I cannot express how excited I am for the world to re-open eventually and to attend a number of hemp expo’s.
Wherever you’re based in the world, there are plenty of exhibitions you can attend, whether you’re a brand looking to find buyers, a seller looking to introduce various CBD brands to your e-commerce store or shop, or maybe you’re just someone with a general interest in hemp.
I’ll try to list the best expo’s around the world, while I’ll look to update this article over time, but I’m always open to recommendations, so please do send them over if you know of any I’ve left out.
Europe
The CBD Show – London, UK
Held at the Olympia in London, I’m a media partner for The CBD Show, so you can imagine my excitement to attend this event.
You’ll get the chance to join international suppliers, elite speakers and professionals, with unmissable expert advice, panel discussions and Q&A with some of the biggest names in the industry.
With the event around the corner, I’m excited to say it’s set for the 7th-8th December 2023.
Both the trade passes and the public passes are free, which includes access for both days.
This was my absolute favourite CBD event in the calendar, however I won’t be able to attend this year, which is gutting to say.
World CBD Awards – Barcelona, Spain
While this is best known for the award aspect, the event also involves a conference. You can therefore pick between a ticket for a 1 day conference ticket and lunch, or you could opt for the 3 day full event ticket, giving you access to the pre-dinner drinks reception, networking opportunities and awards ceremony.
You will get the chance to see industry leading speakers sharing their knowledge and expert tips around cannabis, as well as a research panel and live interviews.
If you’d like to learn more about the World CBD Awards 2024, I’d recommend having a read of my article.
The next World CBD Awards will be taking place on the October 2024 at the Fira Centre in Barcelona.
I’ve booked my tickets for the entire week and I can’t wait to attend and meet many of the people I’ve been speaking to over the past few years.
CBD White Label Expo – London, UK
This event runs alongside the White Label World Expo, Smart Retail Tech and the Retail Supply Chain Logistics Expo, all at the Excel building in London.
As with any major event at the Excel, such as WTM, there are plenty of staff to guide you to the event, as they expect a big turnout.
A combination of exhibits on show, seminars with great speakers and master classes taking place, the CBD White Label World Expo is free to attend.
The London event will be taking place on the 27th & 28th February 2024, while you can also attend the event in Frankfurt on the 11th & 12th October 2024.
Med-Tech World – Malta
I’m always going to be a fan of this conference, as this is the event that offered me my first award, winning Media of the Year at the Cannabiz Summit Awards in 2019.
The event takes place on the 20th October 2024, with around 3,000 attendees and 150 speakers. 32% of attendees are health care professionals, while 17% are investors and start-ups , with a further 16% being multinational conglomerates.
Expect to see many of the speakers focusing slightly more on the tech side than some of the other conferences, with experts discussing digitalised healthcare and surgical robotics.
Going by previous years, the event was held at the Hilton business centre, however they haven’t confirmed yet whether it will be at the same location or a new spot.
If you want to enter the awards, nominations opened in February, however they don’t close until mid-October.
Cannabis Europa
Cannabis Europa is another event taking place in London (it’s great to live so close), while the attendees and speakers will combine politicians, scientific experts and business owners.
The tickets to the conference and the expo are £670, while the event takes place on the 25th-26th June 2024.
The talks will cover a number of subjects, from the rise of hemp to the future of the supply chain and discussions on the potential decriminalisation of cannabis in certain boroughs of London.
Athens Cannabis Expo – Athens, Greece
Word of warning – I believe this event will be going ahead, however it is currently showing ‘permanently closed’ on Google, so I will try to find out and update this article.
With 150+ exhibitors, 20+ speakers and 10+ DJ sets, the Athens Cannabis Expo is easily one of the biggest in Europe.
The event lasts 3 days, with lectures going on from 3pm-9pm on the first day, 1pm-10pm on the second day and 1pm-9pm on the final day, while you can expect everyone to enjoy a few drinks afterwards.
While earlier in the year it didn’t look like they were going ahead, I’m delighted to say the event has been set for the 30-31st March 2024.
Kanaba Fest – Krakow, Poland
Over in the beautiful city of Krakow in Eastern Europe, the Kanaba Fest takes place over a two day period, on the 6th and 7th May 2024.
Also known as Kanaba Fair, the event is run by the cannabis seed grower, which also hosts a number of other events throughout the year as well as running their cannabis seed shop.
Product Earth Expo – Warwickshire, UK
Set in the midlands, much like the Hemp & CBD Expo (which sadly is no more), the Product Earth Expo can be accessed from Coventry train station, taking place on the 18th – 20st August 2024. Also, if you plan on driving, there is free onsite parking.
They expect approximately 8,000 visitors to the 3 day UK event, while a unique aspect of the trade show is the glass blowing competition, which sounds like an amazing spectacle.
A 1 day pass costs £40, or you can get a full weekend pass for £60, covering the Friday and Saturday. If you want to camp overnight, the cost is £75. Fees and VAT are added once you go to pay.
