HOVE International attended the 4th Annual Marijuana Business Conference & Expo, held in Las Vegas in November 11-13, 2015. Here is the show recap.
The net/net – It was a huge success! From exhibitors to attendees, it was clear that this market is strong and getter stronger every day. There were lots of attendees, networking, and deals being made, throughout the show.
People were very enthusiastic and engaged because they recognized the amount of opportunity there is in this emerging market. There were growers, retailers, investors, attorneys, doctor, landlords and equity firms in attendance. All the decision makers were there. It was also evident that the participates had keen awareness and concern for social issue associated with the marijuana movement including legal reform, social injustice and environmental responsibility.
The show’s attendance exploded from just 400 in 2012 to more the 5,500 this past November. That’s a 1,200% increase!
There was acknowledgement of the people who had sacrificed a lot to the legalization movement. Much idealism and cultural significance is involved in this and the acknowledgment of businesses leading the way. Best practices, codes of conduct, self-policing is very important to all. This was demonstrated in the audience reaction to many speakers, including Ralph Nader.
What’s next? The public in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan and Nevada will vote at the polls for legalization in 2016. While Rhode Island and Vermont will decide via their legislatures. On the medicinal front Florida will take a vote while Kentucky and Nebraska move forward via legislation. The experts are predicting the industry will continue to see double digit growth. The latest Gallup polls show the 58% of Americans back legalization.
