The Great Ganja Hunt
I designed and 3D printed a TRENDS LIC rolling tray split into nine letter pieces hidden across six Long Island City businesses, and over 200 participants raced to assemble it for a $5,000 prize.
The Challenge
TRENDS wanted more than a dispensary promotion: an activation that put them at the center of Long Island City's business community on the biggest day in cannabis culture.
The brief called for something tactile, competitive, and collectible that moved people through the neighborhood with a reward worth chasing. The 3D-printed tray puzzle tied it together.
The Tray
The centerpiece: a custom TRENDS LIC rolling tray, modeled from scratch and printed in-house, engineered to split into nine letter pieces that fit flush back into the body.
Process
Custom Tray Design & Fabrication
3D Modeling & FDM PrintingDesigned a TRENDS LIC rolling tray in CAD and 3D printed it in-house. It breaks into nine letter segments - T, R, E, N, D, S, L, I, C - each a collectible that fits flush back into the tray body and snaps together cleanly.
Puzzle & Clue Architecture
Game Design & Experience MappingEach letter was hidden at a different Long Island City business. Participants solved clues to find the next stop, no addresses given, then posted a photo on social media to complete it. Difficulty scaled as the hunt went on.
Community Partnership Network
Business Development & ActivationOnboarded six cannabis-friendly LIC businesses as checkpoints, each holding a hidden letter. The hunt sent foot traffic into shops participants might never have visited, turning a single-store promotion into a neighborhood activation.
Live Event & Prize Fulfillment
Activation & OperationsLaunched on 4/20 2025 with over 200 registered participants racing across LIC and back to TRENDS. The first to return with all nine pieces claimed a $5,000 goodie bag.
Scaling Production
Registrations blew past projections, so more trays and tiles were needed fast. Extra printers went in on-site at the shop: a Bambu Lab A1 Mini with AMS ran dual-color letter tiles, paused mid-print to embed NFC tags.
Empty trays ran on a P1S in parallel, and Trends brought in a Creality K2 Plus: three printers running at once to hit the target before event day.
Event Day
Strategic Impact
Community Activation
200+ participants moved through six local businesses over several hours. Several partners reported new repeat customers in the weeks after.
Press Coverage
TimeOut NYC and Secret NYC covered the hunt ahead of the event, highlighting the $5K prize and TRENDS' role as a community anchor, and drove sign-ups well beyond the local network.
Physical Collectibility
Every letter was a small trophy and the finished tray a working product, keeping the brand in hand long after event day.
Press & Recognition
Featured in “The Best 4/20 Events In NYC This Year”
TRENDS Weed Scavenger Hunt
“TRENDS is one of NYC's best loved dispensaries, and the Long Island City institution is organizing a scavenger hunt that will take participants through six secret, weed-friendly local businesses. Whoever completes the hours-long 4/20 scavenger hunt will receive a goodie bag worth a whopping $5,000.”
By Ian Kumamoto, Culture EditorAbout TRENDS
TRENDS is the first Black-owned cannabis dispensary in Long Island City, Queens. Founded by Rodney “Hurricane” and Brandon Carter, it hosts events and builds local partnerships as a neighborhood institution beyond product sales.
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