Future Cannabis Strategies North America 2019
The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto
2nd-3rd October, 2019
Download Agenda
Future Cannabis Strategies North America 2019
Future Cannabis Strategies North America brings together strategic business leaders for 2 days of insight, discussion and debate into how manufacturers can:
- Capitalise on Canada’s legalisation of edibles, extracts and topicals: expected no later than October 17th
- Spotlight growth in International markets including the UK, Mainland Europe & South America
- Understand consumer trends & demands from across North America
- Identify opportunities to introduce Cannabis infused products into existing Consumer Packaged Goods
- Review recent product innovation to understand how market trends are adapting to consumer demands
Here is a snapshot from our January 2019 London edition!
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Future Cannabis Strategies North America brings together strategic business leaders from across the wider North American Consumer-Facing Cannabis products category, this includes CBD/ Cannabis Products & Devices, Beverages, Tobacco, Cosmetics & Nutraceuticals.
250+
ATTENDEES TO MEET EACH YEAR
35+
EXHIBITORS TO MEET EACH YEAR
25+
KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
80%
ATTENDEES AT DIRECTOR + LEVEL
Why Attend?
Audience Makeup
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Delving into key issues to be considered when building and developing Cannabis derived products, the 2019 conference agenda attracts senior executives responsible for New Product Development, Consumer Insights, Research & Development, Commercial Strategy from:
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– CPG brands
– Start-up & SME brands leading the way in cannabinoid product development (example sectors: Beverages, Cosmetics & Nutraceuticals)
– Alternative Health/ Natural Remedy retailers & manufacturers
– OTC & Animal Health product manufacturers
– Tobacco & Vape manufacturers
– Policy makers, regulatory bodies and public health
– Service providers to the industry
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This event provides an unrivalled platform for networking with key decision-makers alongside offering a unique opportunity to learn from and meet with respected industry professionals. We have created a unique platform bringing together strategy, product development and sector strategists to deliver a 360° view on the opportunity to develop CBD/ Cannabis infused consumer CPG products.
Series Feedback
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We launched the Future Cannabis Strategies series in January 2019 in London. The launch event was an overwhelming success with over 275 senior executives descending on The Chelsea Harbour for 2 days of thought-provoking presentations, hours of networking and exclusive insights from industry leaders from around the world. The following feedback was shared with us!
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“Highly Informative”
“I felt the conference was well run with interesting speakers”
“Done very well”
“Very positive. Met some very helpful people”
“Good content. Friendly organisers”
“Very informative with good networking opportunities”
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“Diverse range of participants”
“Generally good organizational standard, relevant presentations and good networking opportunities”
“Enlightening. A truly revolutionary view of an emerging market”
“Incredibly useful and a key source of information, especially regulatory developments”
“Great mix of people and companies”
“Interesting topics”
Arena International
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Arena International Events Group welcomes over 10,000 business executives each year who attend over 80 of our events worldwide, they are addressed by over 1700 industry leaders delivering leading edge content and discussion.
Arena International’s events consistently strive to provide thought-provoking content and unrivalled networking opportunities. But, don’t take our word for it, below is some previous event feedback we received in the past 12 months!
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‘Excellent networking event, very informative and a great insight into the future of the industry’
‘A great opportunity to meet industry leaders and widen our network in a growing industry sector’
‘Excellent source of information’
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‘Very informative. A great opportunity for networking and discussing views on the future industry challenges we face’
‘An excellent opportunity to meet with current and prospective new clients’
‘Enlightening, educational, and gained insight into the bigger picture’

Neil Hendry
Global Head of Consulting,GlobalData
Biography:
Session Details: Chair’s opening remarks 02-10-2019, 8:15 am Chair’s summary and close of day 1 02-10-2019, 5:50 pm Chair’s opening remarks 03-10-2019, 8:20 am Chair’s Summary 03-10-2019, 3:00 pm View In Agenda

Virginia Vidal
CEO & Founder,Mary’s Wellness
Biography:
Session Details: Regulatory Update Panel: Health Canada’s Regulatory Update on Edibles, Extracts & Topicals 02-10-2019, 11:05 am View In Agenda

Monica Vialpando
CEO & Founder,Vialpando LLC
Biography:
Session Details: Formulation Workshop: Evolution of Edibles 03-10-2019, 1:15 pm View In Agenda

