Inside Puffcon 2024
8,000 people celebrating h@sh at block party in Los Angeles
“Of all the fancy expensive dab devices, splurging on a Puffco is worth it just to get access to Puffcon tickets.”
I tell people this while budtending when I see them eyeballing the Puffco devices. They seem unsure if they want to spend that much money on a fancy smoking device.
Honestly, I was hesitant about dabbing when I was first introduced to it. These high potency concentrates felt intimidating and I don’t enjoy being so high that I barf. Watching people set up elaborate rigs, e-nails, torches, glass slurpers and spinny things along with a suitcase full of accessories looked like a lot of effort to get high. And it is, but there’s a vibrant subculture here.
For the ultimate c****bis connoisseur, a dab or concentrates are pure flavor paired with potent effects. A well-crafted solventless live rosin, ice water hash, or piatella are highly sought-after and prized. Making high quality h@sh is an ancient art form that takes years of apprenticeship to master.
Just like having the right glass to fully appreciate and open up the nuanced aromas and flavors of a fine wine, having a rig or device to properly enjoy h@sh at the perfect temperature is its own art form. Hence the suitcase full of unwieldy accessories.
Enter Puffco. This LA-based company revolutionized the dabbing experience by making beautifully designed, high tech portable dab vaporizers. Founder/CEO Roger Volodarsky has become an revered industry celebrity, known as Jolly Roger.
What I love about Puffco:
Stylish quality devices I want to use and show off.
Excellent customer service.
Every Puffco employee I’ve met is so nice and helpful.
All about nurturing their community, and it shows.
The level of fandom Puffco has cultivated is impressive. Puffcon is grassroots community marketing at its best and most authentic. Read on to find out what they do, why it’s brilliant brand marketing, and my honest no bullshit review of devices I’ve been gifted.
FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS
Highlights from Puffcon 2024
The first Puffcon in 2021 was free to attend if you owned a Puffco device. Serial numbers for your device are required to get a ticket. There were about 2.5K attendees. Flatbush Zombies, and Action Bronson were the main music headliners at the first-ever Puffcon Block Party. I sat with friends on a grassy patch in the sunshine taking in the vibes, people, music, and thought this was one of the best w**d event I’d attended.
Fast-forward three years and Puffcon 2024 attracted the largest crowd to date with 8,000+ attendees and 600 vendors/artists. Lines snaked through multiple LA city blocks and fans waited for up to 2.5 hours to get through ticketing and security. Despite that, those waiting in the long ass line were in good spirits and came away making new friends.
Once inside, there’s a pavilion dedicated to glass artists and glass blowing demos; elaborate brand activations from the biggest brands in the industry; vendors and a parking lot filled with food trucks; carnival rides and games; generous dab samples with open consumption; and music performances by Larry June, Action Bronson & Human Growth Hormone, That Mexican OT, 2 Dead Boyz, and The Alchemist.
I’m gonna be honest with you, I have no idea who these performers are. I know they’re famous rappers but I’m clueless in this part of the pop culture world. This is usually not my jam, but Puffcon has a way of making everyone feel welcome and I’m loving the high energy, happy vibe.
Puffcon is a sensory overload and impossible to see and experience everything. I was also extremely high and overwhelmed for most of it, but here are a few HIGH-lights.
Glass artist marketplace and glass blowing demos. I loved watching glass artists create pieces live with bellowing fire and lava hot glass. One of my favorites, Sibelly, was there making her gorgeous pieces I’ve coveted for years. And Robertson’s matte finished giraffe patterned glass Proxy holder. I’m kicking myself for not getting a cute Proxy accessory from Empire Glassworks.
Brand activations. From a full size Gravitron carnival ride to a robotic dinosaur park, brands spent their marketing budgets creating memorable Puffcon-only experiences for their fans.
Exclusive merch and products. Artists, designers and brands were selling exclusive Puffcon merch to fans. Talking Terps was live silkscreening t-shirts at the dab garden.
Food trucks galore! I appreciate when events have an excess of food and drinks, especially for the stoner crowd because we like to eat and need lots of water.
Puff-ee’s Creator Lounge. A dive dab bar exclusively for creators. More on that below.
