CBDEXPO MIDWEST

10:15 am – 11:00 am – Understand “The Man”: Food & Drug Compliance And Federal Enforcement

Fighting the authorities can be a struggle. Although long held rules and regulations on CBD and other cannabinoids are rapidly changing, it still pays to pick your battles and know your rights. One wrong move in your CBD companies manufacturing process or production line can have the authorities breathing down your back, imposing huge fines at best and shutting your business down altogether in a worst case scenario. Don’t let this happen to you. Understand “The Man” and why it pays to follow the rules with this panel aimed at taking the crosshairs off of your business with a look at the requirements, processes and protocols to stay in good standing with the FDA and other federal enforcement.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm – Making the Claim: How to Build an Effective Brand through Compliant Labelling and Packaging

With various levels of legalization taking place nationwide, ensuring that your messaging falls within legal guidelines is crucial. From packaging and advertising content to marketing initiatives and sales collateral there are a number of pitfalls CBD companies are liable to make when discussing the plant and its products. One incorrectly used word could potentially result in fines, shutdowns, and more. While clever packaging can help firms effectively deliver messages while ensuring product integrity and safety. Here, we give you the ins and outs of precisely what can and cannot be said in your messaging, packaging, and branding. Stop having to worry about whether or not you are in compliance by listening to what the experts have to say.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – What’s in a Name: Understanding the Nuances of Federal and State Laws

Controversy remains amongst scientists and industry stakeholders about how to best discuss the plant Cannabis Sativa, with a variety of interpretations influencing marketing and manufacturing decisions. Integral to this controversy are the various local, state, and federal regulations surrounding cannabis products such as adult-use marijuana and industrial hemp. As the legal landscape for cannabinoids becomes increasingly patchwork, brands looking for national appeal must familiarize themselves with these laws and regulations in order to avoid costly consequences. Our panel of experts will explore how the dynamics of regulatory compliance from the local and municipal level all the way up to the federal level.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – The Biggest Challenges Facing Chicago Over the Next Decade

As Illinois gears up for its first full year of adult use legal cannabis, the cracks in the system are already showing. The difficulties of meeting the needs of medical marijuana patients and recreational users has created supply issues that threaten the integrity of the system. Moreover, consumers more comfortable with hemp products like CBD complicate a rapidly growing market. Join our panel to hear about the emerging market for cannabinoid products in Chicago and learn how these dynamics are being overcome from a business and regulatory perspective.

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm – Boost CBD Products with Organic & cGMP Certifications

Wellness consumers in the 21st century are weary of empty promises. Certifications that guarantee exceptional quality are the golden ticket to product recognition and shelf velocity. The two most powerful seals of greatness? Certified organic and certified Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). cGMP certification regulates manufacturing practices. It demonstrates that your product is clean, safe, and consistent. CBD and cannabinoid products with these certifications leave the competition in the dust. But the journey to certification is nuanced. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA) require that cultivators and manufacturers adhere to specific guidelines and procedures to earn these badges of honor. Fortunately, specialists are available to guide you toward certification — one step at a time.

10:15 am – 11:00 am – THC is a Cannabinoid: Whole Plant Health

Even though this is the CBD expo, the cannabinoid entourage runs deep. For many, THC and adult use or medical marijuana remains the cannabinoid of choice. Understanding how and why THC exerts its benefits on various users is integral to making sense of their cannabis plant, and unlocking its total potential. However, regulatory constraints and consumer ignorance remain a formidable barrier. Whether it’s trace amounts of THC in full spectrum products or low-CBD cultivars, every cannabinoid has a potential effect and every user has a preference. Join our panelists as they explore the role of THC within broader paradigm of cannabinoid health and wellness.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm – Cannabinoids and Beyond: Understanding the Breadth of the Plant

The Others: Your eyes don’t deceive you. This is a CBD Expo, but there are many more therapeutic molecules in hemp, including so-called minor cannabinoids like CBC, CBN, and CBG as well as moieties that are still to be fully appreciated. Our experts assembled on this panel are hoping to familiarize consumers with the diversity of plant chemicals that cannabis has to offer. Understanding developments surrounding products, science, and culture as well as cannabis and hemp as CBD becomes increasingly mainstream is important to understanding how to unlock the full potential of the plant and understand how the industry is developing into the new decade.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – Coming to your Senses: Terpenes + CBD