Michael Trzecieski
Co-Founder & CEO,Vapium Inc
Biography:
Session Details: Dosing – Next Stage Innovation Delivering What Consumers Want & Need 03-10-2019, 11:30 am View In Agenda

Shannon Leroux
Founder & CEO,SIIVVA
Biography: Over the course of 20 years, Shannon has generated awareness of the products she represents to millions of people through her brand and as the CEO of her own wellness company. She has travelled the globe, connecting with both leaders and consumers in the health and fitness space by utilizing her rank as an industry thought leader. Shannon has been a featured speaker at national women’s conferences, educating the thousands of attendees about the benefits, safety, and ease of use of the health products she represents. Recently, Shannon was a SkinCare panelist for O'Cannabis where SIIVVA™ won Best Packaging in the Cannabis industry. Shannon is successfully using her brand and unique ability to motivate and empower the women she connects with to improve the quality of their lives with Cannabis. Shannon is able to combine her passion for health and wellness with a savvy business acumen that has been cultivated over 20 years of experience working with her network of outstanding business partners and associates. Shannon currently sits on the advisory board for GrowPayment. Her career began with duty in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Javelin missile system operator and she sights her take aways from her time with the military as discipline, tenacity and commitment to cause. Shannon is a well known and world ranked Figure Athlete, Actress, and Entrepreneur, whose commitment to creating exceptional teams and product experiences can only be described as insatiable. Shannon discovered the undeniable benefits of Cannabis for wellness and Graceful Aging in 2015. Together with her partner Sarah Jasma(MMAR, ACMPR/Cannabis expert), Shannon formed SIIVVA™ Inc., an organization whose mission is to connect Canadian Licensed Producers/North American and Global producers of Cannabis with consumers by offering Premium Topical CBD skin care showcasing Advanced Molecular Technology. She’s well prepared to lead the next wave of innovation in both Graceful Aging Topical CBD skin care as well as helping to market the benefits of medicinal Cannabis. Mostly, Shannon is a CBD enthusiast, Mother and Serial Entrepreneur with every day issues that all Fit and Forty "Warrior Women" face.
Session Details: The Rise of Premium Cannabis Skin Care 03-10-2019, 2:30 pm The Rise of Premium Cannabis Skin Care 03-10-2019, 12:14 am View In Agenda

Lisa Harun
Co-Founder,Vapium Inc
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Raising Finance For Expansion & Product Development 02-10-2019, 5:15 pm Clinical Trials With Cannabis Based Drugs: The Challenges, and Solutions 03-10-2019, 8:30 am View In Agenda

Kenneth Shea
Senior Equity Analyst,Bloomberg
Biography: Kenneth Shea is a senior analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, a unique research platform that provides context on industries, companies, credit, and government policy, available on the Bloomberg Professional Service at BI <GO>. Mr. Shea oversees consumer products research content and related value-added data displays covering the beverage, tobacco and cannabis products industries. Mr. Shea offers more than 20 years of related consumer products investment research experience across both equity and fixed income security analysis. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Mr. Shea was a managing director of Standard & Poor’s Corporate Ratings, where he produced credit research on public and private consumer products companies. Before that, Mr. Shea held a number of prominent positions, including S&P global equity research director, chairman of the S&P Investment Policy Committee, and member of the S&P Index Committee. He began his career at S&P in 1986 as an equity analyst, covering the global food, beverages and tobacco industries. Mr. Shea earned his bachelor’s of science degree from The University of Maryland, and his master’s degree in business with a specialization in finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Shea is a member of the Consumer Analyst Group of New York, and has been a frequent contributor to the prominent television and print media for his insight on the consumer products sector and related topics.
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Raising Finance For Expansion & Product Development 02-10-2019, 5:15 pm View In Agenda

Dan Anglin
CEO,CannAmerica Brands Corp
Biography:
Session Details: Snapshot: Building a Global Brand 02-10-2019, 4:00 pm View In Agenda

Alex Fang
CEO & Founder,Sublime Canna
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Bridging The Gap Between North America & International Markets 02-10-2019, 3:15 pm View In Agenda

Stacy Allura Hostetter
General Counsel,CannaCraft
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Bridging The Gap Between North America & International Markets 02-10-2019, 3:15 pm View In Agenda

Nicole Connors
Founder & CEO,SAKU Cannabis
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Building Brand Experience Through Effective Retail 02-10-2019, 2:15 pm View In Agenda

