Event speakers are the unsung heroes of the cannabis industry. Investors, writers, enthusiasts, CEOs, and PhDs alike divert their attention to the speaker. In that harmonious moment – even if just for 15 minutes – the tone of the conference is established.
The tone of keynote cannabis marketing speakers have a rather unique agenda. There is no room for fluff talk, considering the cannabis community will recognize phony rhetoric from a mile away. Your speaker must simultaneously be credible, passionate, and likable, all while touching upon a diverse range of cannabis interests. Will they build a sense of unity among the audience? Will they speak the language of regulatory marketing obstacles, directly connecting with the grievances of the audience? Did they build anticipation before that microphone was turned on?
The following list aims to shed light on three incredible cannabis marketing speakers who don’t rely on gimmicks or buzzwords to perk the ears of the audience. Rather, they earned their place in the cannabis community and have become idolized for different reasons. This non-exhaustive list places extra emphasis on one’s ability to navigate technology and media, which is absolutely essential to promoting a cannabis marketing event performance.
Elise McRoberts
Doc Green’s Healing Collective, Willie’s Reserve, Civilized, Cannabis Now, Chemistry, ECO Cannabis, OM CBD, Guild Extracts, Somatik, Harborside, Bloom Farms, and many other cannabis industry endeavors.
Cannabis entrepreneur, event producer, and public personality Elise McRoberts is of great significance to the cannabis community. Long before the word “influencer” was commonplace, McRoberts was defining what such a term might mean in cannabis. She’s been a judge for High Times’ Cannabis Cup, The Emerald Cup, and Terp Tower Invitational in Barcelona. But it’s her work with cannabis brands that’s led us to trust her as an expert panelist.
She’s served as a consultant in business development and strategy for numerous cannabis brands, specializing in everything from THC to CBD, edibles, extracts, vaporization, wellness – you name it. Her work with Cannacraft, Willie’s Reserve, and Chemistry are just a fraction of her extensive portfolio. McRoberts has spoken about cannabis at a multitude of events, namely SXSW, FestForums, and New West Summit. Her exceptional reviews as an event speaker should come as no surprise, considering she herself is a pioneer of cannabis events, including the NorCal CannaCusine Gala (2017) and High Society (2018).
”Elise delivers an incredible amount of value to whatever she’s focused her energy on… She’s whip smart, dialed in and super engaging.
Trevar Mazza, Co-Founder/COO of Chemistry
Gary Vaynerchuk
Not all cannabis marketing speakers will be absolutely engulfed in cannabis. Indeed, some will be, and ought to be, engulfed in the marketing aspect. This is where Gary Vaynerchuk, also known as Gary Vee, serves a unique utility – he is a phenomenal speaker for events surrounding cannabis investing.
Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur and CEO of VaynerMedia, which services Fortune 100 companies in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore. He is especially known as an early investor in Twitter, Uber, Venmo, and Tumblr. He’s quite popular on social media, particularly for his online show #AskGaryVee. So why is Gary Vee an ideal speaker for cannabis events?
Roughly a year ago, Vaynerchuk purchased 50 percent of the cannabis branding company Green Street, voted the best cannabis marketing agency in the ADCANN Awards 2019. Around the same time, he started appearing at cannabis events to discuss the future of the industry. As he’s mentioned in his interview with DOPE Magazine, his background in the alcohol industry has prepared him for regulatory obstacles in cannabis. His unique solutions to these obstacles make him an invaluable speaker at cannabis events.
”The challenges are the Googles and Facebooks have real restrictions, which you respect and understand. We see a lot of opportunity in creating our own media properties and influencer marketing. We will navigate through the world, right?
Gary Vaynerchuk, 2019 Green Entrepreneur interview
Noelle Skodzinski
Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary, Cannabis Conference, Hemp Grower
Last but certainly not least, Noelle Skodzinski is an especially compelling keynote speaker for business-oriented cannabis circles. Whereas McRoberts may excite the smoker, and Vaynerchuk the investor, Skodzinski’s insight is indispensable to the dispensary owner, grower, and cultivator.
Named among the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Cannabis, Skodzinski has been involved in publishing for more than 20 years. She is the Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Cannabis Business Times, one of the earliest and most popular publications to serve the industry. Skodzinski also serves as the Editorial Director of Hemp Grower, a publication that specializes in legal hemp production. In both magazines, Skodzinski oversees massive amounts of news pertaining to industry trends, cultivation strategies, legal issues, etc.
Many public figures can talk about cannabis, but very few can deep dive into such topics, and even less can do so with a fragment of Skodzinski’s experience. Often, Skodzinski is both a speaker of a conference as well as the promoter, planner and organizer. It’s worth noting that she operates regularly in both a physical and virtual capacity for event speaking.
Gearing Towards the Future
There are inevitably different ways to compile such a list. Hell, Cheech Marin, and David Crosby are international celebrities who speak at cannabis events – where are their placements? The answer is simple: your style of event dictates your choice of speaker.
Cannabis marketing events should focus on the future and long term transformation of the industry: MSO investment strategy, dodging the mercy of third party platforms, online delivery systems, alternative media, etc. Gearing towards the future, the industry must applaud those driving conversations of technology and media, such as the very names on this list.
Last Updated on October 15, 2020 by ADCANN
