Prohibition Partners LIVE: A Truly Global Event
The coronavirus (COVID-19) disease outbreak continues to make its effects felt around the world. The pandemic has put an increased burden on global healthcare systems, and is now beginning to cause major disruption in many key sectors, including education, business, and finance — and the cannabis industry is no exception.
The continued health and safety of attendees at our cannabis industry events, and of the wider community, remains our top priority at Prohibition Partners. In light of the spread of COVID-19 and its continued effects on global public health and infrastructure, Prohibition Partners and Cannabis Europa will be taking our industry leading events online in 2020.
On the 22-23 June, the multi-day digital Prohibition Partners LIVE event will bring together some of the most hotly anticipated industry events of the year — Cannabis Europa, PSYCH: The Psychedelics Symposium, Cannabis Oceania, and more — all in one place.
The virtual event space will see top industry leaders meet with the global cannabis community in live-streamed keynotes and panel discussions, interactive workshops, and virtual networking sessions.
The impact of COVID-19 on the cannabis industry
We have already seen major disruption to the cannabis industry supply chain, as the vast majority of hardware used in cannabis vape products is produced by manufacturing companies in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. As the scale of the pandemic escalated in China, these factories halted operations to protect the health of their workers, causing fear that supply will not be able to keep up with product demand. With China announcing it will now be lifting the lockdown on Wuhan, Hubei province — the city at the epicentre of the pandemic — hopes are high that normal production will be able to resume in Guangdong province soon.
While the cannabis supply chain fluctuates, we can also expect changes in consumer behaviour. In a recent survey by Prohibition Partners, a third of respondents reported that they would expect their cannabis product use to increase as a direct result of the impact of COVID-19, with only 1-in-10 respondents saying the outbreak might cause them to reduce their cannabis or CBD use.
While cannabis is typically seen as a more social drug, social distancing measures could serve to normalise more personal cannabis use and encourage the mass market acceptance of the drug as consumers seek out new ways to alleviate anxiety in these uneasy times.
The virus has also triggered financial uncertainty within nearly every key market. In the cannabis market, this has compounded the problems seen raised by the pre-existing market slump. Hundreds of layoffs have also been made within some of the industry’s largest firms, directly citing the financial anxieties caused by COVID-19 as the primary reason for their restructuring.
Once the COVID-19 pandemic passes, we anticipate a number of dramatic structural changes that may stay with the cannabis industry as a result of actions being taken now.
We may see an increase in support for recreational cannabis legalisation as states and countries seek to stimulate their post-virus economies. Companies which have embraced the online market for e-commerce or for other digital strategies also may choose to maintain this alternative business model.
Within the cannabis industry event space, this could be the beginning of a whole new digital conference industry, allowing leaders in the space to network and communicate their ideas with greater ease than ever before.
Why attend a virtual conference?
Agenda-setting Content
In keeping with the tradition and standards set by the physical events that came before it, Prohibition Partners Live will feature high quality speakers and industry experts. The digital event space will connect audiences with these industry leaders through live-stream keynotes, fully interactive panel discussions, educational workshops, and special ‘ask an expert’ sessions.
Our three flagship industry events — Cannabis Europa, PSYCH: The Psychedelics Symposium, and Cannabis Oceania — will all be available as a part of Prohibition Partners Live, joining a host of other cutting-edge regional content streams to create an industry defining international conference. Each event stream will bring together leaders from the world’s of healthcare, science, politics, and business, to present their findings and encourage open educational dialogues on all of the nuances of the cannabis industry.
Globally Focused
By taking industry events online, it’s possible to share market-leading expertise and the insights of our highly-skilled network with the entire global cannabis community. Equipped with an event space able to cater for thousands, online attendees from Australia to Argentina, Canada to China, and from the United Kingdom to the United States will be able to learn, network and debate instantly.
Targeted Networking
The Prohibition Partners LIVE event space also makes use of an advanced digital algorithm which will connect event attendees with other like-minded individuals in the Prohibition Partners network. By filling in a simple online profile with information such as your interests and expectations, we can ensure you are matched with other attendees, speakers, and partners who will help you grow your business and achieve your professional goals.
Easily Accessible
As a digital-first event, Prohibition Partners LIVE will offer accessibility for speakers, sponsors and attendees across multiple time zones.
All event talks, panel, workshops, and networking sessions at Prohibition Partners LIVE will be able to be accessed from anywhere in the world, on any mobile, tablet, or laptop device. Interactive sessions will bring audiences right on stage alongside the world’s leading industry speakers and on-demand content will allow users to revisit the key highlights from what’s set to be an action-packed multi-day conference.
For more information on COVID-19
While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly. The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date.
For the latest international advice, see guidance from the World Health Organisation. For readers in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service can also provide useful information on how to protect yourself from COVID-19.