DENVER—Psychedelic Science 2023, the largest psychedelic conference on record, unfolded at the 2.2 million-square-foot Colorado Convention Center from June 19-23. Produced by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in collaboration with Momentum Events, the five-day symposium took 18 months to plan and attracted 12,300 attendees and 500 educators from 52 countries. Attendees could experience 400 panels and over 30 workshops focused on educating on the power and promise of psychedelics in cultural, medical, and traditional environments. Additionally, 250 exhibitors joined the mass meeting in both the expo hall and throughout various nooks of the spacious venue.
Following two days of workshops, the conference kicked off Wednesday morning with welcome keynote addresses by MAPS founder Dr. Rick Doblin, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. In addition to three full days of programming, there were two on-site dinners—with Wednesday night honoring Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D., for his contributions to psychedelic and consciousness research, and Thursday night’s Healing Our Heroes: A Dinner Honoring Veterans and First Responders.
Various important conversations emerged surrounding the role psychedelics play in veteran and first-responder trauma and PTSD treatment, mental health integration, and Indigenous communities, as well as supporting LGBTQ+ advocacy, harm reduction, and destigmatization in the space.
Additionally, investors and donors utilized the space to network and support. On Wednesday, TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie announced a $100 million commitment to investing in psychedelic research, while wellness brand Dr. Bronner's—which has donated more than $20 million to drug policy advocacy and organizations in the psychedelic space—co-produced "Deep Space," a 105,000-square-foot, multisensory Burning Man-inspired exhibit utilizing an entire exhibition hall (more on the trippy production below). CEO David Bronner was also in attendance Wednesday to speak about advocacy pathways and policy strategies.
Plus, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers discussed how psychedelics enhanced his performance; Paul Stamets spoke about tryptamines and neurogeneration; and various vendors on the expo floor educated on how to cultivate, inoculate, harvest, and dry psilocybin for research purposes. Still, dozens of psychedelic-assisted therapy clinics, tech products, and brands spotlighting everything from cactuses to ayahuasca held significant space throughout the gathering.
For more of a behind-the-scenes look at how everything was executed, from the Psychedelic Science 2023 Business Lounge, we chatted with Gina Vensel, director of marketing for both Psychedelic Science 2023 and Momentum Events.
So, we are in Denver, with magic mushrooms being showcased—for research purposes—on the expo floor. How did the current legislation come into play when planning Psychedelic Science 2023?
I think it was probably one of the considerations to make sure that the people here would be safe in case they did misunderstand the rules. We also put together a kit on our website that explains the rules of the state because we have international people traveling here, and it can be confusing to folks what the laws really mean. And so, right now, psilocybin is decriminalized in Colorado, which made it enticing to the team when they were considering what places to bring Psychedelic Science to next.
With 250 exhibitors and plenty of overlap, how do you envision the evolution of the psychedelic expo floor?
I think this is a learning experience for our community to see how we can come together, and with these collaborations, maybe the activations moving forward may look different and may actually be larger, because more companies and organizations can potentially combine forces and work together in the future.
Let’s talk about "Deep Space." How did this partnership with Dr. Bronner's emerge to create a multisensory mini-festival of tech, light, art, sound, relaxation, and culture all in one place?
There are just so many friends of this organization over the years. MAPS utilized the relationships that they had, and with Dr. Bonner's support, we were able to bring that piece to life. Being able to go from such intense talks, sometimes, to then be able to go sit in a tea lounge and take your shoes off, or be able to lie in one of those meditation beds, that's the type of experience we wanted.
It's the whole health and wellness aspect, that this is a mental health conference wrapped up in us discussing these psychedelics, but it's really about us taking care of ourselves better, and in all the different ways that we can do that. And I think art and music are a big piece of that. We didn’t want to forget about that in all of this and wanted to make sure that was still represented as an important part of the culture that's behind psychedelics and this movement.
I’m told there was a lot of Burning Man influence in "Deep Space," too.
You can't forget where you come from, and I feel like so many of the psychedelic elders were a part of Burning Man—and still are—and you know it would feel remiss not to have that be displayed in some capacity at the conference, and I was just in awe when I saw it all come together myself.
Within "Deep Space" and on the expo floor, there are several tech-infused therapies that simulate trips exhibiting with interactive sessions. How and why did your team select those specific companies, and why is their presence from the tech space important to the conference?
The movement is moving so quickly, and there's going to be a lot of technology introduced here and in the biotech space. I've met with companies that are trying to take the psychedelic out of psychedelics. And what does that even really mean, right? But many people can't even take psychedelics. They can literally create the experience in these other ways. A lot of folks use psychedelics as a tool to help get deeper, but not something that's done all the time. Maybe this could be something to do in between those journeys to keep yourself balanced and in a wholesome place.
We're talking a lot about studies and science and everything that's going on with psychedelic research, but in terms of social conversations about the movement and the conference, what else are you hearing?
Just the importance of not leaving our Indigenous communities behind. Staying true and honoring the history and the roots of so many different groups of people. Because what's going to happen if we colonize these medicines? We have to honor them.
What are you hoping attendees take away from Psychedelic Science 2023?
That there is something truly special about bringing this community together. And a big piece within our community is doing the integration afterward and really giving yourself time and space to process and unwind after this, because it is a lot. From just the information that we're collecting to the various types of people and conversations that we have and the different businesses that we talk to, it can become so overwhelming for people. Even if they had a great experience, if you don't take time to process it and be good to yourself, you can almost get lost. So I hope that folks will, in the coming weeks, realize so many different things that come to light that they really enjoyed.
Keep scrolling below to check out the highlights from BizBash's trip to Psychedelic Science 2023, along with the after-hours fun following the close of the conference each day...