WM Tech Blog

 

By WM Communications Team

Weedmaps has been announced as the key sponsor for the 2022 South by Southwest (SXSW) Cannabis Industry Evolution summit during the Austin, Texas-based festival from March 14-15. As part of the sponsorship, Weedmaps will lead several panels and presentations within the summit, participate in opportunities during the primary SXSW track, and host Weedmaps sponsored coffee breaks on March 14 and 15. 

The Cannabis Industry summit was created by SXSW to provide a broader conversation on cannabis within the annual nine day festival. According to the summit’s webpage, it will focus on the “cannabis legalization movement” and, “the immense opportunity for entrepreneurs, plus new and established businesses.”

Here’s where you can find Weedmaps at SXSW 2022: 

• Combatting the Censorship Crisis
  Featuring: Juanjo Feijoo, CMO/COO Weedmaps; Javier Hasse, Benzinga/El Planteo
  Description: Censorship is pervasive in mass media and social media and impacts a brand’s ability to operate on many levels. Consequently, it can continue to perpetuate certain stigmas. This mismatch between public opinion and marketing restrictions is problematic as brands struggle to reach and educate millions of consumers.
   
• Rewriting Cannabis Drug Testing Policies
  Featuring: Chris Beals, CEO Weedmaps; Rich Kleiman, Thirty Five Ventures/Boardroom
  Description: As cannabis becomes increasingly state-legal and accepted in the US and beyond, organizations from Amazon to the NBA are revising their drug testing policies to better reflect evolving attitudes. However, contradictions still exist, as demonstrated very publicly when a positive cannabis test eliminated sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the 2021 Olympics. Today, governments, corporations, and athletic organizations have an opportunity and obligation to drive a cultural shift toward a more tolerant and equitable future by revising their drug testing policies and the misguided assumptions that caused them in the first place. Those who are rewriting their drug testing rules embrace a promising future of work, sports, and democracy where order, productivity, and cannabis coexist.
   
• Global View: Weed on the World Stage
  Featuring: Bridget Hennessey, VP of Government Relations at Weedmaps; Stephen Murphy, Prohibition Partners; Emily Paxhia, Poseidon Asset Management; Trent Woloveck, Jushi Holdings, Inc. 
  Description: Globally, there are four major sectors of the cannabis market poised to dominate the worldwide stage: industrial hemp, CBD wellness, medical cannabis and the adult use/recreational market. All of them are intertwined, however each will develop at a different pace depending on the culture of the country and region. In this session, companies operating on the global stage talk about the future of the global cannabis market on these four fronts. They’ll discuss how regulations are predicted to evolve, impacting trade and politics, and they’ll analyze the friction between industrial, medical and recreational. They’ll also discuss which countries will emerge as cultivation centers and innovation hubs and what countries will sit out this billion dollar opportunity.
   
• Technology: The Key to Growing the Cannabis Industry
  Featuring: Chris Beals, CEO Weedmaps; Colin Landforce, Unrivaled
  Description: Technology is the backbone of the legal cannabis industry, and it is evolving and adapting at an exponential pace – even during the global pandemic. The success of the cannabis industry is dependent on technology being a conduit between businesses and consumers and as such, canna-tech is continuing to expand the limits of end-to-end solutions in a highly regulated space. Solutions must deep dive into the nuances of the cannabis plant and consumer behavior while navigating compliance and developing real-time inventory and menu integration for businesses managing thousands of items. The unique demands and needs of technology in the cannabis industry serve as a case study for other emerging sectors and ultimately begs the question, "what's next?" in cannabis and beyond.

Note: All events are subject to change. Visit the SXSW schedule for the most up-to-date schedule of events.