How COVID has affected Cannabis and Hemp Trade Shows

The Cannabis and Hemp trade shows industry has grown year over year, and 2020 was lining up to be the biggest ever: networking opportunities, cutting-edge products, and continued maturation of the industries in general.

Trade Shows supply the perfect environment and opportunity to meet cannabis and hemp leaders and trendsetters, from businesses and entrepreneurs to investors and regulatory agents-all together in one space.

But it all came crashing down.  

With the global spread of the novel coronavirus, social distancing became a norm for many cities, states, and nations. Countries and medical organizations advised people against participating in events with more than a handful, often banning gatherings outright. 

As the number of cases rose globally, trade shows were canceled.

Overview of some of the Tradeshows & events that were canceled (or postponed and moved to a virtual format) this year:

• Hall of Flowers, California scheduled for April 1-2 -Postponed to October 13-14
• High Times Cannabis Cup Central Valley, California, initially scheduled for April 18-19, is postponed with no new dates.
• CCIA Annual Policy Conference California, initially scheduled for March 18-Postponed
• NoCo Hemp Expo Colorado, initially slated for March 26 through 28 in Denver, will be held in 2021 around the same time.
• Cannabis Wedding Expo Colorado, Moved from April 5 to October 25.
• 420 Broward Festival in Davie, Florida, has no word on rescheduling. 
• New England Cannabis Convention (NE Cann) Boston, Massachusetts, originally scheduled for March 20-22, has been postponed.
• Conversations in Cannabis in Massachusetts scheduled for March 19 are postponed and currently working on an alternative date.
• Cannabis Wedding Expo Nevada got postponed and moved from March 22 to August 30.
• SXSW in Texas got canceled when it got shut down by the City of Austin on March 6, and is the first time in 34 years that the event will not take place. 
• 420 Vancouver, Canada: Cancelled.
• Spannabis Spain, Barcelona – rescheduled for September 12-14.
• CannaTech & PsyTech  Tel Aviv, Israel,-postponed until further notice
• Baltimore Cannabis Relief Festival, Maryland The March 28 event has been canceled, and organizers refunded all vendor payments. 
• 420 Vancouver, Canada,  Cancelled when health officials announced a ban on gatherings of more than 250 people.
• The CBD Expo, London, scheduled for April 3-5 — Cancelled
• CBD & Vape Expo Scotland, Glasgow, scheduled for June 19-20 — Cancelled
• CBD Expo France, Paris, scheduled for June 24-25 — Postponed; new arrangements to be announced.
• The Hemp World Expo, Mohegan Sun Connecticut, scheduled for March 20-22 — Postponed; now due to take place May 30-31
• USA CBD Expo, Atlanta GA, scheduled for May 7-9 — Postponed; now due to take place June 25-27
• The International Cannabis Business Congress in Berlin has been Postponed; 
• World White Label Expo, Messe, Frankfurt, Postponed and rescheduled for October 21-22
• The Body CBD Expo, Cologne, initially scheduled for April 3-4 got postponed.
• USA CBD Expo, Connecticut. Postponed; now due to take place till Sunday, December 13.

Many cannabis and hemp businesses depend on these events to build their networks, boost brand awareness, establish partnerships, and generate leads. Based on data from Marketing Charts, trade shows are among the top three sources buyers seek when researching a vendor, services, and products. According to  AdStage, approximately 68% of marketers use tradeshows to generate sales and leads

The cancelation of events has left a substantial financial impact on event organizers and vendors alike. A recent report by Marijuana Business Daily gives us insight into the financial implications for businesses brought about by the postponement of the Natural Products Expo West.

A Silver Lining:

“If you’re not there, you’re nothing at all.” is the unspoken narrative generally accepted by businesses in the Cannabis and Hemp trading space.

But it’s not really true-especially now that in-person trade shows are temporarily suspended.

The silver lining is: that pressure makes diamonds.  Due to intense pressure and hardships caused by COVID, Cannabis and hemp Trade Shows were pushed to find or develop groundbreaking solutions, while businesses adopted innovative and exciting new ways to grow. 

These items will be covered in next week’s report, where we’ll explore the solutions businesses implemented to counteract the business-related effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Reads:
Some global cannabis trade events, key for business marketing and growth, feel coronavirus sting
In this article by Marijuana Business Daily, they interview industry leaders about the coronavirus’s effects on the global cannabis trade events businesses.

-Did coronavirus cancel your cannabis event?
Leafly covers the Cannabis and Hemp trade show cancelations due to COVID.