How Canna Connect Is Reinventing Minnesota Cannabis Events
The Person Helping Shape What Canna Connect Is Becoming
This week on The Canna Connect Show, Stephen sits down with Spencer Ploessl, Canna Connect’s Advisor and Creative Director, for a candid conversation about the work behind the work.
Over the past year, Spencer has helped shape nearly every part of Canna Connect—from strategy, branding, and event design to the way we communicate with our partners and present Minnesota’s cannabis space through media.
This episode is part interview and part state of the show.
Stephen and Spencer discuss:
How their working relationship developed
Why Canna Connect is focused on originality rather than copying traditional event formats
The importance of professional media and documenting the community as it grows
Expanding beyond the Twin Cities into Brainerd, Duluth, and other Minnesota markets
Why meaningful conversations matter more than building the largest possible trade show
What the Community Pod concept is designed to accomplish
Spencer describes Canna Connect’s growth as something that does not always need to move “up and to the right” in the traditional sense. Sometimes progress means creating a smaller, more intentional environment, reaching a different part of the state, or making it easier for the right people to build real relationships.
Watch the Episode on YouTube or Listen Wherever you Enjoy the Show
The Conversation Leads Directly to Brainerd
A major portion of the episode looks ahead to Canna Connect Brainerd, taking place Thursday, July 30 at the Northern Pacific Center.
The event represents the next step in the format Stephen and Spencer discuss throughout the episode: one shared environment where education, networking, and partner conversations happen together.
Instead of placing exhibitors in one hall and educational sessions in distant breakout rooms, Canna Connect Brainerd brings everything into one connected space. Four Community Pods—CONNECT, EDUCATE, LEARN, and GROW—will each bring together four complementary organizations for a professionally recorded panel and continued small-group conversations throughout the day.
What You’ll Find on the Updated Eventbrite Page
We have expanded the Eventbrite listing to provide the information you need before making the trip, including:
The full schedule and event format
All four Community Pod lineups
Complete panel descriptions and discussion themes
Venue and arrival information
Who the event is designed for
What attendees should expect throughout the day
Registration options for license holders, pre-license businesses, and the broader community
The Four Community Pods
Dutchie, Comcast, Cure8, and Solink
CONNECT
Technology, connectivity, cybersecurity, surveillance, point-of-sale, ecommerce, payments, and the systems that need to work together behind the scenes.
Featuring:
Comcast Business
Cure8
Dutchie
Solink
Surfside, Cannasure, Ganjier Guild, and Thrive Agritech
EDUCATE
Risk management, leadership, customer data, employee education, cultivation planning, and making stronger decisions before expensive problems arise.
Featuring:
Cannasure
Ganjier Guild
Surfside
Thrive Agritech
Beyond the Pines, Trailhead Cannabis Co., Adams Independent Testing, and Local 49 IUOE
LEARN
Financial readiness, workforce planning, laboratory testing, quality assurance, active operations, and the trusted relationships businesses need to build early.
Featuring:
Adams Independent Testing
Beyond the Pines Tax & Accounting
Local 49 IUOE
Trailhead Cannabis Company
Lake Leaf Cultivation, What Rebates, NorthStar Cultivation Supply, and TSRgrow
GROW
Cultivation facility design, environmental consistency, genetics, lighting, inputs, energy planning, production metrics, and long-term financial sustainability.
Featuring:
Lake Leaf Cultivation
NorthStar Cultivation Supply
TSRgrow
What Rebates
Built for the People Figuring It Out Right Now
Sam Milstein, Milstagrams THC
Brainerd is designed for people at several stages of the process:
Recently licensed and working toward opening
Actively operating a cannabis business
Building a cultivation or manufacturing facility
Supporting operators through professional services
Looking to better understand Minnesota’s developing market
As Stephen and Spencer discuss in the episode, this is not intended to feel like a traditional trade show. The Community Pods are built to make conversations more accessible, more personal, and easier to continue after each panel ends.
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Northern Pacific Center | Brainerd, Minnesota
Review the newly updated event page, explore the panel lineup, and reserve your place.
We hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with Spencer and that it gives you a clearer look at the thinking, collaboration, and creative work behind Canna Connect.
We’ll see you in Brainerd.
The Canna Connect Team
Disclaimer: This email is informational only and not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Please consult your advisors for guidance specific to your business.
