Open to General Admission guests

Kentucky’s medical cannabis market is just beginning to take shape, creating a rare opportunity for operators to establish position early in a new state program. This conversation explores what medical-first markets reward, what businesses need to get right from the start, and how Kentucky operators are thinking about growth, patients, and long-term sustainability as the market opens.

Cannabis does not simply suffer from a shortage of capital. More often, the problem is that capital remains fragmented, difficult to access, and unevenly deployed across the market. This panel explores why financing still feels elusive despite growing institutional interest, and how new models for participation, underwriting, and lender coordination may help connect more operators with the right capital at the right time.

Compliance failures often start with people, not products. This presentation explores where cannabis operators are most exposed across hiring, training, documentation, workplace practices and internal controls, and how stronger people systems can reduce risk before small issues become expensive problems.

Headset CEO Cy Scott shares a data-driven look at how medical cannabis markets and operators are positioned after rescheduling, including category trends, pricing dynamics, patient demand, and the signals shaping the next phase of state-licensed medical cannabis.

With a new federal healthcare access pathway opening for certain hemp-derived CBD products, the opportunity will favor companies that can deliver consistency, traceability and scale. This panel explores who is positioned to participate, how the economics may work and how healthcare access could begin separating compliant CBD operators from truly investable ones.

As more cannabis businesses emerge on tribal lands, tribal nations are playing a growing role in shaping the future of the industry. This panel explores how sovereignty creates distinct opportunities and considerations for cannabis development, and what operators need to understand when approaching partnerships with tribal nations. The conversation will focus on strategy, respect, and the evolving national significance of tribal cannabis.

As cannabis enters a new federal and financial chapter, capital is returning selectively and rewarding operators with scale, discipline and credibility. In this conversation, Boris Jordan discusses how serious capital is evaluating cannabis today, what stronger companies are doing differently, and what rescheduling, market volatility and institutional interest could mean for the sector’s next phase.

An interactive brand lab focused on what separates cannabis brands that move from those that stall. Through live audience prompts and real-world perspectives from brand, retail and consumer-facing experts, this workshop breaks down how culture, product, story, retail execution and budtender influence come together to drive sell-through.

Rescheduling may change cannabis’ federal posture, but it does not solve banking, public listings, or institutional capital access on its own. This panel explores how the CLIMB Act could help bridge that gap, opening broader participation from financial institutions, investors, and capital markets while the industry pushes for a more functional federal framework.

Cannabis has always carried risk, but what investors consider “risky” is changing. This panel explores how capital allocators are weighing Schedule III upside against implementation uncertainty, the medical/adult-use split, DEA registration complexity, the June 29 hearing, pricing pressure and a more selective investment environment—and what operators need to demonstrate to win capital today.

Most operators know they should be looking at data. Far fewer know which data actually matters, or how to turn a dashboard into better buying decisions. This masterclass breaks down real market data into practical takeaways for buyers, with a focus on what to stock, what to avoid, and how to compete without enterprise-level tools or budgets.

This presentation honors a cannabis industry executive whose leadership reflects Bob Fireman’s enduring commitment to community, operational excellence, and building businesses that leave a lasting impact.

Cannabis reform has opened markets, but far too many people remain behind bars or burdened by convictions tied to the same plant. This conversation explores the unfinished work of criminal justice reform, the role of clemency and reentry efforts, and how industry leaders can help turn cannabis progress into meaningful freedom for those still paying the price.

An exclusive look inside how industry-leading operator, Vireo, sees the future of Cannabis procurement, wholesale opportunities, product trends and what is actually moving in the market. A Can't Miss Roundtable.

This award recognizes women who are breaking through barriers in cannabis, leading with impact across business, policy, and culture. It highlights those who are not only building successful companies and careers, but also helping create more access, representation, and opportunity across the industry.

M&A and expansion are still active in cannabis, but buyers are approaching the market with sharper filters and different priorities than in past cycles. This panel brings together operators and dealmakers to discuss how they evaluate acquisition targets, market-entry opportunities, and strategic partnerships in a landscape shaped by pricing pressure, licensing friction, and ongoing uncertainty.

Hosted by Patrick Rea, this VIP lunch brings retail leaders together for focused, peer-to-peer conversations on store performance, procurement, consumers, capital and growth.

In cannabis, growing and producing is only part of the equation. The real challenge is selling. This panel explores how retailers, brands, and technology platforms are driving traffic, influencing purchasing decisions, and building repeat customers in an increasingly competitive market. From in-store experience to data, marketing, and loyalty, the focus is on what actually moves product today—and what doesn’t.

Distress forces decisions. Keep the asset and fix it, or sell it to someone who can. This session breaks down how value is preserved, transferred, or rebuilt in cannabis downturns. From receiverships and foreclosures to auctions and asset carve-outs, operators and investors will walk through the real playbook for navigating distressed deals across licenses, real estate, and brand/IP.

