The New West Summit 2.0 — coming this October 14-15 to the Hyatt Regency hotel in San Francisco — is a cannabis event that focuses on business and investment strategies, advances in technology, and media. The event offers an atmosphere thick with networking and learning opportunities for professionals, entrepreneurs, and/or investors who are currently involved in or eyeing the cannabis space.
Promising to attract hoards of cannabis-minded folks, the New West Summit 2.0 boasts a truly impressive list of panelists. Sir Richard Branson — the English business magnate, investor, and philanthropist — is slotted for the event’s keynote address.
Esteemed cannabis businessman Steve DeAngelo, known for founding Harborside Health Center in Oakland and for his activism on behalf of medical cannabis patients, is a panelist representing the cannabis industry. Additional panelists here include leading MMJ researcher Dr. Sue Sisley, Cy Scott from Headset, Reggie Gaudino from Steep Hill, Ophelia Chong of StockPotImages.com, Aeron Sullivan of Tradiv, and dozens more industry experts.
Sticking to their theme of bringing the cannabis marketplace into the mainstream, however, organizers have brought on several non-cannabis industry representatives to be featured as panelists, including Forbes Magazine journalist Jason Belzer. The Summit has also secured Susan Bennet — whose voice was used to create Siri, from Apple’s iPhone products — as a panelist speaker and to introduce Mr. Branson for his keynote address.
Panel topics at the Summit will tackle the main three aspects of legal cannabis — medical, recreational, and industrial — from every conceivable angle and perspective. “Vape Technologies Forum,” “Business Software,” “Real Banking & Digital Currency,” “Serious Medicine, Serious Research, Serious Business,” and “Edible Innovations” are just a handful selected from the Summit’s promising 25 panel topics.
There will also be a jobs fair hosted at the New West Summit 2.0. This fair, organized by Bloom Farms, aims to connect dozens of potential employers with hundreds of applicants and job-searchers for a four-hour networking session that starts at noon on Saturday, October 15.
For patrons who find themselves desiring a more entertainment-focused experience, event organizers have also arranged for a VIP party on Friday night and an exclusive musical performance by Zepparella, an all-female tribute to Led Zeppelin, on Saturday evening.
“The industry is finally coming to a point where your street cred, or how long you’ve been in the industry, slowly means less and less,” New West Summit Founder Jim McAlpine told Ganjapreneur. “If you’ve been a grower for 25 years but you can’t understand regulation, I’m sorry, your time’s over. That being said, I see a lot of people who have been around the industry for a long time adopting and adapting, so I think adopting or adapting is what will let people stay in this industry.”
“To me, the radical professionalization and a sweeping mindset to run things like a business versus an overnight opportunity is what the future of the cannabis industry looks like,” McAlpine said.
To learn more about the New West Summit 2.0 you can visit the event’s website. To purchase tickets for the event, you can use this Ganjapreneur-specific link to buy passes at a 50% discount for one or both days — as well as any of the extra VIP and entertainment options.
Ganjapreneur will be sending a team to cover the event, so keep an eye out for us and say hello!