Steffen Schenk
SVP Customer Experience,mihi
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Building Brand Experience Through Effective Retail 02-10-2019, 2:15 pm View In Agenda

Andy Palalas
Chief Revenue Officer,High Tide Inc
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Building Brand Experience Through Effective Retail 02-10-2019, 2:15 pm View In Agenda

Stephen Mueller
Founder & Chief Technology Officer,Mile High Labs
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote: The State of the CBD Industry 02-10-2019, 11:45 am View In Agenda

Terry Donnelly
Chairman & CEO,Hill Street Beverage Co.
Biography: Terry is the Chairman & CEO of Hill Street Beverage Co., focused on the production of world class, award winning cannabis-infused and alcohol-free wine and beer. Hill Street’s alcohol free products are currently available in thousands of leading grocery and drug stores across Canada. Their products have won awards around the world, including three Golds at the US Open Beer championships, a Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Challenge, and the Retail Council of Canada’s Grand Prix Award. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol BEER, which he thinks is both hilarious and awesome. The company is preparing its brewing and winemaking operations to become a leader in cannabis infused beverages to be available in 2020 or whenever the government approves them. Terry is also the co-founder of the Cannabis Beverage Producers Alliance, a national organization representing the unique interests of beverage producers for lobbying and public education.
Session Details: Regulatory Update Panel: Health Canada’s Regulatory Update on Edibles, Extracts & Topicals 02-10-2019, 11:05 am Case Study: Launching Cannabis Infused Wine Into The Canadian Market 02-10-2019, 12:15 pm View In Agenda

Jeffrey Maser
Founder & CEO,The Tinley Beverage Co.
Biography:
Session Details: Achieving Successful Market Expansion of a CPG Cannabis Brand 02-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Arnaud Dumas de Rauly
Co-CEO & Chair,The Blinc Group & ISO and CEN Standards Committees on Vapor Products
Biography:
Session Details: Cannabis Consumption Technologies 02-10-2019, 9:30 am View In Agenda

Eric Klein
Head of Marketing,Cronos Group
Biography: ,
Session Details: Onstage Interview: Building a Global Cannabis Brand 02-10-2019, 8:50 am View In Agenda

Afzal Hasan
President & General Counsel,Origin House
Biography:
Session Details: Onstage Interview: Building a Global Cannabis Brand 02-10-2019, 8:50 am View In Agenda

Neil Saunders
Managing Director & Analyst,GlobalData Consumer
Biography: ,
Session Details: Opening Keynote: The Global Cannabinoid Opportunity 02-10-2019, 8:20 am View In Agenda

Tahira Rehmatullah
Executive Director,Hypur Ventures
Biography: Tahira serves as Executive Director of Hypur Ventures, Partner at Ceylon Solutions, and CFO of MTech Acquisition Corp. From brand building to hedge funds, Tahira has previously held positions at Marley Natural, Privateer Holdings, City First Enterprises, Perry Capital, and Ernst & Young. She is an investor and advisor to numerous cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs and is dedicated to developing female and minority leadership in the industry. Tahira earned her MBA from the Yale School of Management and B.S. in Finance from The Ohio State University.
Session Details: View In Agenda

Sybil Taylor
Chief Marketing Officer,MediPharm Labs
Biography: A 25-year marketing veteran, Sybil has brought premium consumer brands to life by developing innovative customer-focused marketing strategies. She launched Steam Whistle Pilsner in 2000 as a pioneering upstart and helped it grow to the largest craft beer brand in Canada. As CMO at Nuuvera Canada, Sybil was a senior contributor to this Canadian Cannabis start-up via strategic planning and brand development for medical and recreational brands. Sybil has been part of senior teams in two of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, and through CSR initiatives, she has brought numerous awards and public profile to her managed brands.
Session Details: What do Consumers Want: The Next Level of Innovation For Canada’s Cannabis Sector 03-10-2019, 12:45 pm View In Agenda

Josh Lawler
Partner,Zuber Lawler
Biography: Josh Lawler’s practice focuses on mergers & acquisitions, securities law and technology transactions. Mr. Lawler’s M&A clients include private equity groups, public and private companies, fundless sponsors, family offices and sellers of large assets. Mr. Lawler has extensive experience with complex deals in the cannabis space. He helps cannabis clients with IP (intellectual property), product & environmental compliance, M&A, etc. Mr. Lawler also leads the Firm’s New Technology Group with a particular emphasis on Blockchain (distributed ledger), artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, virtual/augmented reality, internet of things, cybersecurity, and related technologies. Josh holds a law degree from Northwestern School of Law, where he graduated cum laude, and bachelor’s degrees in both bio-psychology and history from Duke University.
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Bridging The Gap Between North America & International Markets 02-10-2019, 3:15 pm View In Agenda

