October marked the last NCIA events of the year with Cannabis Caucus events in eight regions nationwide and an outstanding 2nd Annual California Cannabis Business Conference in Anaheim, California. As this year’s events comes to a close, we have so much to reflect on and exciting new events to announce!
During this quarter’s Cannabis Caucus events, more than 400 NCIA members, representing 250 member companies, totaling in more than 750 attendees turned out for our eight events nationwide. This means that although these events are growing increasingly popular, they are still small enough to make meaningful connections with other industry leaders in your region. Instead of just making small talk with someone in passing, you’ll get to to have real conversations with some of the most influential leaders in the industry. Year after year, we hear about people striking business partnerships, friendships and impactful connections at these events because they offer the time, space and opportunity to do so.
In the industry’s largest markets, Northern California, Southern California, and Colorado, more than 100 industry professionals turned out at each event. But, perhaps most impressive was the 75 plus attendance in the Midwest, maybe a harbinger of the positive momentum garnered by statewide reform initiatives in this year’s midterm elections!
Cannabis Caucus Highlights
A the Northeast event, attendees heard the latest news surrounding medical cannabis in Maine from State Sen. Eric Brakey (R-District 20), as well as Maine’s adult-use cannabis laws from David Boyer, Maine Political Director at Marijuana Policy Project.
The event in Northern California featured special guest speaker Heidi Mattos, a payroll tax specialist from the State of California Employment & Development Department, who shared critical insights into state payroll tax regulations. In Southern California, we heard a special presentation on “Understanding California Agricultural Labor Laws As It Relates to Cannabis Cultivators” from guest speaker Eduardo Blanco, Special legal Advisor from the CA Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
The Southwest event featured Ryan Black, Campaign Co-Chair for Anita Malik, Candidate for Arizona’s Congressional District 6, discussing federal cannabis reform. Lastly, in the Pacific Northwest, Lara Kaminsky, Executive Director of The Cannabis Alliance (an NCIA Allied Association), spoke about the latest developments in Washington state’s cannabis industry, including the current status of the edibles product ban.
See the full photo album on Facebook!
What Makes NCIA Regional Events Unique
As the largest national trade association in the U.S. and the only organization representing more than 1,700 cannabis-related businesses at the national level, we have pretty deep connections. We know that 70 percent of the individuals who attend our regional events have executive level decision-making authority and 30 percent have heavy decision-making influence. All of this is to say that the caliber of the meaningful connections you will make have the potential to benefit your business in very real ways and quickly.
We also know that these boutique events are frequently attended by industry pioneers and dedicated policy reform advocates, the movers and shakers of the industry, who have helped support the movement for decades. Repeatedly, we hear from event attendees that these events are their favorite because of the quality of the event, the attendees and the sense of community and camaraderie they foster.
What’s Next? NCIA’s New 2019 Regional Event Series Announced
NCIA has just published the 2019 event calendar! Due to popular demand for even more regional networking opportunities nationwide, NCIA is launching two new regional event series in 2019: Industry Socials and Harvest Celebrations and refreshing our well-known Cannabis Caucus Series.
NCIA’s Industry Socials are about cultivating regional communities of industry professionals, so that they can connect and learn from each other. Cultivating community is the most effective way to strengthen our industry and your business. Touring five cities in the West Coast, East Coast and Heartland regions, NCIA’s Industry Socials are the premier opportunity for cannabis professionals to harness NCIA’s extensive national network by creating meaningful connections with each other and with NCIA staff in a relaxed cocktail setting. Join us to expand your network and cultivate our community! Tickets to Industry Socials are complimentary to NCIA members and only $25 to non-members. Registration opens for the West Coast Tour on November 27!
NCIA’s Harvest Celebrations will be hosted in five cities in October to honor the cannabis harvesting season and celebrate the continued growth of our industry! Proceeds from NCIA’s inaugural Harvest Celebration events will foster support for NCIA’s federal lobbying work on behalf of businesses serving the industry and the industry at-large.
In light of these new 2019 NCIA events, we also have exciting new sponsorship opportunities to offer! Download the 2019 Event Sponsorship Deck or contact us for more information. Consider this your opportunity to get your brand in front of thousands of new businesses in diverse regions nationwide.
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