Defining Your X-Factor: The Cannabis Marketing Panel

by | Jul 30, 2019

Panel Discussion

Selling legal cannabis remains a work in progress, with several marketing hurdles to overcome. Not least of these is that its main competition, the black market, also operates freely online at sales levels equal to its legal counterparts. So the question remains: with such a thriving illicit market, how do we, the legal ones, attract our customers back? Is thought-leadership content the way to go? Or is social media going to be our saving grace? This panel of marketing experts will look at the road ahead and seek answers to these questions and more.

Moderated By: Corey Herscu

Labour Productivity Improvements by Gamifying the Workplace

by | Jul 30, 2019

Presentation

The Canadian Cannabis industry has a labour problem. A large detailed-orientated labour force is required to meet stringent cleanliness requirements, achieve yield goals, and meet demanding quality expectations.
Currently, large numbers of millennials are employed by the industry who have not shown a predilection towards these business requirements. This costs the cannabis firms untold millions in yield, quality, and lost harvests.

This how to get a millennial workforce to maximize yield, achieve quality goals while meeting stringent cleanliness requirements.

• How to engage their hourly workforce to help develop standards and procedures

• How to conduct regular After Action Reviews to review and plan operations

• How to gamify the workplace to challenge millennials

The results are outstanding.

• Yield/sqft increases

• Labour cost/kg drops

• Quality improves with each successive harvest

Strong and Free: Your Two Cents Matter

by | Jul 30, 2019

Keynote Presentation

How will the results of Election 43 affect you as a cannabis patient, consumer or industry professional?
The upcoming Federal election will bring about a new wave of policy change in Canada. The campaign period leading up to voting day in October is the opportune time to have our voices heard and help shape better policies coming down the pipeline. Andrea will provide an overview of current and upcoming policy challenges, different political party positions on cannabis and a summary of the related policy changes that have been hinted at in their campaigns. Learn what tools are at your disposal to make a difference and advocate for more inclusive policies that directly affect you. Brief Q&A to follow.

The Future is Cannabis

by | Jul 30, 2019

Closing Keynote

Cannabis is poised to disrupt virtually every consumer industry: from food and beverage, to alcohol, beauty, health and wellness, tobacco, travel and tourism, fashion, and home and garden. By 2030, some form of legal cannabis will be a regular part of consumers’ daily lifestyles.

This massive global opportunity is bringing new investment and start up activity into the industry. However, in today’s attention deficit marketplace, the winners will need to not only create distinctive and differentiated brands, but also to educate and inform new consumers in order to develop loyal customers.

In her keynote presentation, Anat Baron will cover the trends that will shape the industry and the key success factors to incorporate in building the next wave of consumer products and services brands.

Investing in Hemp

by | Jul 29, 2019

Keynote Presentation

A discussion about the hemp markets in Canada and worldwide, as well as industry trends, and how to position your business or portfolio to grow with the hemp market. Learn which news sources and services other industry professionals use.

Custom-Made Vs. Re-Fit: Are Tomato Greenhouses an Industry Savior?

by | Jul 24, 2019

Panel Discussion

Inexperience is an industry obstacle. So, some bottom-line-minded growers are exploring a generations-old option: vegetable greenhouses. Houwelin Nurseries is converting a 2.2 million sq. foot former tomato greenhouse to cannabis in partnership with Agraflora Organics International Inc. Meanwhile, Leamington, Ont., a city synonymous with tomatoes and ketchup, will see Auxly Cannabis run a 1.4 million sq. foot operation in an area that’s home to half Canada’s greenhouses. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers… and pot. Why not? Isn’t natural light better? But the debate is far from over. There are areas, from light intensity to odor containment, where greenhouses aren’t ideal for cannabis growth. This session will lay out the pluses and minuses of greenhouses vs purpose-built facilities to help you decide which is right for you.

Moderated by: Srinivas Reddy

Growing by the Rules: Why Compliance Matters

by | Jul 24, 2019

Panel Discussion

The pioneers of cannabis legalization may have been mavericks by nature because they had a fight to win. But in its next phase of growth, the cannabis industry needs to prove it is as accountable and reliable as any reputable business sector. Companies moving quickly on the path to profitability, a lengthy license amendment process and a regulator increasingly dealing with LPs “at arms length” are among the factors driving some license holders into non-compliance. This session will discuss the mistakes some LPs are making, hurdles legislators have put in the way of LPs, and what the best practices are to stay compliant in an era of increasing accountability.

Moderated By: David Hyde