As the cannabis industry matures, the conversation is shifting from survival to strategy. This panel brings together leading operators to discuss when and how companies begin to make more sophisticated business decisions—from expansion and capital allocation to partnerships and long-term positioning.

Restructuring is rarely easy, but it can create the space for a company to stabilize, refocus, and prepare for what comes next. This conversation examines how operators and advisors are approaching restructuring not just as a response to distress, but as a way to preserve value, reset strategy, and build toward a more sustainable future.

Cannabis retail has come a long way, but consumer expectations are now shaped by mainstream shopping experiences. This conversation explores how operators can borrow from big-box retail, e-commerce, and modern UX to reduce friction, drive demand, and meet customers where they already are.

For cannabis companies looking to move beyond early-stage growth; operational, legal and compliance strategies become more than a defensive function—it becomes part of the growth plan. This panel explores how scaling operators are approaching structure, licensing, and compliance in ways that support expansion, reduce friction, and prepare the business for what comes next.

Debt remains one of the primary sources of capital in cannabis, but it operates through a complex ecosystem of lenders, servicers, and structures. This panel breaks down how credit is deployed, how risk is priced, and what operators need to understand about borrowing, repayment, and capital efficiency in today’s market.

Selling a cannabis business starts long before a buyer shows up. This workshop breaks down how operators can prepare for M&A, from deal structure and financial readiness to human capital, compliance, and operational organization.

Cannabis retail is becoming more automated, but that does not mean the budtender is obsolete. This panel examines where AI can improve efficiency, reduce friction, and support better decision-making—and where replacing human interaction may hurt trust, education, and the overall retail experience.

Rescheduling has moved cannabis into a new federal conversation—but one that is narrowly defined, medically focused, and still largely undefined in practice. This panel examines how DEA oversight, potential purchase-and-resale mechanisms, and FDA-aligned pathways could shape who is allowed to participate, how products are regulated, and whether this emerging system favors large, well-capitalized operators over the rest of the industry.

In the Vip Lounge right outside the Torchbearers Stage - 5th Floor. This is a networking event specifically designed for Retail Owners to meet with one another re: buying/selling stores.

From payments and loyalty to marketing automation and consumer data, cannabis retailers are flooded with technology promising growth. This workshop cuts through the noise to explore which tools actually improve customer experience, strengthen consumer relationships, and drive meaningful in-store conversion. 

Beverages are gaining traction not just because consumers like the format, but because they can fit into familiar retail channels—when state rules allow it. This panel explores how brands navigate a fast-changing patchwork of state regulations, from liquor stores and c-stores to other mainstream outlets, and why convenience in this category often has as much to do with policy, distribution, and channel access as it does with consumer preference.

As anti-cannabis groups, rollback efforts, and new restrictions gain traction in multiple states, advocates and policymakers are being forced to play both defense and offense. This panel looks at how state leaders are protecting progress, pushing back on bans, and building the coalitions needed to shape what comes next in cannabis policy.

On June 15th, an exclusive group of 20 hand-picked CEOs, key decision-makers, and members of the press will gather for the IgniteIt Cannabis Pairing Buyers Dinner; a premier experiential event designed to facilitate deals and authentic industry connections. 

In collaboration with Cloud 9 Studios LLC and Cultivating Spirits, this 3-course gourmet journey is guided by sensory experience expert Philip Wolf. The evening features a revolutionary smoking protocol that provides a sophisticated setting for brands to activate their products in a guided, mindful consumption environment.

Blending elite hospitality, brand strategy, and world-class cuisine, this dinner offers an unparalleled atmosphere for strategic networking and high-impact brand visibility. Attendance is FREE for selected applicants (a $250 value).

Approval is required to secure a seat for this experience. Apply here. 

As search behavior shifts and AI begins shaping how consumers discover information, cannabis brands need a smarter digital visibility strategy. This session explores how SEO, GEO, content, and AI tools can help operators get found, build authority, and reach consumers despite advertising restrictions and platform limitations.

Edibles have long been viewed as cannabis’ most natural bridge to a true consumer packaged goods experience, offering familiar formats and scalable production. Today, advances in formulation, delivery technology, combined with product design, quality, shelf life, and stability are bringing the category closer than ever. This panel explores how companies are improving consistency and reliability across markets—and what still needs to happen for edibles to fully meet the expectations of mainstream consumers.

In a market where capital is limited and volatility remains high, growth increasingly comes from execution, not outside funding. This panel explores how cannabis companies are strengthening fundamentals, closing operational gaps, and growing more intelligently through discipline, efficiency, and better decision-making across the business.

As cannabis markets mature, operators are facing tighter margins, uneven pricing dynamics, and rising pressure to run smarter businesses. This panel explores how companies are managing costs, adjusting strategy, and protecting profitability across different state markets, with a focus on the real financial and operational decisions that help operators stay competitive when the math gets harder.

Not every cannabis customer walks into a dispensary for the same reason, or with the same level of knowledge. This workshop explores how brands and retailers can segment education by audience, need state and product type, moving beyond one-size-fits-all messaging to improve confidence, trust and conversion.

