Albuquerque, New Mexico 2022

Sales tax, excise tax, payroll tax, income tax… so many taxes! Not only do cannabis business owners need to be aware of the federal tax laws, but also the state requirements.  State tax requirements are just as important (if not more) as federal taxes because one slip-up could cost you your license.

Jerry Abiog has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience and serves as a Co-Founder & CMO of Standard Insights, an AI as a Service analytics and marketing platform. They help businesses leverage their first-party data to build their competitive moat. He has written articles for Marijuana Venture, spoken on numerous podcasts, and given talks on AI and marketing. Recently, his company was included in the 2022 CannaTech Services Providers Ecosystem.

Start with the plant and the importance of growing boutique strains. market trends and clues for survival. Overview of the most popular extraction and post processing techniques and compare them by yield, CapEx, OpEx and outcome of product. Time to market and on demand delivery of a product, how to handle orders and plan production. Make exotic products and win more customers.

Enterprise Resource Planning systems are essential to maximize efficiency and profits of your cannabis business. We’ll review ERPs and discuss Integrations and Compliance during this session first. Then we’ll talk about Cannabis Connoisseurship and why it matters in the industry before putting the two together to see why and how ERPs can contribute to products worthy of connoisseurship. Join Rob Sanchez from Apartment 113 for this informative session on Cannabis software.

This presentation covers the basic occupational health and safety challenges facing the cannabis industry. Cannabis operations from production to processing to retail are complicated workplaces that require complex solutions. From understanding required written plans to the mandatory training all employees should be receiving, the presentation offers a broad view of the OSHA, USDA, and EPA compliance cannabis employers need to know to avoid risk and keep employees safe.

When your business is in the Cannabis industry, compliance with the regulations is the bottom line to keeping the doors open.

So why are there still so many facilities that are operating without SOP practices in place?

Today, we will take a closer look at the benefits of having a thorough SOP, what can happen when you don’t have an SOP in place and some solutions to get you started on your journey to full compliance today.

Growing organically is a differentiator. Not everyone is going to grow organically, however it is not as complicated as people think. It can help create market segmentation for cannabis with a higher perceived value protecting against price degradation in highly competitive and maturing markets.
Risk Mitigation is key. Growing with organic based and low carbon footprint tech and simplifying using water only living soils.

With the ever-changing media landscape, the highly competitive cannabis industry, and advertising restrictions put on the cannabis industry, PR can be leveraged to propel cannabis entrepreneurs and businesses to the next level. In this presentation, attendees will receive a high-level overview of the differences in B2B and B2C communications strategies, the importance of tying all messaging back to a campaign, and how businesses of all levels can start planning and implement an effective strategy

It’s important more than ever to ensure there is a strong foundation for compliance in place, as newly awarded licensed operators enter the adult-use cannabis market. Whether you have been awarded a license, or are an existing operator or thinking about entering the market, Compliance is one of the most important factors when it comes to running a successful business under the regulatory microscope.

Growers contend with multiple issues related to the healthy growth of their plants. Collecting data about your plants can provide immediate benefits that improve quality and increase yields as well as put you on the path to utilize AI tools to continue to improve grow operations. Potential projects where AI can be deployed in the grow environment will also be discussed.

Because of federal prohibition, dispensaries rely on cash/cashless ATM payments for customer purchases. This is not only inconvenient for consumers, but causes other issues: Cash puts employees at risk of theft, adds the cost of cash management and is difficult to report or track payments. This session delves into the innovations in payments, ecommerce and other digital platforms fueling modern and compliant payment solutions that benefit consumers, retailers and the industry at large.

Ryan Douglas helps businesses cultivate a profitable future in the cannabis industry. He is the founder of Ryan Douglas Cultivation, LLC and author of “From Seed to Success: How to Launch a Great Cannabis Cultivation Business in Record Time.” Ryan has worked in commercial horticulture for 25 years and advises cannabis operators worldwide.

Cannabis businesses are faced with higher compliance costs and higher taxes when compared to other types of businesses. Additionally, in a lot of states the markets are saturated and there is increased competition. Many times the owners are wearing so many hats— many of which they should not be doing because they don’t like it, is not productive, or a good use of their time. There is a system to create a path to a more successful and profitable cannabis business. Attendees will learn how cash is more important than profit, and how profit is more important than revenue. The five drivers of revenue, profit, and cash flow will be taught. Attendees will also learn about targets and forecasts, and how they should let the right numbers drive their decisions. We will demonstrate how to keep a scoreboard about what to do every month to keep on track to achieve higher profits and increase cash flow. Lastly, the audience will learn how to create financial objectives and actionable plans to move the needles closer to their targeted numbers.

Understanding the nexus between energy consumption and maximum high quality production can be the difference between making your start up successful or falling victim to the market like many competitors. This presentation will demonstrate how to create the most efficient and effective grow space leveraging third party capital that does not reduce your equity position. By reducing your operational expenses and reducing your overall capital outlay, investment expectations are easily exceeded.

