In April the Southwest State of Arizona hosted one of its first cannabis business to business conferences. The Imperious Expo had a wide array of vendors, speakers, panels and interested attendees at the Phoenix Convention Center a week prior to 4/20. The overall feeling was that this was new and exciting and many attendees were on hand to learn how they could be part of this green industry. Even though the regulations of cannabis use in the state are stringent and heavily regulated the public is moving forward with responsible events such as this.
Many of the vendors found themselves answering questions from first time visitors to an event focused on the cannabis market. Most came with the hope that they may find their place in the future of the State’s growing curious cannabis market. The great array of speakers and panels had not been presented with such depth previously in Phoenix ever before. The engaging interest was fruitful for the participants as well as for the seasoned professionals as the education may be the way to pave the path towards growth and acceptance.
Ella Alpina of 7 Rays Marketing was one of the speakers on a panel at the Imperious Expo on marketing. She shares that “It went really well and I’d love to do more of that, especially with an engaged audience of participants that were on hand”. She went on to say that the B2B event had many questions come up on branding, packaging and how to create a positive social media platform. Ella is based in Northern California and part of the Women Grow networking group that has over 30 cities across the nation of women and men in the industry.
So it seem that the “Four Corner State” has an acutely engaged industry growing with compliance and business “green” savvy for the upcoming future. So why didn’t the supportive initiative pass in the November 2016 election? It still baffles me as of all the states with cannabis bills on the ballot, Arizona was the only state that didn’t pass. No matter what, our plans will be to see you at the next Imperious Expo in 2018.
Keiko Beatie
