Schedule of Events

Paris Ballroom Foyer

Paris Ballroom

Paris Ballroom

Versailles I/II

Champagne I/II

Paris Ballroom

Versailles III/IV

National Cannabis Risk Prevention Services (NCRPS) part of the NCRMA family of companies, will present its innovative and disruptive risk management platform. This technological advancement combines a business framework SaaS Risk assessment tool (Cannabis Risk Prevention Platform -CRP2) with custom corrective action syllabi and live risk manager support. Risk scoring of the many areas of the business framework provide a tangible and measurable report card that is effective in securing rampant business improvement as well as vital financial services such as insurance, banking and capital investment.

Versailles I/II

Champagne I/II

The Biden Administration has not yet prioritized the federal legalization of cannabis. And with legislative efforts mostly falling short of any substantive relief for today’s state-legal cannabis businesses, operators continue to be burdened with stringent tax and banking restrictions, lack of governmental support and resources, and prohibition of interstate or global commerce.

In this session, experts with an intricate understanding of federal regulatory and financial structures will provide valuable insights into:

• An overview of the temperature and recent efforts from the White House and Congress;
• The relief that could come for cannabis operators in a federally legal market;
• The potential market slowdowns under federal regulations;
• How federal oversight (including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) would impact compliance and related costs;
• How plant-touching businesses can influence decision-making in D.C.; and
• How legalization could dynamically shift the competitive landscape and what that shift would mean for your business.

Champagne III/IV

Cannabis cultivation, extraction and dispensary operations are getting savvier when it comes to taking advantage of marketing trends. Ideas such as product drops, mood marketing, experiential marketing, celebrity and influencer partnerships, as well as a focus on cannabis culture are coming to the forefront as brands look to establish themselves and engage and build loyal consumers in an ever-competitive marketplace.

In this session, you will hear from plant-touching operators who are having success with these and other marketing trends. They will provide lessons learned, share regulatory considerations, and explain how to evaluate the success of any marketing campaign to help decide whether to bolster or pivot your efforts.

Versailles I/II

Building (or retrofitting) a greenhouse structure for cultivation provides tighter environmental control than an outdoor operation, but also maximizes the use of natural resources, like sunlight. Learn from seasoned cannabis greenhouse operators the intricacies of building a structure that is highly efficient yet keeps production costs low.

In this session, you’ll take away tips on:

• Climate location factors;
• Materials selection (e.g., glass, polycarbonate, aluminum, galvanized steel, etc.);
• Designing for tight environmental controls and workflow efficiency;
• Automated equipment and technologies to consider (e.g., HVAC, odor control, supplemental lighting);
• and much more.

Versailles III/IV

Your dispensary’s design is often your company’s first impression, and therefore it must be impressive. Not only is it important to attract patients and customers to your store, but it can evoke emotions, engage and direct shoppers through product options, facilitate expedited customer service and even increase sales.

In this session, dispensary owners and design experts will share important insights and strategies in any retail buildout, such as:

• Keys to budgeting and setting timelines;
• Critical elements to store layout and design aesthetic/branding;
• Merchandising-planning musts;
• Security and surveillance that is effective but not intimidating;
• Hiring the right contractors;
• and much more.

Champagne I/II

There are essentially two routes to multi-state expansion in the legal cannabis industry: acquiring a license for a plant-touching business, or licensing your products/intellectual property (IP) to companies already established in legal markets. In this session, experts will weigh in with the pros and cons of both paths to market, from understanding business structure and cost to operations requirements, partnership considerations, regulatory compliance and more. They will also share their tips for successfully navigation both paths, as well as predictions for how cannabis branding strategies will evolve under federal legalization.

Champagne III/IV

“Businesses that fail to budget ultimately fail themselves,” wrote Merida Capital Operating Partner and Cannabis Conference Advisory Board Member Colin Kelley in an article for Cannabis Dispensary.

Your pro forma budget serves as a roadmap to your cannabis or hemp business’s success, so it is critical to understand the fundamentals of creating a budget, as well as understand how business budgets ebb and flow as your customer base, sales, staff, and overall business grow over time.

In this session, we’ll detail how to create a budget that yields financial success—from capital and operating expenditures to commonly overlooked expenses—as well as the unique nuances of the cannabis industry. You’ll also learn about the importance of setting minimum profit margins and bottlenecks, and hurdles to profitability.

Versailles I/II

Last year, the team at Dark Heart Nursery announced the findings of a formal survey of cannabis growers across California: After some 200,000 tissue tests, 90% of California facilities researched were testing positive for hop latent viroid (HpLVd), which is associated with stunting and low trichome production in cannabis plants.

The presence of that pathogen—to that degree—could account for a $4-billion loss in cannabis crops, according to the Dark Heart team.

So, how are growers at both large and small operations handling HpLVd? Is it possible to avoid HpLVd, now that it is so widespread? Does it come down to genetic selection, propagation techniques, sanitation SOPs, or all of these? Experienced cultivators and plant pathologists share their expertise on what’s working to control and prevent this dangerous pathogen from ruining crops.

Versailles III/IV

Data can tell retail cannabis companies a great deal about patient and consumer preferences, as well as help you project trends to better serve the market. But reviewing data without the proper analysis can be time-consuming, cumbersome, and sometimes even misleading. Here, data and operations experts will help you sort through the numbers that can take product development and inventory management to the next level.

Learn how to:

• Understand the types of data that are most important for your business;
• How to properly analyze data, and what technologies to utilize, so that your data doesn’t become a wasted asset;
• Better balance supply and demand; and
• Boost sales through integration with marketing techniques.