Tom Zuber
Managing Partner,Zuber Lawler
Biography: Tom Zuber is the Managing Partner of Zuber Lawler, which represents clients throughout the world from offices in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Chicago and New York. Tom personally serves as relationship partner for some 10 Fortune clients, as well as fund and government clients. He’s also represented leading cannabis clients for over 12 years. Zuber Lawler helps their cannabis clients with intellectual property, finance, M&A, IPOs, and litigation. Zuber Lawler does a lot of work internationally, and its attorneys work in languages covering 90% of the world’s population. Tom holds a law degree from Columbia Law School, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Government School, and a biomedical engineering degree from Rutgers University, where he graduated with highest honors.
Session Details: Onstage Interview: Building a Global Cannabis Brand 02-10-2019, 8:50 am View In Agenda

Dr. Veronica Stahl
Founder & CEO,Cannabite
Biography: Dr. Veronica Stahl is an international expert and leader in the dental industry. She has delivered care and led teams of medical organizations that deliver optimum care for patients. Her expertise in the fields of implantology, endodontics, and restorative dentistry are pivotal in Cannabite LifeLong’s research and the applications of medical Cannabis in dentistry, which enable her and her team to drive a high impact organization of science-backed treatments. With advanced studies in dentistry and more than 23 years of dental experience, Dr. Stahl currently works in Belgium and brings a wealth of knowledge and research on Cannabis to the startup Cannabite LifeLong from her time spent at Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. She also spent 14 years working in Israel, which has become one of today’s fastest-growing places for technology startups. She currently practices dentistry at Euro Dental in Belgium, the Flander region Antwerpen, and is licensed as a dental practitioner in the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, and Israel.
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Raising Finance For Expansion & Product Development 02-10-2019, 5:15 pm View In Agenda

Scott Samuel
Founder and CEO,Cannabis OneFive, Inc.
Biography: Scott Samuel is a strategic and entrepreneurial leader with a multi-disciplinary set of skills, including but not limited to strategic direction; governance; enhancing enterprise value; M&A; corporate finance; tax; capital raising; and succession. Developing and keeping strong relationships with all stakeholder constituencies has been a focal point of Scott’s career. Professionally diverse; senior management backgrounds in technology, life science and consulting with profitable exits of two technology companies in 8 years. Scott and Skura founders drove the successful sale and spin off of Skura Corp in 2008 with the sale of the consulting arm (75 employees) to IMS Health (now IQVIA - IQV (NYSE)). Scott and Skura founders then built up the software spin out (of IMS Health exit) and Scott sold that to Indegene, Inc., a global health solutions company in 2016.
Session Details: Regulatory Update Panel: Health Canada’s Regulatory Update on Edibles, Extracts & Topicals 02-10-2019, 11:05 am View In Agenda

Dr Graham Wood
Chief Scientific Officer,Neptune Wellness Solutions
Biography:
Session Details: Clinical Pharmacology of Edible: It’s not boring science 03-10-2019, 1:45 pm View In Agenda

Bill Adams
Chief Corporate Officer,Anandia
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Bridging The Gap Between North America & International Markets 02-10-2019, 3:15 pm View In Agenda

Niels Lutzhoft
Partner,Bird & Bird
Biography:
Session Details: Keynote Panel: Bridging The Gap Between North America & International Markets 02-10-2019, 3:15 pm View In Agenda

Kellie L. Johnston
Of Counsel,Norton Rose Fulbright
Biography:
Session Details: RT 4 - Cannabis V 2.0: Environmental, Social and Governance in the Cannabis Industry 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

JP Perreault
CEO,Plan LP Automation
Biography:
Session Details: Automation Strategies Workshop: Executing Critical Efforts for Product Margin Competitiveness 02-10-2019, 1:45 pm View In Agenda