Vapes have become one of cannabis' most commercially successful categories not simply because of potency or novelty, but because they fit how consumers already shop and consume. This panel looks at how the category lowered barriers, built familiarity, and created a more scalable retail product—and what that tells us about the broader mainstreaming of cannabis.

Cannabis operators face constant pressure on talent, but the risks go beyond hiring. From turnover and culture to compliance, classification, and legal exposure, the way you structure your workforce can directly impact your business. This session brings together recruiters, legal experts, and operators to break down what works, what fails, and how to build teams that actually hold up.

As cannabis companies grow, the gap between building something fast and building something that lasts is becoming impossible to ignore. This panel looks at what real company building requires—leadership, discipline, capital strategy, and the ability to operate at scale—through the lens of leaders who have done it before. The goal isn’t theory. It’s understanding what actually holds up when things get difficult.

Cannabis has evolved beyond products designed primarily around THC and getting high. This panel explores how terpenes, minor cannabinoids, and more intentional formulations are helping create a therapeutic layer of the market, with products aimed at specific outcomes, wellness needs, and functional use cases. The conversation will look at whether these innovations are serving an existing demand more effectively, creating new consumer behavior, or both.

Held in the Media Stage (7th Floor, Back Left of the Deal Floor)

A practical cultivation workshop focused on performance, efficiency and R&D operators can actually use. This session explores how growers can collect better data, improve output, reduce waste and strengthen consistency, while identifying when internal knowledge, tools or technologies can become protectable IP, services or new revenue opportunities.

In today’s cannabis market, access to capital is about credibility, discipline and proof. This panel brings together lenders and capital providers to discuss what they are underwriting now, how rescheduling may shift borrower expectations, and what separates companies that earn capital from those that don’t.

Hosted by Patrick Rea, this VIP lunch brings brand leaders together for focused, peer-to-peer conversations on distribution, sell-through, visibility, partnerships and scale.

Cannabis marketing sits at the intersection of multiple industries, borrowing from alcohol, retail, wellness, and regulated markets while also operating under its own constraints. This panel explores what strategies cannabis brands and retailers can realistically adopt from other industries, where those models fall short, and what operators are being forced to build from scratch as the market defines its own rules.

Held in the Media Stage (7th Floor, Back Left of the Deal Floor)

A candid, no-pitch Q&A with active cannabis investors on what actually earns attention in today’s market. This workshop is built for operators who want a clearer view into how capital sources assess risk, leadership, execution, and readiness—and what separates serious businesses from the rest.

Europe has become the default international conversation in cannabis, but the smartest operators are already asking what comes next. This panel explores where fresh opportunity may be emerging across global markets, whether Europe still deserves its central place in the discussion, and what new signals business leaders should be watching as international cannabis evolves.

With a federal hemp deadline looming on November 12, CBD and beverages may be better positioned than many other hemp categories to survive and scale. This panel explores how broad consumer familiarity, political support and retail legitimacy could translate into mainstream staying power if the ban holds—and what operators must do now to prepare.

Hemp beverages are attracting attention from alcohol—but entry into the category is far from uniform. This panel explores how alcohol operators are approaching the space, whether through partnerships, acquisitions, or competition, and what that means for early cannabis and hemp brands. As the category evolves, the key question becomes: who builds it, and who gets built out?

Flower brands may be expanding into more markets, but national scale is harder to define when cultivation, genetics, and production vary from state to state. This panel explores what it really takes to build a flower brand across a fragmented regulatory map, how operators think about consistency and quality, and whether consumers expect the same product everywhere—or simply a brand they trust.

As cannabis evolves, the industry is wrestling with a central question: does the customer belong to the brand or to the retailer? This panel brings together operators and brand leaders to discuss how partnerships are formed, where they break down, which markets foster healthy collaboration, and what it takes to build loyalty in a fragmented state-by-state industry. 

Cannabis operators do not experience regulation as an abstract policy issue. They feel it in margins, inventory, staffing, forecasting and execution. From state-by-state compliance burdens to the new uncertainty created by rescheduling, this panel explores how companies adapt when regulation, financial planning and operational reality collide—and what smarter businesses are doing to stay agile without losing momentum.

Headline: Skyline Social: Closing Party 

When: June 16th | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM 

Where: Rooftop Patio at the Civic Opera House, 20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, 15th floor 

Cap off your time at the IgniteIt Capital Conference with an elevated networking experience. Join us at the Skyline Social on the rooftop of Chicago’s iconic Civic Opera House for an art deco themed networking event. Set against the backdrop of the downtown Loop’s stunning architecture, this high-level happy hour features live music, cocktails, and unparalleled access to cannabis industry leaders and tastemakers. It’s the perfect bridge between the day’s final sessions and tomorrow’s data-deep dive at Sessions 360.

This event is open to IgniteIt VIP ticket holders and Sessions 360 ticket holders.

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