Hemps Fair – Frankfurt, Germany
Taking place over the 26th-28th April 2024 you can expect all the big European brands to be in attendance.
The building is 7,500 square metres, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes as you walk through all the 120 exhibitor tables. They predict they’ll have around 10,000 visitors, with the event launching at 10am and ending at 6pm each day.
North Grow – Copenhagen, Denmark
The organisers are expecting approximately 10,000 visitors to the trade show, easily putting it up there as one of the most heavily attended in Europe.
This is a 3 day event, including plenty of internationally acknowledged speakers, as well as an opportunity to setup a stand and exhibit to potential buyers and to work out deals for your brand.
The event took place on the 22-24th September last year and while they haven’t set their new dates just yet, I would presume it should be around then.
North America
USA CBD Expo – USA
The next USA CBD Expo will be taking place in Tampa on the 18th – 19th May 2024.
They also have events in Columbia and Ft. Lauderdale, however these have already occurred in 2022, meaning you will have to wait until next year.
This is the big name event in America, if not the world, offering a great venue for B2B networking and premium investment opportunities.
I love the fact that the founders were exhibitors themselves, who saw an opportunity to start up their own tradeshow event, bringing in their experience to apply the parts they loved and leave out the bits they hated.
Cannavest USA Expo – New Jersey
The Cannavest USA Expo will be taking place at the New Jersey convention centre from 29th September – 1st October 2024.
Registration for tickets is now finally available, however they are stating multiple dates on the website, so double check this before booking.
Mississippi Cannabis Expo – Mississippi, USA
Located at the Biloxi Gulf Coast Convention Centre, the legalised cannabis trade show is one of the big names in the US calendar for hemp fans.
You will find information on their site around how to sign up to exhibit and getting a stand, or simply attending and buying a ticket.
The event will take place on the 7th-9th July 2024.
CannaOne BizCon Expo – Las Vegas, USA
CannaOne also run the Mississippi Cannabis Expo, experts at managing conferences and expo’s for business to business based trade show events.
Las Vegas certainly offers an exciting location for an expo, so I might have to keep this on my agenda for next year, even if it is a long way to go from the UK. The event will be taking place on the 19th-21st June 2024.
CannaCon Midwest Show – Chicago, USA
Taking place over two days, from 10am till 5pm, the Midwestern cannabis trade show offers a great chance to network with cannabis entrepreneurs, farmers, equipment specialists, distributors and influencers.
You can opt for either a pass for the expo only or the expo and seminar, for 1-2 days. No medical cannabis card is required to attend.
The event will take place on the 22nd-23rd August 2024.
CannaCon Midwest Detroit Cannabis Expo – Detroit, USA
Another by the CannaCon organisation, this expo takes place in late June, with seminars run by the biggest names in the industry.
CannaCon has also partnered with a number of accommodation options located nearby which you can book so you have a very short journey on the day.
The CBD Expo Tour – North Carolina, USA
The Original CBD Expo Tour has taken place in a number of locations across the USA, such as Houston in Texas, Indianapolis in Indiana and Colorado in Denver, while they’re still planning on running the event in Orlando in Florida and LA in California.
60% of attendees are looking at B2B business deals, while a further 25% are made up of educators, scientists and PR/Media, before the 15% which are general consumers.
You can attend the event on the 26th-28th January 2024.
Benzinga Cannabis Conference – Chicago, USA
As you can imagine, this event has switched to being virtual this year, however I hope to see this one return to being a great live event we can all attend next year.
The premier gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs and investors has two dates in the calendar, while there is still plenty of time to get involved, whether you’re an investor, a cannabis executive or a trader.
The event and the awards will be taking place in 16th-17th April 2024.
Asia
Cannabis Business Asia
Taking place on the 28th February – 1st March 2024, the Cannabis Business Asia will be set in Bangkok, at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort.
Taking place from 9am to 6pm each day, the event normally has a few hundred attendees. Unfortunately, it is incredibly hard to find out any info on the event.
Asian Hemp Summit – Kathmandu, Nepal
POSTPONED – With the majority of events taking place in either the USA or Europe, it must be frustrating for hemp brands based in Asia with the intense distance they have to travel.
However, the Asian Hemp Summit offers an unbelievable opportunity for B2B business deals, taking place next year in Nepal, while they’re still open to speakers. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like it will be going ahead this year, so you may have to wait until 2025.
Oceania
MedCan Summit – Cordis Auckland, New Zealand
POSTPONED – This one might be a little bit too far to travel to for me, but it offers a great opportunity for businesses and general consumers around the other side of the world.
Setup by BioTechNZ, the previous summit took place over the 9th-10th February in Auckland, but the real question is whether it will be virtual or in-person.
Bringing together the most qualified cannabis scientists in the world, along with clinicians, entrepreneurs and investors, it looks like the event should be set to go ahead.
