The Lift & Co. Cannabis Expo in Toronto
Lift & Co. Expo 2021, Toronto, Canada - Nov 18th to 21st
Lift & Co. Toronto 2021
Our Budsense team visited and presented a booth at the recent Lift & Co. Cannabis Conference in Toronto.
The event was held over four days from Thursday, Nov. 18th to Sunday, Nov. 21st.
Thursday, Nov. 18th - Business Conference
Friday, Nov. 19th - Industry Day
Saturday, Nov. 20th - Consumer Day
Sunday, Nov. 21st - Consumer Day
All in all the Budsense team had a blast attending lift. Thanks to all our existing and future partners that came to visit us at our first trade show booth ever! It was a treat to meet you in person.
A special thanks to all our friends who hosted us at their industry parties throughout the weekend- Nick Baksh, Reagan Mott, Shabana Shiwram, Montrose Cannabis, Toqi, Drew Henson, Shahbaaz Kara-Virani, Anne Forkutza, Dutchie, and Wonderland Cannabis.
BudSense’s first trade show as a presenter
We love pilots at BudSense. They are such a manageable way to dip our toe in the water without extending too much risk. Our first trade show as a presenter was no different. Prove the concept and scale- or fail and move on. We chose to go with a bare bones booth until we had an understanding of the effectiveness.
It was immediately obvious that we made the correct decision. Huge thanks to all the attendees at Lift and Co. this fall - the energy was incredible. So many retailers, producers, and industry folks engaged and excited to get out and talk about all the impressive things they are working on.
Version 1.0 of the BudSense booth
When you look at the Cannabis industry from a high level you get a heavy dose of regulation debate and fluctuating capital markets dominating the news cycle.
Our experience at lift couldn’t have been more different. We got the breath of fresh air we were looking for -
Large teams full of talented and diverse specialists, passionate individuals grinding away on their dream projects, skilled entrepreneurs creating jobs left and right, and the remaining legacy individuals finally finding a foothold in the often unapproachable and restrictive recreational market.
Just the motivation alone from talking all these interactions would have been worth the price of admission. Add to that the conversations with existing and future partners we were able to have and we will sure to be back with a new and improved booth next spring.
David Thomas (BudSense Founder) Entertaining a VIP
We’re thankful for the opportunity Lift and Co created- the environment they curated was perfect for engaging our piers on all the new features, products, and updates BudSense has been working on in the lab. The ideas we received from all our conversations, observations, and experiences are certainly going to keep us busy for the next few quarters.
Until Next Time Lift & Co.
See you next spring,
The BudSense Team
A bit about booth design
We don’t have anyone on our team with a significant amount of trade show design and management experience so we were going in a little blind. We chose to take a basic approach with a couple signage items and two TVs. It fit our basic needs, but now that the concept has been proven we are willing to venture into a more professional approach.
We reached out to our friend Erik Fonseca at Detonate and he introduced us to Christina Sventanic. Christina ran us through our options and we settled on what we feel is a perfect solution for our needs. We couldn’t recommend the team at detonate enough for all your booth and physical merchandising needs.
Here are some examples of what Detonate can do. Check out more on their website.
Lift & Co. Toronto 2021 Events
We might have buried the lead here because the Lift & Co. events this year were amazing. Everyone’s busy in the cannabis industry and we appreciate all the little things our fabulous hosts did to make every event we attended extra special.
The After Party by Toqi
Thursday, Nov. 18th
Toqi threw a party Thursday night at Cold Tea Bar to kick off the weekend. It was a perfect chance to connect with industry connections before the craziness of the conference took over Friday. We met Drew Hanson, Founder of Toqi, at MJBiz in Vegas earlier this year.
Toqi is a progressive elegantly designed vaporizer that is now available in over 150 retail locations across Canada, and is expanding into the UK and US. The 510 wireless vape and dab cartridge provides easy dabbing on the go. Don’t miss out on this fast growing product!
The Toqi 510 wireless 510 and portable dab vape
Montrose Presents the Unofficial After Party - Montrose Cannabis
Friday, Nov. 19th
Our friends at Montrose cannabis put together an event to host their industry partners at La Carnita. Montrose is a cannabis retailer based out of Pickering Ontario. Their unique store concept is just the start of what sets them apart. We’ve been working with Montrose for about a year now and we are consistently impressed with their ability to innovate and try new things. Thanks for the hospitality Montrose!
Hotel Dutchie Afterglow Customer Appreciation Party
Friday, Nov. 19th
We aren’t sure if Dutchie is better at throwing parties or building software but either way they know what’s up. Their lift party on Friday Nov. 19th was a highlight. 2 levels, 1000 people, ping pong, and a smoking deck *chefs kiss*. Hotel Dutchie never disappoints. Check out Dutchie for all your ecomm and click and collect needs.
Check in to Hotel Dutchie
The Secret Garden
Saturday, Nov. 20th
The Secret Garden party was something else! A window into the future of consumption lounges. The Saturday afternoon event was put on by a group of 12 likeminded cannabis companies. They created an alcohol free cannabis friendly party with couches, munchies, beverages, a jar of joints, and gravity bongs at the bar instead of booze shots. Did we mention the event started at 4:20. Big thanks to our partner Wonderland cannabis for inviting us to the event.
