By Kathleen McLean
This past week I was fortunate enough to receive a media pass to attend the MJBizCon in Las Vegas. It’s one of the biggest conventions I’ve ever attended. There were over 100 speakers, 650+ vendors, investors, and business leaders. It was held at the Las Vegas Convention center, and there were thousands of people in attendance. For anyone looking to get into the cannabis industry, this event is a must-see. Unlike many cannabis events, this one is run in an extremely professional manner, and the event staff is completely prepared for droves of people. Each attendee received a canvas bag to collect all of the gifts and literature that’s passed out at each booth. The press box was complete with lounge style seating, internet access, refreshments, and swag.
The event features every aspect of running a cannabis company. It caters to growers, business people, manufacturing, extraction, cultivation, the ins and outs of retail as well as packaging. Each booth brings their A game. The competition is strong and surrounds you. Most booths are run by the people in the trenches every day. They are selling for their lives for four consecutive days. Some booths pay event staff to sell their products for them. I can only assume these are the booths that have two seats in the back of the stall that remain occupied by their salesmen. The majority of vendors work their tails off. They are passionate about their businesses and products and can’t wait to share their knowledge.
A major misconception is that this is a “weed” convention. In a sense it is, but there are not any vendors selling flowers or any THC products on site. There’s signage letting participants know there will be no consumption on site. Most people followed this rule, except with the occasional vape here or there. Once a participant walked outside all bets were off. In order to get to or from the event, you would be walking through clouds of cannabis smoke.
This event is imperative for industry people as well as newcomers. It gives us all an opportunity to be exposed to all new technology and innovation. New friendships and business relationships are forged. I ended up networking with amazing people I wouldn’t have met had I not attended the event. I was also able to get my hands on some major swag, hats, Tshirts, vape pens, lighters, and sunglasses. I’m looking forward to the upcoming giveaways featured on Candid Chronicle social media.
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