CannaCon Midwest returned to St. Paul this year, and like every major cannabis conference that comes through Minnesota, it gave the industry another reason to gather.

That matters.

At Canna Connect, we believe in the conference ecosystem. CannaCon, Lucky Leaf, NECANN, and other national event platforms have all played a role in bringing attention, vendors, investors, operators, educators, and service providers into Minnesota. These shows create touchpoints. They give people a reason to get on a plane, book a hotel room, walk the floor, shake hands, and see where the market is headed.

But after another year of national cannabis road shows coming through Minnesota, it is fair to ask a bigger question:

What does this market actually need next?

This year, we entered CannaCon with realistic expectations.

We knew turnout would be light. We knew three major cannabis trade shows in four months was a lot for the Twin Cities. We also knew that waiting for the show floor to create momentum for us was not the right strategy.

So we built our own momentum.

Ahead of the event, we focused on our partner network. We worked with brands including Grow Pros Solutions, World Insurance, What Rebates, CannaZip Bags, Cure8, Distru, and Paragon Payroll to create media and event opportunities around the conference. Some of these companies had booths and used Canna Connect to expand their presence at the show. Others chose to partner with Canna Connect outside of the traditional trade show environment.

That was intentional.

We came into the week focused on deepening relationships with the people and companies who have committed to Minnesota, trusted Canna Connect, and believed in the value of showing up with purpose.

Our booth at CannaCon was not designed to be passive.

We earned our booth opportunity through our past partnership with CannaCon, including hosting the official after party in 2024 and 2025. This year, we used that space to create content, support our partners, and bring more energy into the room.

Inside the booth, we recorded interviews for The Canna Connect Show in partnership with Open Window Productions, with additional photography support from Elite Capture Studios. Guests joined us from across the country and beyond, including California, Texas, New York, and Mexico City.

That is what we wanted the booth to be: a media hub, a meeting point, and a way to help our partners turn a conference appearance into something that lasts beyond the two days on the floor.

Hosting a large official after party in the Twin Cities is not easy.

To do it right, and to take care of vendors, partners, sponsors, staff, production, hospitality, and the local community, the budget can quickly climb toward $30,000 or more. We have done that work before, and we know what it takes.

This year, we chose a different path.

Rather than trying to recreate the same after party model, we hosted a dinner for our partners and their clients, then brought people to Earl Giles for the After After Party in support of The Green Standard, our THC beverage developed with Earl Giles.

That decision gave us more control. It allowed us to focus on the people closest to our work. It also helped us use the conference week to strengthen the Canna Connect brand instead of stretching ourselves thin trying to serve everyone at once.

There is a common sentiment among experienced cannabis professionals in Minnesota right now:

Three trade shows in four months is too much.

The bigger issue, though, is not just the number of shows. It is the format.

Cannabis conferences have followed a familiar playbook for years: booths, rows of tables, seminar rooms, badges, discounted tickets, networking hours, and maybe an after party. That format made sense when new markets were opening quickly and everyone was trying to figure out who was who.

But Minnesota is changing.

Operators are more focused. License holders are more selective with their time. Ancillary vendors are watching their budgets. Sponsors want measurable value. Speakers want an audience. Local communities want experiences that feel connected to the actual market, not just another stop on a national road show.

When seminars compete against each other, good speakers can end up in empty rooms. When the show floor lacks energy, exhibitors feel it. When local partners are expected to rally the community without meaningful upside, the model starts to show its limits.

That does not mean these shows have no value.

It means the value has to be reimagined.

Minnesota is a big state with regional markets that deserve attention.

The future of cannabis events here cannot only be built around convention centers in the Twin Cities. We need gatherings that meet operators where they are. We need smaller rooms with stronger intent. We need education that connects directly to the challenges license holders are facing. We need curated conversations, filmed panels, partner-driven networking, and events that create real business outcomes.

That is where we believe things are headed.

The future is not just more booths.

The future is better rooms.

Rooms where cultivators can talk about facility design, environmental control, rebates, security, payroll, software, packaging, insurance, financing, marketing, compliance, and retail operations in a way that actually helps them make decisions.

Rooms where sponsors are not just buying space, but contributing to the conversation.

Rooms where media, education, hospitality, and business development work together.

CannaCon gave us a reason to gather. We are grateful for that.

But the next chapter of Minnesota cannabis events needs to be more intentional, more regional, more operator-focused, and more connected to the people building this industry every day.

That is the direction Canna Connect is moving.

On July 30, we are heading to Brainerd for a different kind of cannabis business event. One built around education, conversation, relationships, and the needs of Minnesota’s operators and license holders.

We made the most of CannaCon.

Now we are focused on what comes next.

Join us in Brainerd on July 30 and see where Minnesota cannabis events are headed.