It took a bit longer than expected to come up for air from Vegas. There is so little time left in 2024, I have been focused on exiting 2024 with poise and entering 2025 with grace.
Our 3rd annual Smoke and Magic event was a success on Tuesday, Dec 3. We love putting this event on as a celebration of Talent in Cannabis with so much of our network from across the country all in one city. Amirose Eisenbach came back for a reunion tour to help us put this event on with success. We had over 700 people come to this event over 4 hours it was full but not intimidating. Vibes and networking were high. Thanks to our sponsors CohnReznick LLP, Paragon Payroll, Inc., Patrick Rea, Canix we were able to provide food truck, open bar, *#magic, all in a consumption friendly venue. There was a Cannaladies lounge sponsored by CannaCurious Magazine and Juana Brands for female entrepreneurs. We were also able to raise $1,000 for the This is Jane Project raffling off donations from Jerome Baker Designs, Puffco, Mybudvase, Dr. Dabber.
For my 7th MJBIZ con this one felt different, and here’s how:
The feeling was cautious optimism but also a grind that showed no sign of ending.
👊 Despite the challenges in some of the more mature markets and larger footprint companies, folks were not in despair but seemed conscious of the path forward and focused on execution.
👊 Felt like, dare I say, a bit more maturity in the air. Cannabis executives know how to have a good time, but folks were there to get something done because it was important for them as a businessperson.
👊 Most companies are running scrappy, and some of these executive-level operators are stretched almost to the limit.
👊 Most seem to acknowledge their own humanity in this and are excited to tell me they are going to need my help (I am excited to hear it!!!)
On December 4 we put on the inaugural HR Leadership Summit for Cannabis. This event included keynotes, panels, and roundtable discussions. 80 HR leaders from 14 states showed up to learn from and help each other, most of which had never been in a room full of industry peers. That was the goal. We knew by getting these amazing HR professionals in a room they could exchange ideas and be invigorated and inspired to propel the industry forward. I was truly humbled by the gratitude shown by the attendees and the willingness to share and help each other.
I appreciated the early help from Alice Moore, Anya Varga Ted Nord & Anna Connolly, PHR who helped guide the event in the right direction to much success.
Thanks again to our sponsors engin Paragon AlphaRoot Baldwin Insurance Tom Zuber Seed Talent .
Also a shoutout to my wonderful head of marketing Tekisha Harvey for not trying to talk me out of it when I came up with the idea of putting on a conference for HR folks in cannabis and instead doing whatever it took to make sure the details of the event were flawless in their execution.
