Chart: MJBizCon produces some eye-popping numbers

MJBizCon has quickly become a heavyweight in the event space, ranking as the fastest-growing trade show in the country and attracting more attendees than many mainstream industry gatherings.

This year’s conference – the sixth edition – attracted more than 18,000 cannabis professionals to the Las Vegas Convention Center, a record for the event and the marijuana industry. That represents a 67% increase from last year’s show.

Here’s what you need to know about the conference:

• This year, 678 companies exhibited at the event – a 111% increase from the 2016 show. Exhibiting companies spanned all sectors of the industry, from banking, security, packaging and marketing firms to consultants, cultivation equipment manufacturers and infused product companies.
• Nearly 11% of all conference attendees – 1,932 in total – hailed from outside the U.S. Canada had the largest International presence at the show, accounting for over 75% of the non-domestic audience.
• Exhibition floor space more than doubled compared to last year’s conference, rising from 45,000 net square feet in 2016 to over 100,000 in 2017.
• Walking through each aisle of the exhibition floor at an average pace of 2 miles per hour would have taken about 45 minutes. Having a five-minute conversation with each vendor at the show would have taken just under 57 hours.

Eli McVey can be reached at elim@mjbizdaily.com