LAS VEGAS—"Fuel your fire" was this year's theme for MJBizCon. Billed as the largest B2B cannabis event, the trade show chose the 2024 theme as a way to "ignite" passion and "spark" meaningful conversations about the industry. Progress was also an important pillar for the show this year.
"There's still some challenges in the industry, because we're dealing with a lot of regulations state by state, but overall everyone was so incredibly positive and found solutions to propel their businesses forward in 2025," says Sarah Wilson, vice president of events and sales at MJBiz, a division of Emerald X. "There's no other cannabis event that brings the entire industry together, so to be there and see it come to life—there's nothing like it."
This year's show welcomed 1,400 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees.Photo: Courtesy of MJBiz/Emerald X
The 2024 show, which took place Dec. 4-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, brought together 1,400 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees. One of the most impressive stats, though, found that this year's MJBizCon incorporated 200 partnerships, compared to 70 last year.
"We really looked at who we could partner with, whether that's learning from them or actually partnering up and doing something together," Wilson explains. "We really increased partnerships this year, and that's what was so successful. We feel like there's room for everyone. We can all win together, and so there was a huge focus on partnerships, and we had some really incredible ones."
One of the standout partnerships this year at MJBizCon was 40 Tons, a woman- and minority-owned premium cannabis brand that promotes the idea that no one should be in prison for cannabis.Photo: Courtesy of MJBiz/Emerald X
One of the standout partnerships was with 40 Tons, a woman- and minority-owned premium cannabis brand based in Los Angeles. The company's mission is to promote diversity and inclusion of BIPOC communities within the cannabis industry while creating a positive social impact. They also promote the idea that no one should be in prison for cannabis. This year, 40 Tons increased its footprint and buildout with a re-creation of an intake center complete with people dressed as police officers.
With 40 Tons, MJBizCon also brought 16 justice-impacted brands to the show for free; these brands feature founders or their close family members who have been incarcerated due to cannabis-related offenses.
"These are brands that are up and coming and maybe wouldn't have been able to have the opportunity to exhibit at the show if it wasn't for this program," Wilson says. "We want to give back to that part of the community."
MJBizCon's The Vault activation brought together 20 cannabis geneticists of top strains to sell seeds on site for the first time.Photo: Courtesy of MJBiz/Emerald X
Another notable activation was The Vault, created in partnership with Voice of the Plant, co-founded by longtime industry veteran and renowned cannabis breeder Mario Guzman. He and 20 other cannabis geneticists of top strains came together to sell seeds on site for the first time.
"Although we didn't have any cannabis at the show, this was something new that we did where, for the first time, attendees had access to these seed geneticists from around the world—versus having to fly to Barcelona or the Netherlands to get these sought-after seeds," Wilson says.
Though these two activations, and the show overall, proved successful, challenges still ensued. Wilson says construction at the convention center made things more difficult than in past years, but she applauds the show's operations team for their wayfinding strategies. These included partnering with Grip on the event app, holding a well-attended first-timers event, displaying maps, and hiring brand ambassadors for the first time.
"They had these great aprons on and walked around to help guide people if they looked lost," Wilson says. "That friendly face and a warm welcome always helps. You could see how they made a really good impact on the event."
Keep scrolling to see more from inside MJBizCon 2024...
"Everyone was so incredibly positive and found solutions to propel their businesses forward in 2025," says Sarah Wilson, vice president of events and sales at MJBiz.Photo: Courtesy of MJBiz/Emerald X
40 Tons increased its footprint and buildout at the convention center with a re-creation of an intake center.Photo: Courtesy of MJBiz/Emerald X
MJBizCon partnered with PR agency Grasslands this year for an off-site celebration that brought together over 1,000 cannabis industry professionals for networking.Photo: Courtesy of Grasslands
"So many CEOs, investors, and journalists came up to me at this year's party with stories about the new connections they made that night," says Grasslands founder and CEO Ricardo Baca. "That's what the Grasslands party is all about—building community and connecting professionals working in cannabis and psychedelics who should know one another."Photo: Courtesy of Grasslands