Champagne I/II

In what ways can businesses step up to use their own platforms and build partnerships to create equity in the cannabis industry? This powerhouse panel will share programs that their cultivation, dispensary and hemp businesses are implementing right now—from free expungement clinics to franchise opportunities to education workshops, hiring strategies, internal resource groups, political activism, and more, that work to create space for minority communities disproportionally impacted by the war on drugs.

In this session, you’ll take away insights and strategies to help you examine your own social equity priorities and develop meaningful, short-term and long-term initiatives.

Champagne III/IV

By utilizing decades-old tissue culture propagation methods, growers can reproduce and preserve genetically identical clones on a significant scale with less space required by mother and cloning rooms. As the technology and infrastructure to support tissue culture in the cannabis industry has strengthened, so has its popularity with today’s cultivators and breeders.

In this session, experts will explore the benefits of tissue culture and help you determine whether a tissue culture lab could be a fit for your own organization, with considerations such as:

• Genetic advantages in plant health and storage;
• Lab build-out requirements and timelines;
• Cost analyses of build-out and operation;
• Supplies and equipment needed;
• Sanitation and labor workflow SOPs;
• Variables affecting shoot growth and tissue health;
• and more.

Versailles I/II

In this session, you will learn how to hone your extraction processes, improve the quality of your output, and make the most of your investment.

Experts will walk you through crucial steps such as evaluating equipment size and capacity, improving the efficiency of workflows and the movement of inputs, minimizing unwanted materials (e.g., lipids, waxes), identifying solvent recovery solutions, discovering ways to increase throughput, maintaining equipment, and much more.

Versailles III/IV

Bringing your business to a recreational market is a substantial route to company growth. However, many factors are at play that can hinder or ensure success with such a major business change. Get ready to pivot your dispensary to serve recreational consumers with these considerations from experts who’ve already made the leap (and learned the hard lessons along the way).

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Regulatory and compliance considerations for adult-use markets;
• How to ensure you continue to serve your patients while expanding your customer base;
• Inventory management for maximizing sales to patients and consumers;
• Logistical essentials, such as parking, in-store traffic flow, staffing needs and added security needs;
• Marketing to adult-use consumers;
• and much more.

Paris Ballroom

Versailles I/II

Paris Ballroom Foyer

Paris Ballroom

Paris Ballroom

Champagne III/IV

Champagne I/II

Champagne III/IV

Whether you're growing indoors or in a greenhouse, the environment is critical to a successful harvest. If your facility’s environmental controls are off, your crop could not only be at risk for pests and diseases, but you could also be risking lower yields—all of which can significantly affect your cultivation business' bottom line.

In this session, controlled-environment experts will share strategies for achieving the ideal relative humidity (RH), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), CO2 supplementation, HVAC requirements and more—as well as how to aggregate and analyze valuable data points from these controls to make proper adjustment decisions.

Versailles I/II

Solventless is often thought of as one of the purest forms of extract production; however, it can be a tedious, expensive, and labor-heavy process compared to other, more popular processes on the market. When it comes to solventless production, the key is in your forward-thinking build-out and planning of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Some of the biggest names in solventless cannabis production will share their insights into how they’ve increased the value of their product offerings (such as rosin, kief, hash, and more) by building robust solventless programs.

Paris Ballroom

Champagne I/II

In this session, join Ben Britton and Mike Maibach from Agrify who have experience designing, building and operating state-of-the-art extraction facilities. They’ll explore the trends in extracts and concentrates and let you know what consumers want today. They’ll also explain which equipment is needed to create today’s top-tier formulated products and outline what to look for when choosing a supplier.

In this session, attendees will:

• Examine the current market trends for extracts and concentrates and which products appeal to which consumer demographics
• Understand the technical equipment required for extracts and concentrates, as well as the economic considerations for choosing equipment such as time, quality and output
• Analyze how to choose the right supply partner who understands your full end-to-end process

Champagne III/IV

Champagne I/II

After a significant ramp-up in 2021, M&A activity is showing no signs of slowing down. Acquiring another company can be a viable way to expand into new markets, diversify or vertically integrate your business and/or expand your product offerings. Being acquired or merging with another company can also give you access to much-needed capital and resources. But there are many essential considerations to weigh to ensure a successful deal and transition for both companies and their teams.

In this can’t-miss session, you’ll learn about:

• How to find and evaluate potential partners—from a strategic perspective to cultural synergies and beyond;
• What deal options exist (e.g., cash, equity/stock and payable notes) and their pros and cons;
• Lessons learned from successful deals and those that fell through; and
• Seamless financial and operational transitions through the merger or acquisition closing process.

Champagne III/IV

The post-harvest process is one of the most important in cultivation, and many seasoned cultivators even call it an art form. Whether you’re a small-batch producer or a larger commercial grower, it’s critical to fine-tune your process to protect your cannabis moisture levels and terpene and cannabinoid expressions to come away with a desirable and compliant product.

In this session, you’ll take away valuable insights to help you:

• Properly build-out your space for drying and curing;
• Understand the drying and curing methods today’s operators are using to achieve their product goals;
• Establish climate-controlled temperature, humidity, and airflow set points to avoid over- and under-drying your cannabis flower; and
• Develop a plan for continual fine-tuning and improvement to your post-harvest process.

Versailles I/II

Come prepared to take down dozens of merchandising takeaways from retail and cannabis industry experts in this quick-fire tips session.

Experts will help you build a well-thought-out merchandising strategy to boost sales by outlining:

• How to set up your dispensary for ideal traffic flow and directing consumers’ attention;
• Strategies for running specials;
• How to pull levers on increasing sales (overall gross and increasing units per transaction);
• Positioning products in the store; and
• How to optimize sales for lower-selling product categories.