Understanding Cannabis Event Management | Adelia Carrillo from EventHi

Ernesto Quezada: Welcome to Pathmonk Presents, the place where business owners and marketers share their insights on digital growth. In every episode, we discuss real strategies, why they worked, and also why they didn’t. Get insights from real experience and save yourself a whole lot of time and money. Let’s get to it right now.

Before we get started with today’s episode, let’s have a quick look at what Pathmonk is all about. If you are winning leads, demos, or sales through your website, then Pathmonk might be interesting for you. Pathmonk is an extension to your website. It watches each visitor as they’re moving through your page and builds up their interest in your product or service in real time to deliver a great uplift in conversions from your website. Usually, the buying journey can be divided into two stages: awareness consideration and decision-making. Pathmonk figures out in which stage a given visitor is by watching every action they take on the website and provides them with micro experiences such as notifications, case studies, and introductory videos, helping them move to the next stage in the buying journey toward a conversion.

Ernesto: Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Adelia from Event High, CMO and co-founder with them. How are you doing today, Adelia?

Adelia Carrillo: I am doing very well. I’m super excited to be here.

Ernesto: It’s great to have you on and a little bit late in the day, but I’m excited to learn a little bit more about Event High. You know, it’s a curious topic as we were mentioning earlier. So, let’s kick it off. In your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Adelia: Yeah, yeah. So Event High… I’ll say our proper introduction first, and then how I normally like to say it. Event High provides compliant online registration and event management software tailored for cannabis event creators. Essentially, Event High is an online ticketing platform. We work with event creators to publish, promote, and sell tickets or sponsorships for their cannabis-related events. We also cater to event goers who are looking for cannabis experiences or events and brands that are looking to sponsor these unique cannabis events.

Ernesto: Awesome, awesome to hear that. And so that way, our listeners can get a good understanding of the company, what would you say is the key problem that you like to solve for event creators or event goers?

Adelia: One of the biggest problems we are solving, and for those outside of the cannabis industry who may not be aware, is the challenge of compliance. Cannabis is still highly regulated, and this comes with challenges in banking and marketing. Ten years ago, my co-founder and I were hosting cannabis events, and we ended up being shut down by a mainstream ticketing platform. They froze our funds, and it was a nightmare. This was a business-to-business event—no consumption or anything controversial happening—yet we got shut down. We realized this wasn’t just our problem but an issue for many others. So, we asked ourselves how we could solve this. It took time to figure out why mainstream platforms couldn’t cater to cannabis events and how we could build a compliant and transparent solution. We officially launched in 2018 and have been growing ever since.

Ernesto: That’s great to hear. I don’t want to assume, but is your software specifically tailored for cannabis events, or do you see expanding to other verticals in the future?

Adelia: Great question. While it’s specifically tailored for cannabis events, we’ve had event creators outside the cannabis industry use our platform for some of its features. Organically, we’re already seeing that expansion. For example, we’re starting to reach out to festivals—like reggae festivals or similar events—that want to get in front of our user base. These might not be cannabis events, but they appeal to our audience. So, yes, expansion into other verticals is a possibility in the future.

Ernesto: That’s exciting. It sounds like a lot of opportunity, but I can imagine scaling comes with its challenges. Is there any fundraising involved to help scale into new industries?

Adelia: Yes, definitely. We’ve been bootstrapping since our launch, although we did raise some pre-seed funding through an accelerator program. But now that we’re scaling and need to enhance our technology, we’re focusing on our seed round. We started putting effort into this back in October and November, and now it’s a full-time focus alongside our other responsibilities.

Ernesto: Understood. That’s great to hear. So how do people typically find out about Event High? Is there a top client acquisition channel?

Adelia: Honestly, it’s been mostly word of mouth. Our event creators promote their event links through newsletters, social media, and even text messages, which drives traffic to our marketplace. When attendees purchase tickets, they’re exposed to other events on our platform. This organic growth has been amazing. However, we’re also doing outreach ourselves because traditional marketing channels are limited for us. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram often restrict cannabis-related ads. So, we rely heavily on direct outreach via social media and educating our audience through channels like LinkedIn.

Ernesto: That’s incredible. Being a CMO, you must love seeing that organic growth. Kudos to you for that. And so our listeners can check you out—they can visit eventhigh.io. What role does the website play in client acquisition?

Adelia: Our website is our marketplace. It’s where event creators can create and manage events, and where event goers can discover unique cannabis experiences across the U.S. Brands interested in sponsoring events can also find opportunities here. We’ve designed it to be user-friendly for all three audiences: event creators, goers, and sponsors. Currently, we only operate in the U.S., but we hope to expand globally in the future.

Ernesto: Fantastic. Are there any tools or tips you’d recommend for lead generation through the website?

Adelia: I’d say simplicity and clarity are key. Make your value proposition easy to understand in your hero header. For us, showcasing the variety of events—from investor gatherings to yoga and jazz events—helps capture attention. Social proof, like testimonials and notable partnerships, also helps build trust. Lastly, visuals matter—keep the design clean and engaging.

Ernesto: Great advice. Let’s switch gears a little bit, Adelia, and talk about you. As co-founder and CMO, what are some key tasks you focus on daily?

Adelia: My day usually starts with marketing. I review analytics, check the performance of our newsletter, and update our content calendar. Then I focus on outreach—whether that’s connecting with new event creators or investors. We’re also working on V2 of our platform, which will include new features like advanced analytics for event creators. Balancing all of this keeps me busy, but it’s rewarding.

Ernesto: Sounds like you have a full plate. How do you stay updated on marketing trends, especially with AI transforming the landscape?

Adelia: Google Alerts has been a lifesaver. It keeps me informed about relevant topics without overwhelming me. I also listen to marketing podcasts and follow industry thought leaders on LinkedIn. It’s all about finding ways to learn continuously.

Ernesto: Excellent. Let’s move to our rapid-fire round. Are you ready?

Adelia: Yes, let’s do it!

Ernesto: First off, what’s the last book you read?

Adelia: Girl, Stop Apologizing. It’s been great for helping me overcome the habit of apologizing unnecessarily.

Ernesto: Great choice. What’s one thing your company is focused on most right now?

Adelia: Onboarding new event creators. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to transition to our platform.

Ernesto: If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d want fixed for your role as a marketer?

Adelia: Removing restrictions for cannabis-related marketing. Access to traditional advertising tools would be a game-changer.

Ernesto: Agreed. If you could automate one repetitive task, what would it be?

Adelia: Managing my inbox. It’s overwhelming to sift through spam and find important messages.

Ernesto: Lastly, what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self as a marketer?

Adelia: Learn to work through imposter syndrome earlier. Don’t hold back—use your voice and trust your knowledge.

Ernesto: Amazing advice. Before we wrap up, what’s one thing people should remember about Event High?

Adelia: Event High is the gateway to cannabis event culture. We’re here to connect event creators, goers, and sponsors in a compliant and innovative way.

Ernesto: Perfect. Thank you so much, Adelia, for joining us. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Looking forward to our next episode at Path Monk Presents.