Remember the days of in-person cannabis conventions?
Who could forget bustling auditoriums, sampling innovative products, and interacting with enthusiastic speakers?
The feeling of being surrounded by those sharing a like-minded passion for the cannabis plant is unlike any other feeling in the world.
For those within the cannabis industry, it’s better than the holidays.
The pandemic caused our industry to pivot, reimagining creative ways to recreate that networking experience on a virtual platform, like we did with our Emerge Cannabis Virtual Conference & Expo.
However, in-person events are far from extinct.
We all knew they would return eventually, but thankfully, we don’t have to wait much longer.
The USA CBD Expo is set to make a return to in-person events.
After being postponed six times due to COVID-19, the biggest CBD and hemp conference in the nation will be held in Atlanta, GA from June 11-13, with dates in Columbia and Illinois lined up shortly after.
While the event is months away, it’s already 75% sold out and event coordinators are anticipating over 10,000 attendees.
This turnout underscores the desire for in-person business conferences within the CBD industry.
The pandemic has brought in a flurry of curious new customers, a whopping 9 million new users according to a national study by High Yield Insights.
It’s more important than ever to unite the CBD/hemp industry and share knowledge and expert insight.
Director of Marketing for USA CBD Expo Nicole Beiner stresses that they’ve been strict about following all CDC and local government guidelines, including enforcing continuous sanitization and disinfection measures, social distancing, mandatory mask usage, and creating single-direction aisles.
Beiner points out opportunities at in-person events that virtual conferences lack, like being able to touch and feel the thousands of products being offered.
“We really feel like this is the CBD industry event you’ve got to be at. You want to see what your competitors are doing. You want to see what the most innovative products are. We have our award ceremony,” said Beiner. “There are just so many different things happening and there’s so much more that will be announced later on.”
The USA CBD Expo puts emphasis on education and curating speakers that will benefit those within the CBD and hemp industries.
Delta-8 will be a major talking point at the Atlanta convention, as the lesser known cannabinoid is a hot topic as of late.
The Expo has also partnered with the American Kratom Association to further spread awareness about beneficial natural alternatives to medicine.
While many shows only offer B2B hours, the CBD Expo is also open to those not affiliated with the industry, which allows interested consumers to browse products and learn more about the benefits of CBD and hemp.
While other in-person conventions are starting to reappear, Beiner says their Expo stands out for three important reasons:
You Won’t be Bored
“Our show truly is an unrivaled, passionate, lively event. It’s so fun. I’ve been in trade shows since the beginning of my career. They’re usually so boring, especially the B2B ones. People are behind their booths. They don’t want to talk. But everybody’s standing up. You just look at our photos. Exhibitors are out, they’re standing, they’re excited to talk to you. They want to tell you about the products,” said Beiner.
They’re Committed to Your Success
“If you’re taking time out of your day to travel, if you’ve got a free ticket and you’re looking to get education and you want to learn, we want to deliver on that investment that you’re making with us. And of course, if you’re spending money with us, we want you to get that ROI. We want you to meet with those buyers and we’re doing everything we can to advertise and spend money and get these people, the right people, through the door,” said Beiner.
They’ve Been in Your Shoes
“We truly do see it from everybody’s perspective. Before we started with these shows, we were exhibitors and we were attendees. So we really do know what you’re looking for and what you want to get out of a show,” said Beiner.
For information on tickets, check out the USA CBD Expo website.
It’s time to dust off our suitcases and be united once again to strengthen our budding industry — just be sure to pack a mask.
