Cova powers onsite cannabis marketplace at Legacy Cup Minnesota

Legacy Cup Minnesota will let attendees browse products from growers and brands, place orders at event kiosks, and pick up purchases through a centralized retail operation powered by Cova Software. The activation at the 10,000-plus attendee festival shows how cannabis events can combine product discovery and compliant onsite sales in Minnesota's developing adult-use market.

Why it matters: - Legacy Cup Minnesota is turning a major cannabis festival into a working retail marketplace, not just a sampling and networking event. - The model gives attendees a way to discover products face to face and buy them through a licensed retail channel onsite. - The setup could serve as a template for other cannabis events and emerging markets that want to combine commerce, education, and compliance.

What happened: - Legacy Cannabis is hosting Legacy Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with more than 10,000 attendees expected. - The event will use Cova Software to power a centralized retail operation for onsite cannabis purchases. - Attendees will browse products from participating growers and brands, place orders at kiosks in vendor booths, and pick up completed orders through Legacy Cannabis. - The event is supported by Legacy Cup Minnesota ticket registration.

The details: - The activation uses Legacy Cannabis’ Cova POS system connected with VFI Technology’s digital retail platform. - Seven participating kiosks will launch in the initial activation. - Participating brands and growers include Slaps, ERBA, Dizgo Collective, Unbound, Green Thumb Industries, Grasslandz, and Marawanna. - Legacy Cannabis is one of Minnesota’s prominent cannabis retailers and the host of Legacy Cup. - The event is described as the Midwest’s largest cannabis event. - The onsite model lets consumers place orders while exploring booths, then pay for and fulfill those orders through Legacy Cannabis’ retail operation. - Many growers and manufacturers at cannabis events do not hold a retail license or retail operations endorsement that allows direct onsite sales to consumers. - The marketplace structure lets those businesses focus on product introduction, consumer education, and relationship-building. - Legacy Cup is supported by sponsors including Island Pezi, Grasslandz, Off The Path Cannabis Dispensary, NativeCare, BKRcannabis, and other event partners.

Between the lines: - Cova is positioning its platform as event-ready infrastructure, not just dispensary software. - The partnership shows how Minnesota’s adult-use market is still building operational models that fit state rules and licensing limits. - The format keeps transactions inside a centralized licensed retail environment while expanding the kinds of consumer experiences cannabis brands can offer. - Cova CEO Gary Cohen said the goal is to help retailers turn ambitious ideas into reality inside dispensaries, at events, and in future retail settings.

What's next: - The Legacy Cup activation will test whether a high-volume festival can sustain a compliant, smooth onsite commerce flow. - If the model works, other cannabis events may copy the approach for product discovery and licensed fulfillment. - The event begins with an initial rollout of seven kiosks, which could inform future expansions.

The bottom line: - Legacy Cup is using Cova to turn a cannabis festival into a live retail experiment for Minnesota's new market.