For some time, terpenes were considered waste molecules leftover after extracting CBD. Those times were short-lived, however, since there is an abundant wealth of scientific literature demonstrating the medicinal merit of terpenes like beta-caryophyllene, linalool, bisabolol, nerolidol, and more. For example, nerolidol and linalool are useful in treating anxiety, whereas beta-caryophyllene is useful in relieving pain. While some patients may benefit from more one-dimensional CBD products like isolate, the terpenes native to the plant can help augment the benefits of the extracted cannabinoid(s). This panel will discuss the importance of terpenes, and how adding these precious little molecules back into CBD oils can differentiate a product to have a defined medical purpose.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – The Cutting Edge of Cannabinoid Science

Science has transformed the world of cannabinoids. CBD was once a relatively obscure, banned substance. But scientific research landed this compound in the hands of physicians, engineers, lawmakers, and consumers. In fact, research fuels innovation. Designers rely on emerging scientific evidence to develop cannabinoid products that meet the needs of an evolving market. Where is the science of CBD today? The past year’s breakthroughs in CBD research include medication interactions, epilepsy, neuroscience, dermatological applications, mental health disorders, addiction/relapse, and biochemistry. This council of established scientists will push your company to the cutting edge of chemical/medical advancement in the field. Critics often point out that CBD claims are ahead of science. But knowledge is power.

10:15 am – 11:00 am – CBD Advertising – Alternative Methods for an Unconventional Industry

This panel will dive into the ever important yet still strictly regulated world of CBD advertising. Most products available to the public can employ a wide variety of advertising tactics to aide in sales and marketing efforts. CBD, however, falls outside of the norm when it comes to advertising due to the regulations and legalities that still exist on the industry. Widespread acceptance and expansive growth makes changes to these regulations seem inevitable, yet hurdles for advertising CBD products still remain. This panel will focus on highly effective tricks and tactics to get any CBD product the proper advertising necessary to increase audience and brand awareness. Industry insiders will share their advertising knowledge through essential outlets such as print, digital, PR, radio and podcasts.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm – CBD CX – Customer Experience Strategies For CBD Companies

Customer experience is crucial in any industry and the CBD world is no exception. Every interaction a customer has with your CBD business, from pre-sale to post-sale and all steps along the way, will determine if they return for repeated purchases. Poor customer experience (CX) in the digital age can quickly lead to poor reviews that can doom fledgling business with good CBD products. A solid CX strategy is critical towards building lasting success in an industry ripe with competition. This panel will show how to create and implement lasting customer experience strategies designed and proven to help build and sustain your CBD company.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm – LUNCH BREAK

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – What to Consider When Choosing a White-Labeling Partner

Learn the importance of white labeling and how it can turn your CBD product into an evolving asset. By allowing other companies to market and sell an already developed product under a different brand name, your cannabinoid creations can take on new life and added value. This is an intriguing model to boost business and increase income by utilizing a long practiced trick of the trade. This panel will look at the process, power, and possibilities that white labels can offer to your CBD business and why it is a better time than ever to explore this proven tactic.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – Hemp’s Hurdles: Merchant Processing & Business Banking

As regulation surrounding hemp cultivation and processing takes shape there remains tremendous confusion on both the industry and consumer side surrounding payment processing. As the SAFE Banking ACT stalls in the Senate and courts continue to scrutinize 280-E tax filings, support for the financial aspects of CBD sales and production can seem non-existent. Our panel of industry veterans, lawyers, and financial professionals discuss the legal, and practical logistics of merchant processing and banking hemp related monies.

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm – How to Approach CBD Marketing For Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups: Q&A

So you started a cannabidiol business and are looking to scale up but not sure how? The key to a successful company is good marketing–and CBD is no exception. But even for seasoned pros, the transition to CBD may be a bit bumpy. The blossoming industry is going through some growing pains as regulators work to come up with guidelines. To avoid the chaos, consider developing marketing messages that are based in the science of the product and reflect the needs of the consumer/patient audience. A strategic integrated approach targeted to key stakeholders with messages that carefully balance product/service benefits is a good start to kick off long-lasting relationships with patients and consumers.