“CBD is the next avocado toast,” proclaimed Coca-Cola
executive-turned CBD start-up founder, Chris Burggraeve in
October last year. But if anything, consumers have embraced
CBD with far more enthusiasm.
“It’s really kind of amazing that nearly anywhere you go right now,
there’s something on a counter or on a shelf that has some kind
of CBD labelling on it,” USA CBD Expo host Jason Monti said.
“Whether it’s going to a health food store and finding a CBD
cream or supplement sitting on the counter or going to a local
corner store and picking up some milk, it’s there.”
The inaugural USA CBD Expo will take place on August 3 and
4. The event promises to be both a networking opportunity for
businesses and a chance for consumers to learn about the huge
range of products and companies currently on the market.
A similar scale show in Las Vegas has been pencilled in for
early 2020.
“We’re excited to experiment with the CBD shows to do the
same exciting and consumer-heavy style of event that vape was
really known for,” Jason said.
“We feel like this industry has gotten away from the consumer
and we want to include the consumer on the CBD side of things.”
Jason was introduced to CBD via running international vape
events. The team began discussing a potential CBD event after
Vape South America in Colombia in May 2018.
“We had noticed that there were quite a few companies who had
added CBD products to their lines and we thought at that point
that we were seeing a trend. Since then, it’s been at every show
we attended. As we’ve been planning our other shows, we’ve
noticed more and more CBD vendors looking to be involved.”
Many vape companies have expanded their CBD ranges beyond
e-liquids. Meanwhile, CBD and hemp companies have turned to
the expo model to promote their products and network. This has
created a fertile ground for an expo that encompasses the full
range of CBD products and markets.
“In addition to just the vape side of things, that there is a broad
range of practical uses for CBD,” Jason said. “It’s not just limited
to the vape category.” The cannabis market has a very broad
reach. But while there is some overlap with the legally murky
marijuana industry, Jason decided early on to focus squarely on
CBD and hemp. The highly-publicised Farm Bill has helped draw
a clear line between the two industries and opened up interstate
commerce.
“It will be anything with the legal amount of THC,” Jason said.
“It’ll be CBD, it’ll be hemp, it’ll be accessories, it’ll be financial.
There’ll be investors looking to get involved in this industry with
people that are maybe looking to raise capital.”
There will also be buyers and large distributors looking to bring
CBD into mainstream outlets, such as convenience and chain big
box stores and local and chain pharmacies.
From the outset, Jason wanted the event to be as accessible to
consumers as possible, so consumer entry will either be free or
subject to a very small fee. This should ensure that members of
the public only recently exposed to CBD via the media or word-
of-mouth will be able to attend.
“It seems that every other day you pick up a newspaper there’s
an article, every time you go online there’s some type of release,
there’s another company making a big equity buy into another
company,” Jason said.
“Our goal as an organisation is to reach as many people to invite
them to our event.”
The event will also feature a panel of experts who will educate
businesses on hemp and CBD market trends, the potential
health benefits of hemp products and the many complex legal
considerations surrounding them.
“There are so different many uses right now for CBD, so it’ll be
great to have so many speakers that can speak eloquently
on those topics.”
Jason hopes to help bridge the gap between consumers and
the ever-growing businesses and products competing for their
custom. And much like the vaping world, those working in within
the industry often have personal stories to tell.
“We really want them to come in and have an
opportunity to meet manufacturers and
vendors and hear their story. Our goal’s
always been to get as many consumers
to these events as possible. Consumers
set the market, they’ll let the buyers
know what to stock in their stores.”
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