Industrywide, its estimated that between 95 and 99% of all cannabis-related transactions are carried out in cash. There isn’t one reason why this is the case, rather it’s a trifecta of causes legal, financial and social. Until all three of those are relaxed, cash volumes will continue to pour into the cannabis space. This session will share insights into how the industry can benefit from the idea of cash automation or leveraging technology to better manage, count, and store cash.

Data is the fuel that drives growth for your cannabis business whether you are a grower, manufacturer, brand, or dispensary. By nature, the highly regulated and fragmented industry of cannabis generates tons of data. However, many don’t know how to leverage it to improve management decisions and customer experience which can lead to improving top and bottom-line growth. This talk will cover how using the predictive power of AI can help your business gain a competitive advantage

Attendees will gain a solid understanding of cost of goods sold, different entity types, and what they can do now to minimize income tax.

You know the saying; it’s far easier to keep a customer than get a new one. But loyalty isn’t just about repeat business. You must create such a positive impact on your customer that they sing your praises to everyone in their orbit. In this session, we’ll analyze new market research that supports a hierarchical model of loyalty. Whether you’re a retailer, brand, or B2B business, you’ll learn marketing tactics and techniques that can be used to build and maintain the loyalty of your customers.

Cannabis is one of the fastest growing and most highly regulated industries in the nation.  Identifying and securing cannabis real estate brings its own share of complexities and competition. Whether you’re applying for a license, just won a license, or looking to expand operations, learn how PropTech can help you unlock green zones for cannabis real estate and enhance the value of your commercial property. Discover how to optimize your search and gain access to compliant locations effectively and expeditiously. Gain insight on essentials to consider when evaluating commercial properties and common areas of oversight. Learn how cannabis-specific PropTech is helping operators. Audience members will also receive a regional overview of key markets where PropTech is vital to finding property that meets both state regulations and local variances.

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James Thorburn is the leader in the most innovative and sophisticated cannabis litigation in the nation and has had several published opinions, including Justice Thomas’ Statement in Standing Akimbo v United States, 594 U. S. ____ (2021). He has received national recognition as a leading litigator for the cannabis industry’s highest profile cases – and has recognized significant wins for the industry along the way. He also received the National Law Journal Cannabis Law Trailblazer award for 2019

Labor shortages are a real concern for many industries right now, especially for the newly legalized cannabis Industry of New Mexico. This presentation will resolve the need to create a Labor Pool and Educational infrastructure for New Mexicans wishing to participate in the local cannabis industry. We will explore how New Mexico can capacity build around this workforce opportunity and how standardizing the way professionals break into the industry will attract more high-level, management and executive talent to employers starting up and expanding.

This session is focused on the marketing and branding a cannabis business. It will explain how to develop and protect a strong brand with state and federal trademarks. We will demystify the complicated rules around marketing cannabis businesses, with an emphasis on navigating the “community guidelines” of the relevant social media platforms without being “shadowbanned”. Included will be a marketing strategy template, which you can customize into your own marketing plan.

Learn about the key issues facing cannabis retailers from someone who has been doing this for over 29 years, with a focus on removing as much cash from the equation as possible. Join us for some very “un-varnished” discussion about the options facing the industry today and how business owners can prepare themselves for the future. With Joe’s extensive experience in the payment industry, he will share both facts and his observations of the industry highlighting best practices for payment acceptance.

As consumers continue to demand more predictability and faster effectiveness in edibles, products with quick onset will dominate the marketplace. Chef Ron Silver can teach you how it’s done. Ron has combined his culinary know-how with his love of cannabis, CBD, and science to find a way to create edibles that are fast acting and predictable. Learn the science behind these fast-acting formations and how to incorporate canna-tech into your model.

As cannabis companies seek new growth strategies, many are seizing a golden opportunity to license intellectual property and convert their company’s cutting-edge technology into new revenue streams. Offering licensees access to manufacturing processes, brands, copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other technology can help a company break into new territories and take their brand to the next level. Licensing also enables companies and brands to continue their expansion, despite restrictions on interstate commerce, constrained ecosystems and limits on the number of cannabis business licenses in any given state or country. In this presentation, learn the do’s & don’ts to ensure long-term success for your business when it comes to licensing with a case study from Azuca’s very own technology: finding a void in the marketplace and bringing reliable, fast-acting edibles to consumers around the country.

While the stigma around cannabis is breaking, the stigmas inside the industry hold businesses back. Francesca shares an elevated mindset and practical applications that take companies from surviving to thriving. How? By making professional sales the second priority in their business. She challenges the status quo of current sales models and shows the audience how to improve revenues immediately, strengthen brand identity, and build long term success.

This talk will cover lighting considerations for cannabis, including proper intensity, Daily Light Integral, Spectrum and Photoperiod. We will explore artificial lighting and its applications in both indoor and mixed-light greenhouses. This talk will also cover non-electric, sustainable spectral control technologies becoming popular today, including luminescent quantum dot and dye films, coating technologies, and colored shade netting.