Why this is brilliant brand marketing
An event is exclusively for Puffco fans to get together and celebrate h@sh with other like-minded raving fans. They continue to have a relationship with their customers after the point of purchase, inviting them into a community and giving them an unparalleled experience. They’ve created a loyal fandom that money can’t buy.
These fans are evangelists who create immeasurable organic value. They purchase accessories, new product drops, tell their friends, and create social media content showing off their Puffco devices at a party created just for them. They make their customers feel welcomed and important.
If someone is deciding which expensive high tech dab device to invest in, the one that comes with a built-in community, exclusive experiences, and good customer service is going to tip the decision scale.
Plan Ahead for Puffcon 2025
Get your tickets early. They will sell out.
VIP tickets are worth it for the express entrance. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the express entry for each Puffcon, and it’s worth it for the LA Center Studios location because parking is non-existent and traffic flow in that area is the worst.
Don’t have a Puffco? Only certain models will gain you entry – Peak Pro, Peak, and Proxy. Save up and keep an eye out for deals. Take advantage of Green Wednesday and holiday deals at your local dispensary.
Unknown if Puffcon 2025 will be in the same location, or if the size has outgrown the DTLA space.
Inside Puff-ee’s Creator Lounge
A secret door with a cartoon beaver where attendees could only gain entry with a Creator pass. Puffco’s marketing team went all out treating creators, influencers, and media to a super-secret experience.
Inside the beaver door, there was a Munchies convenience shop stacked with free unlimited snacks, drinks, gifts, and a free play claw machine filled with Puffco accessories! At the bar, world-renowned hash makers offered private tastings of their reserve stash using the new limited edition Storm colorway devices.
Why this is brilliant marketing: Make it easy for creators to do their job and promote the brand's newest product launch. The designated space for creators made it easy and convenient for Puffco’s marketing team to connect with influencers, creators, and media irl in the middle of a crowded and very busy event.
Having this space offered a natural way for creators to meet, and thereby post genuine, authentic content that mutually promotes and amplifies each other and the Puffco brand. They’re nurturing a niche community within the community that earns valuable organic user generated content and influence. Genius.
Selfishly, I love the free snacks and VIP treatment.
No Bullshit Puffco Device Reviews
I’ve been gifted a few pieces and here’s what I really think about them.
Peak $220
If Puffco made a dab love child with Ikea, it would be the lower-priced and more accessible Peak. It’s slightly smaller, made of lighter materials, and comes with a removable 3D chamber plus joystick cap. Simple and perfect intro device that’s half the price of a Peak Pro. I love the way it feels in my hand.
Proxy Kit $269
The kit comes with the Proxy, a dry hit portable device, handheld pipe accessory, and travel case. Small, portable, easy to use, no water required. The Proxy device itself can be placed into a variety of different custom accessories, like the Wizard, Ripple, Droplet (discontinued), or custom designed pieces. I love the ease, versatility, and how easy it is to clean!
I have the purple Bloom colorway and enjoy puffing on this modern dab pipe. The naked Proxy on its own without the kit is $255.
Proxy Ripple $100
I call the Ripple my happiness teapot. An inconspicuous, cute tabletop dab bubbler, the Proxy fits into the bubble and delivers a smooth water-filtered smoke. Not as portable because of the bubble shape and size, but I enjoy the way it sits in my palms like a crystal ball telling my future. Very satisfying to smoke, but not the first device I reach for.
Hot Knife $50
Life-changing for all dabbers! This stylish and thin hot knife makes it clean and easy to scoop a sticky dab and drop the goo neatly into the heating chamber at the press of a button. Concentrates can be sticky like honey when scooping, it’s hard to not make a mess or waste precious dabs. No more sticky, dirty dab tools, and it comes in cute colors.
Plus $89
The most affordable of the portable dab devices, but owning this won’t gain ticket access to Puffcon. The Plus is thin and small, the size of a vape pen. Comes with a built-in extendable tool that’s easy to scoop the concentrate and load into the heating chamber.
This was a great intro device for dabbing, but it’s my least favorite Puffco. It needs charging often, cleaning it is fussy, and the smoking experience isn’t that satisfying. Skip it and save up for a Peak instead.
In full transparency, I’ve been gifted several Puffco devices and received complimentary media & creator passes to Puffcon.
XOXO, Christina W.