The 2018 Lift Expo was last weekend at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and as one of Canada’s largest cannabis expos, Lift was a diverse mix of everything from expert panels, dj sets, and cooking demos- with nearly 200 vendors and over 10,000 attendees packed shoulder to shoulder.
As you can clearly see, the host venue had a very busy weekend.
The Lift Expo was a cannabis-free event- as the signs said, “Cannabis is cool! But consuming it in here isn’t (neither is selling, sampling, or displaying)”- except at a designated, 19+ medical-only vapor lounge. Which meant many attendees had to rely on their imaginations sometimes- like with the packs of pre-rolls that were empty, or the automatic dry cannabis trimmers spinning with nothing in them, or the non-infused edibles.
But seeing that made me wonder how different the next Lift Expo will be because recreational cannabis will be legal. But then again, due to the rules being the way they were, the Lift Expo was not age-restricted, and it even billed itself as a family-friendly event in their FAQs.
Among the forest of cannabis extraction machines and high wattage growing lights were some interesting odour-absorbing, water-resistant luggage from Revelry and Grizzlers’ pre-rolled joints that came in packs of five and ranged in price from $25 to $35.
There were also “plug-in and grow” boxes for beginner growers and the squishy and colourful silicon pipes, dab rigs, and bongs from Dabware- which would never shatter, even if dropped.
Licensed producers like Tweed, UP Cannabis, and United Greeneries had prime real estate, with Up Cannabis emphasizing their connection to the Tragically Hip.
You might have even bumped into Olympic snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, who was there with his company Ross’ Gold, or Urban Remo, the man with the mustache behind Remo Nutrients.
At least I got to see a really cool #OlympicGoldMedal, and kick it with some guy wearing it. 😜🥇🏂😎
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The Lift Expo was also a good chance for swag like T-shirts, grinders, and edibles. The Baked Edibles’ booth was always buzzing with people drawn in by the smell of freshly baked gingerbread and chocolate cookies- but, as per the rules, the samples were cannabis free.
The Lift Expo even held career fairs on both Saturday and Sunday, and with a business conference on Friday, there were many marketing, networking, legal and investment opportunities that weekend.