James McMillan
Vice-President, Strategic Business Development,HEXO Corp
Biography: James McMillan brings more than 20 years of executive experience in strategic sales, marketing and business development with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong negotiating skills, and expertise in developing growth markets to his role as Vice-President for Strategic Business Development. As Vice-President for Strategic Business Development, James plays a leading role in identifying strategic opportunities for both M&A, joint ventures and key partnerships in the cannabis market.
Session Details: The CPG path to success in cannabis: Lessons learned from the HEXO-Molson Coors partnership 02-10-2019, 4:45 pm View In Agenda

Pierre Killeen
Manager, Strategic Business Development,HEXO Corp
Biography: A lawyer by training with 25+ years experience in business development and public affairs, Pierre helps decision-makers in private and public sector organizations understand and adopt new ways of doing things. At HEXO, Pierre is part of the Strategic Business Development team responsible for developing partnerships with consumer-packaged goods companies seeking to capitalize on the global cannabis opportunity.
Session Details: The CPG path to success in cannabis: Lessons learned from the HEXO-Molson Coors partnership 02-10-2019, 4:45 pm View In Agenda

Eric Levitt
VP of Business Development,Mile High Labs
Biography:
Session Details: RT 6 - Minor Cannabinoids, Major Potential 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Andrew J. Wilder
Practice Group Chair ,Torkin Manes LLP
Biography:
Session Details: RT 1 - Edibles: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Matt Maurer
Partner and Co Chair,Torkin Manes LLP
Biography:
Session Details: RT 1 - Edibles: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Sarah Jasma
Co-Founder,SIIVVA™
Biography: Sarah Jasma is a legal medical grade cannabis cultivator and extraction expert in the commercial sector. She has been a head grower for million dollar yielding grow rooms at one of Canada's first and largest commercial producers and has grown medical cannabis under the MMAR, MMPR and ACMPR. Sarah has profiled and grown 100+ strains/phenotypes and continues to expand her genetic portfolio. Her perspective, knowledge and passion has led her to play a lead role at WeedMD in launching a business to business genetic procurement platform under the ACMPR. This platform was first of its kind and connected Licensed Producers to quality, lab tested clones for production purposes. Sarah has made valuable and strong connections every step of the way. During her time consulting for the industry and working alongside many industry leaders, she has a developed a strong talent for creating synergistic collaboration opportunities within the industry. Sarah has a valuable natural analytical thought process and is an innovative scientific thinker. Her depth of knowledge and expertise in the cannabis industry are paired with her personal passion & professional relationship to the plant. Sarah and her business partner, Shannon Leroux, joined forces and are the co-founders of SIIVVA, a premium phytocannabinoid skin care company positioning SIIVVA products for the 2.0 market.
Session Details: The Rise of Premium Cannabis Skin Care 03-10-2019, 2:30 pm The Rise of Premium Cannabis Skin Care 03-10-2019, 12:14 am View In Agenda

David Fang
Manager, Advisory, Business Consulting,Grant Thornton
Biography:
Session Details: RT 2 - Cannabis 2.0 – Strategies for accelerating your path to market 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Sanjay Desai
Partner, Advisory, National Leader Business Consulting,Grant Thornton
Biography:
Session Details: RT 2 - Cannabis 2.0 – Strategies for accelerating your path to market 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Michelle Alphonso
Partner, Transactions & National Transaction Advisory Services Leader,Grant Thornton
Biography:
Session Details: RT 2 - Cannabis 2.0 – Strategies for accelerating your path to market 03-10-2019, 10:00 am View In Agenda
Partners









Bird & Bird is a leading international law firm with over 1350 lawyers in 30 offices across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and North America. We connect our passion and practical insight with our clients' vision, and achieve a real commercial advantage. As part of the worldwide Bird & Bird network, in Germany we have over 200 lawyers based in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich as well as an additional presence in Berlin. Organised in international practices and sector groups our lawyers combine their excellent legal expertise with worldwide experience. The key to our success is our sector focus. We have developed deep industry understanding of these sectors, including automotive, aviation, aerospace, defence & security, energy & utilities, financial services, life sciences & healthcare, media, entertainment & sports, retail & consumer and technology & communications.















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PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
If you have a service or product you would like to showcase, please contact:
Ben Lloyd-Davies
Head of Business Development
E-mail: BenLloyd-Davies@arena-international.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 936 6552
SPEAKER OPPORTUNITIES
The program is written in partnership with industry and is the culmination of over 40 interviews with sector leaders. If you have a unique case study or topic you would like to see covered on the agenda please contact our team at:
David Jones
Programme Manager
E-mail: David.Jones@arena-international.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 936 6645