The Cannabis Collaborative Conference website says this event is dedicated to growing the industry and connecting cannabis professionals. After attending the event and interacting with staff, exhibitors, and a few sponsors, it was clear that this event helps the industry grow in numerous ways.
This year’s event had a huge focus on providing resources to companies looking to become profitable. With Oregon’s recreational industry becoming fully integrated into everyday life, the most established companies are looking to branding as a solution for additional revenue. The cannabis brands who spend extra time on eye-catching booths, apparel and packaging really stand out at these events.
On the first day of the event, I tucked my headphones in and walked up and down every row just so I could get a feel for the vibe of the event. The best way to really get the scoop on how people feel about these conferences is to blend in as an attendee and simply walk around, listen, and learn.
Checking out each company and listening to various conversations at the busier booths, people at this conference were excited to meet other professionals who could actually help with their goals of success in the cannabis industry. The event primarily featured Oregon-based companies with a few other groups and states sprinkled in here and there. It was much different than the RAD Expo which was a week earlier at the Oregon Convention Center.
At the expo, there was a noticeable Washington presence, but not for this event. In my opinion, CCC’s goal of providing resources to the Oregon community was definitely accomplished, but could have been even further supported by Washington or Colorado’s experience and innovation.
Since both industries are at different places in the overall timeline of legalization, many of the headaches and major issues surrounding what we all do has already been experienced by brands from Washington and Colorado. Although the laws are different, social media expertise and the sharing of experiences that helps people navigate the gray areas of cannabis is vital to the growth of our industry.
With so many knowledgeable and impactful speakers, the Cannabis Collaborative Conference still packed a ton of value into this event. If you wanted to meet professionals with resources that could save money and time, there were multiple marketing and design agencies, labs, analytics, and data companies, plus all of the usual farming resources.
My favorite branding and design agency in the Pacific Northwest is Kind Tyme and as expected, they had one of the best looking booths. A team of incredibly talented creatives, they have many cannabis success stories, plus their company is arguably one of the most valuable resources we have come across during our time in Oregon. They are the Oregon experts you should be calling when you’re ready to take your cannabis branding and marketing to that next level.
Cannabis Collaborative Conference 2018
Day 2 was just as great as the first. Interacting with new vendors and creating deeper connections was huge for us getting a better understanding of the Oregon culture. There were numerous farms that allowed guests to smell and view their cannabis which really helped create a powerful connection to the product. You couldn’t touch the product, but the experience was still undeniably better than what we get at events in Washington. My favorite farm exhibitor was Lovena Green Farms because of their strain selection and brand/booth appearance. Not only was their team friendly and informative, but their cannabis was beautifully trimmed and each strain smelled potent and flavorful.
To be honest, the only real resources this event was missing were the major cannabis media outlets. Where was Leafly, Weedmaps, WikiLeaf, LeafBuyer, MassRoots, Herb, or any of the other cannabis websites that have been in the industry for years?
The conference had a state representative as a keynote speaker but where were are all the credible resources that help give cannabis a real voice online? It honestly blows me away that these brands didn’t utilize this opportunity to help provide some serious value to the Oregon industry, especially now during a time of political chaos. Isn’t now the time for the biggest and most respected brands to be doing their part to support the legalization of cannabis? I guess we’ll wait and see.
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Walking around and talking with just about every single booth, I found that outside of retailers and budtenders, the overwhelming majority of Oregon’s industry still has no idea what Leafly or Weedmaps provide to the world of cannabis. Do they deliver weed? Do they just list strains and pot shops? Nobody was sure what all these companies actually do. It’s also important to mention that many of those same brand reps had never heard of Herb, Massroots, WikiLeaf, or LeafBuyer for that matter.
Are these companies actually educating consumers beyond strain listings or addresses to pot shops? Does the industry know why digital websites, reviews, and strong SEO is important to our collective success? At a conference like this, the industry would’ve been hugely impacted by a major presence from any one of these groups.
Although I’m disappointed that these companies didn’t attend, there was still such a wide variety of companies that I found this conference to be extremely valuable for people and brands looking to actually make money. The Oregon industry is hungry for knowledge and it was clear that the most successful companies are excited to begin utilizing their new connections for additional revenue.
The Cannabis Collaborative Conference made it much easier for companies to connect with reputable resources while also helping established brands save and spend more efficiently. For a complete list of the sponsors and exhibitors, visit their website here.
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