As the cannabis marketplace grows and more companies gain interest in this space, so does the need for greater access to networking, expert advice and credible information. Events in the form of conferences with educational sessions and expos provide these tools in one location over a span of several days. Many of the conferences include valuable information regarding everything from cultivation to compliance for established marijuana businesses or those seeking to gain entry into the market. Some noteworthy events include:
- Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (June 15-17, 2016 in New York City and September 7-9, 2016 in Los Angeles) hosted by the International Cannabis Association.
- Marijuana Business Conference & Expo (November 11-13, Las Vegas) hosted by the Publishers of Marijuana Business Daily
- DispensaryNext Conference & Expo (February 1-2, 2016 in Portland) hosted by CannaConnections.
Earlier this year the CannaGrow Expo, run by CannaConnections, took place in Portland, Oregon. This event combined the intimate setting of a hotel conference with valuable educational opportunities on all things cultivation. With presentations ranging in topics from the fundamentals of growing to integrated pest management and growing organically, this event provided information for everyone along the spectrum, including beginner cultivators entering the space and veteran growers who have run legal operations for years.
“We believe in great attendee experiences, which starts with a great education,” says Joseph De Palma, founder at CannaConnections. “This is not a festival or mega-expo; this is an educational conference for professionals. Our agenda is designed around providing attendees with actionable, non-salesy cultivation education.”
Clark Tippin, founder of the Organic Cannabis Growers Society, gave a noteworthy presentation called Growing Organically – Sustainable Practices & High Yields, which highlighted the benefits and technical details of various organic cultivation methods.
“Cannabis is a non-homogenous plant that requires extremely consistent and standardized conditions with good production techniques in order to homogenize CBD levels and terpene profiles,” said Autumn Karcey, CEO of CannaVize, Inc., a sustainable full-service consulting and design firm, during her presentation, Commercial Facility Optimization for Pharmaceutical Grade Cannabis. “The consistency of cannabis comes from maintaining these standardized conditions through good manufacturing practices, quality assurance practices and standard operating procedures.”
CannaConnections’ next scheduled event is the DispensaryNext Conference & Expo, which runs February 1-2, 2016 in Portland. The range of topics includes best practices, marketing strategies, and operational management for dispensary owners and managers.
