and other hosts that have challenges with ticketing their parties are encouraged to join the community as well.
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The first Farechild soiree since the initial COVID lockdown is The Zodiac Party coming up on October 21 during MJBizCon. They are so excited to plan an event but they understand how crucial it is to reduce risk as much as possible. The Zodiac Event will take place in an outdoor event space and is partially sponsored by Mooselabs, the silicone personal mouthpiece company that will be providing a unit to every guest attending. Of course, they will also provide hand sanitizing stations and follow other routine public health procedures.
James and Dave love their plans for this celestial event and hope their guests will, too. To show what went into creating The Zodiac Party, Social Club TV filmed a docuseries covering from the original idea up to the final steps of execution. The video series shows Farechild taking a 360-degree view of the event in hopes of transporting guests to a new galaxy. Those who know about astrology, numerology, and the elements will have fun finding the easter eggs hidden throughout the party. Everyone including novice astrologers can enjoy live music, get an astrological reading with a professional mystic, and, best of all, network with industry peers. This year’s party will feature 16 VIP outdoor cabanas perfect for team bonding and treating clients — nearly all of the cabanas are already booked.
James and Dave are excited to step back into the event space after a long stretch of time spent building the ticketing platform. Every DOPE event had an air of magic to it, and after speaking with the founders, it seems the Farechild events will keep the magic alive.
“We love to produce events. We love to continue to give the industry opportunities to network and to find each other. Because, really, we’re still connecting cannabis to the world and the world to cannabis. How do we do that and be an integral part of that connection? That’s what I’m excited for,” said Dave.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, James is a Taurus sun and Dave’s sun is in Leo. Learn more about The Zodiac Party and Farechild events at farechild.com.
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