Corey Keller didn’t want to expand its Colorado-based Bonanza Cannabis Company to Nevada until she attended Mjbizcon in Las Vegas in 2022.
There, he encountered someone distributing flyers promoting properties for sale and realized that opening a facility in Nevada would allow him to make his products through a white label agreement than his competitors.
“We purchased the license and the building and used the property to buy the building,” said Keller, owner of Colorado Bonanza, who is the owner of the edible and evaporator cartridge manufacturer.
“The deal was done by meeting someone at Mjbizcon.”
MJBIZCON is the world’s largest cannabis business conference, which has started trading, networking and innovation in the cannabis industry since more than a decade ago.
The event is scheduled to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from December 2-5, not just an exposition.
As Keller’s experience shows, it is a platform for building relationships, close deals and shaping the future of cannabis.
Plan ahead and follow up
For Keller, the secret is planning ahead and follow-up: planning meetings with potential partners in advance and conversations in Las Vegas.
He looks for retailers he doesn’t work with in the market, he’s already doing business and meeting people in the new market he wants to enter.
“We’ve met people who ended up working with it, but at Mjbizcon, you’re planting the seeds – the idea of what you can do together.”
Keller recommends contacting people on your network to find out what hosting they attend after the showroom is closed and ask them to help you get an invitation.
“You can float around the convention for a few hours – if you’re looking for a device or a pharmacy display, you’ll find a lot of people who can help you,” he said.
However, if you are looking for someone who has a retail location, you will find them after the party.
Experienced attendee Michael Lucchino, vice president of sales for Drying, Curing and Post-harvest Storage Systems in Vermont, highlighted the need for game planning.
“We are scheduling meetings sixty days before the event and filling in time with meaningful interactions,” he said.
“Mjbizcon can feel like a party, but if you spend so much money, you need to focus and be prepared to ensure success.”
Lucchino’s team used the campaign to generate lead and demonstrate Cannatrol’s destructive technology, which applies artisan cheese and dry meat preservation techniques to cannabis flowers.
The company will host acquaintance-themed happy hours at its booth to showcase the high-end output capabilities of its system.
“Our reason was intentional,” he said. “We are a spoiler, so be aware.”
Podcasts and Partnerships
For James Loud, a well-known breeder of marijuana genetics, Mjbizcon is a game changer.
Loud signed a sponsorship agreement for his podcast and tillers in faraway areas such as Germany and Brazil want to license his genetics and work with him for a long time.
“MJBIZCON is more than just a show,” Loud said.
“A lot of people just see it as this fair, but it’s meeting other people and the same trajectory as yours.”
As the cannabis industry strives to regain its foothold, Mjbizcon offers opportunities to connect with those who take the cannabis industry seriously.
“It’s more important now than ever because there are fewer tire kickers,” he said. “It’s completely different from 2018.”
“The merger has caused more serious businessmen. It is an ideal event to work together globally.”
Build a relationship
Mjbizcon also offers international companies such as Barcelona-based seed bank Blimburn Seeds to attract American audiences.
Blimburn founder and CEO Sergio Martinez said the meeting gave him the opportunity to meet and build relationships with new and existing U.S. clients.
His sales team looked into the meeting agenda and was appointed to have lunch and dinner with prospects months before arriving in Las Vegas.
“If you want to do anything in the cannabis industry, you have to go to MJBIZ,” Martinez said. “There are no other trade shows in the United States.”
Former Bhang CEO Jamie Pearson also experienced a critical business moment at Mjbizcon when he met the CEO of a large multi-storey operator in a private suite at Mjbizcon.
At the time, MSO was on the verge of declining Bhang as a brand due to disconnection between teams.
But a brief meeting changed that, and Pearson took over and saved the partnership.
“It’s about understanding their needs and creating a win-win situation,” said Pearson, now president of New Holland Group, a global cannabis consulting firm in Montana.
“If a deal is not good for both parties, it will be destined to collapse.
“When you take the time to understand the other person’s pain points, that’s when you create lasting deals.”
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The future of the cannabis business
Mjbizcon remains the ultimate sandbox for marijuana professionals.
Whether you are a startup looking to develop a trademark or a company looking to expand, meetings offer opportunities to connect, innovate and grow.
But don’t attend meetings to sign the deal, Pearson said.
Take the time to get to know people and build rapport and credibility.
“The key to getting a deal is to hit them properly and then kick them out of the park,” Pearson said.
Margaret Jackson can be reached Margaret.jackson@mjbizdaily.com.
