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CANNABIS COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCE (CCC) Portland | February 3–4 ccc-con.com
reated for the industry, by the industry. This is a strong statement from Cannabis Collaborative Conference (previously the Cannabis Creative Conference) founder Mary Lou Burton, as she described the expo held in celebration of a growing and successful industry. “I learned that there was a need for a cannabis expo in Oregon,” Burton explained to DOPE, a founding sponsor. “In January, after Oregon voted to legalize, we decided to move forward with the idea. The first Cannabis Creative Conference was July 29 and 30, 2015. Our goal was 600 attendees in a professional B2B conference, featuring over 60 speakers and Steve Marks from OLCC as our keynote. Noah Stokes from CannaGuard Security and William Simpson with Chalice Farms jumped on board as founding sponsors and created our show theme, ‘Created by the industry, for the industry.’ “Our goal was to do a drill-down of what the recreational cannabis would be in Oregon, as far as rules and laws. We featured local expert speakers including attorneys, cultivation experts, and ancillary businesses. We brought in speakers from Colorado and Washington to share their knowledge and experiences. We were blown away when over 1,200 showed up.” The next CCC occurs at the Portland Expo Center on February 3 and 4. They are expecting about 3,500 attendees and will feature over 60 industry speakers and more than 50 exhibitors with displays, including MRX Labs, Chalice Farms, and CannaGuard Security. Attendees can expect networking, interactive workshops, a job
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fair, and more. New features of the event include cannabis tracking system (CTS) workshops held by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). Franwell will also hold sessions and demonstrations. Join CCC at their pre-event, Marijuana Investors Summit Boot Camp, on February 2. This is designed for those who currently own a business in the industry or are looking to start one. Leading this series will be entrepreneurs who have found success in the industry as well as financial experts. “This conference will also feature a career readiness event,” Burton explained. “There will be top cannabis recruiters interviewing for job positions within all facets of the industry from entry-level to executive positions. There will be 30 educational modules from leaders in the industry, over 80 exhibits and hands-on displays, and tons of opportunities to network.” “It is so exciting to be part of what many are calling the ‘wild, wild West,’” Burton added. “I was asked how I decided to get involved with this new and still controversial industry. My reply was that, I believe there will never be anything like this in our kids’ or grandkids’ generation. I also believe that the tax dollars that are and will be generated from this new industry will help our schools and mental health system. I am really enjoying this industry. There is a quality to this industry that I have not seen in other industries; people really do care and want to help others. The medical benefits and stories that I have heard are truly amazing. This little plant is such an incredible resource.”
FEBRUARY 2016 THE ENTERTAINMENT ISSUE dopemagazine.com
MARIJUANA INVESTORS SUMMIT San Francisco | , March 3– to 5 marijuanainvestorsummit.com Ready for a great cannabis debate? Marijuana Investors Summit co-founder David Friedman is. “This time around, we are much more focused on academic and politicians than we were last time around,” Friedman said. This year’s expo will be held at the Hilton Union Square from March 3 to 5. “We are really looking forward to bringing dialogue to the summit, so it will attain a life after the summit, so that hopefully it will direct some policy. We are going to have a debate. I believe we are going to call it ‘The Great Marijuana Debate.’ It is going to be sponsored and moderated by ProCon.org. We are hoping to get a couple of pro and con speakers in order to hold a debate around the legalization and some real dialogue, because part of investing and the Marijuana Investor’s Summit is understanding the risk. There’s a lot of risk in it. We don’t just want to be cheering positively about cannabis all the time. We want to educate people about investment opportunities and risks. I get questions concerning legalization, bills, and rulings all the time and I don’t know the answers to all of them, so we want to put everybody in a room [where] people can ask questions and the right people can answer them.”