Lucky Leaf Expo, Kansas City 2023
Rob Sanchez
As I walked out of the plane in Kansas City last Thursday to go to Lucky Leaf Expo, there was a moment or two of surprise as I was greeted by the new and improved MCI airport terminal which opened in early March ‘23. Talk about upgrades, the previous MCI location was dated for sure but memorable. There is something nostalgic about the old curved building and no frills approach to air travel with nothing but a Budweiser lounge to pass the time. We’re in the future now and that means bigger buildings, more walking and more stores and restaurants to visit after security. Oh yeah, I found a bathroom for dogs too, complete with turf and faux fire hydrants; Kansas City is not cutting corners folks! The new building is beautiful with pops of local KC flair among the modern art and sleek architecture for me to wander through the day before the expo.
Lucky Leaf Expo, Kansas City! I’m so happy to see Cannabis Conferences happening in KCMO at long last. I grew up in the suburbs of KC on the Kansas side and graduated from Kansas State before leaving the state in 2012 to get into the cannabis industry in Denver, CO. Starting as a trimmer in the medical cannabis scene, I learned my way around the plant before graduating to creating solventless hash before I stepped into a role as a lead grower for another facility. All great of course, but I didn’t want to leave Kansas in the first place (insert wizard of OZ joke). I always told people I would come back when KC legalized. This definitely felt like that return and then some as I had a speaking session at Lucky Leaf as well.
The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center is nestled into the heart of KC, south of the river. It was the perfect location for the conference with a large lobby and multiple halls for attendees to relax and network. On day one, going through registration was simple; the Lucky Leaf employees are always awesome to talk with and ready to help. I made my way to the expo floor to walk and talk a bit before attending some sessions. After being in the industry so long, it’s always great to see old co-workers and conference friends again.
The expo hall had a diverse range of booths. The digital products were well represented with three or four software companies in the mix along with a payment solution. There were three genetics companies, Destiny Genetics, West Coast Genetix and Humboldt Seeds. There were two or three showing off cool pipes and vapes like Sunankin, iKrusher and DopeEx. The security and SOP side of things was covered by Solink, Cure8, Forte and BuildMySOP. There was some local representation, but it was minimal. My favorite booth this time would have to be Smokey River Cannabis. It was cool to learn about their event space planned, and the solventless concentrates they make at BesaMe. It had a good layout with a few random booths covering things like personal protection equipment, soil plugs and the like. A new business I learned about called CannaSpyGlass provides industry license counts and location insight to entrepreneurs, operators, vendors and investors. The expo hall was awesome, albeit a little on the slow side.
The session lineup was comprehensive, covering a range of perspectives and needs in the industry. I made it to several on Day 1 including “Keys to Raising Capital in Cannabis and CBD/Hemp” by Dope CFO, “Building a Compliant Facility: Cultivation” by Anderson & Porter Design, “Protecting Your Green: Utilizing Payroll, HR and Timekeeping to Keep Your Business Compliant” by Panacea Payroll and last but certainly not least “How To Sell Weed Online – The Smart Way” by Max from the Dope Marketing Podcast. My session kicked off Day 2; it was called “ERP Software & Cannabis Connoisseurship.” I had a great time speaking and almost quadrupled the attendance for my session since the last time I gave it in Albuquerque! The session rooms were smaller which led to easier conversation between attendees and the speakers. Day 2, I didn’t see any other sessions as I spent the day with family in and around KC.
The conference was unique in Kansas City where recreational sales have been breaking records. I think because all of the med licenses are established already and the recreational scene has just begun, attendance was pretty low. There’s no way to put that differently; it was not well attended. Not sure the reasoning there, but I think it will only improve from here as the cannabis scene evolves in the city. Many conferences with a B2B focus can be this way though and I honestly don’t mind it. There are great people to meet and business to be done at these conferences still; they’re relaxed and honest unlike some other big conventions that occur in Vegas and become an excuse for a big party. Nothing wrong with partying either; there was a great little mixer after day one at 9th & State sponsored by Cure8 and their partners to unwind and continue conversations started on the expo floor or in sessions. I’d highly recommend checking out a Lucky Leaf Expo near you if you're a current or prospective business owner, a cannabis brand manager or buyer or just interested in the cannabis industry in your region. I’ll be heading out to New York for Lucky Leaf Albany next with a few more planned this year!