After an 18-month hiatus, the annual O'Cannabiz International Conference, Awards, and Expo is returning to the International Center in Toronto, ON. O'Cannabiz is the leading industry event to showcase and promote cannabis brands.
The event sets the stage for thought-provoking dialogue, insightful education programs, and networking. With over 100,000 square feet of exhibits, the Expo will feature the legendary band, The Wailers, and the first-ever Terpene Cup Challenge.
The producers of O'Cannabiz have decades of experience producing national profile events and creating global connections between business communities in the arts, broadcasting, media, and technology. They have organized trade summit initiatives around the world and have worked closely with sponsors at all levels of the Canadian government.
The Annual ‘Must-Attend Cannabis Event’ In Canada
Benzinga interviewed Neill Dixon, President of O’Cannabiz, who shared his perspective on the conference across the years since its inception, in 2016.
“We’ve been hosting O’Cannabiz since 2016. We’re excited to be back in person after a hiatus and bring the cannabis community back together and have them experience the event the way we’ve always envisioned,” Dixon said.
Dixon explained that O’Cannabiz aims to bring together “a high-level line-up of new exhibitors, speakers, and conference topics that provide attendees with innovative and informative research, the latest in technology, and engaging networking opportunities with professionals from the cannabis industry around the world.”
“We want O’Cannabiz to be the annual must-attend cannabis event,” Dixon added. He noted that having a “strong professional and community network” remains vital for the growth and normalization of the industry.
Through the event, he wants to be able to grab the attention of Health Canada and other government bodies “to ensure they can understand the feelings of consumers and the people that are in the industry.”
“The black market still accounts for 50 percent of the industry, through our event we hope to shed light on the issues that still exist and face the cannabis industry and influence policy-makers,” Dixon said and explained the event will also bring together speakers from various backgrounds who will be “shining light on diversity/inclusion/equity challenges and how we as an industry can be more inclusive.”
-What should people be excited about?
So many! A few that come to mind are musical legends The Wailers!! In addition, we have an amazing lineup of speakers such as Wanda James, Steve DeAngelo, George Smitherman, and Tommy Chong.
-Is there interesting stuff for people who are not from Canada or in the Canadian cannabis industry?
Yes, our goal is to make the conference appealing and accessible to anyone who is interested in the cannabis industry. This event is all about how you can do business within the cannabis industry with a focus on ways to expand branding opportunities (if regulations ever ease up).
New Events
O'Cannabiz has added new core elements including a two-day Retail Summit, a Psychedelic Summit, and a Budtender Speed Dating event. The Retail Summit will assemble the best retail experts to create a "retail school" that will advise and address the big and small challenges facing established and aspiring retailers, including how to strengthen supply chain channels and solidify new business contacts.
The Budtender Speed Dating event will connect licensed producers (LPs) and retailers to the minds that are getting their products into the consumers' hands. The event gives budtenders a one-on-one experience like no other with the brands they work with daily. Retailers and budtenders are eligible to attend this year for free.
Image Courtesy of O'Cannabiz.
