Native Nation Events Hosts Cannabis and Hemp Conference Aimed at Native Americans
Native Nation Events’ Native American Marijuana and Hemp Conference & Expo will be held September 9-10, 2015 at Harrah’s Resort Southern California, located in Valley Center, CA, just north of San Diego. The purpose of the event is to educate the Native American community as to their options inside of the cannabis and hemp industries. Native Nations Events is an impartial, third party organization who is neither for nor against Native American involvement in the industry. Rather, their goal is to educate the decision makers within each tribe so that they can decide for themselves whether or not they wish to join the cannabis space.
“Our goal is education. The speakers and presenters are allowed to present their views on moving forward, whether it be pro or anti cannabis. After that, each attendee can make their own, educated decision on how their tribe will move forward.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
Where is the event being hosted?
When is the event?
Sept. 9-10 2015
Who is hosting?
The conference is being hosted by Native Nation Events (NNE), in conjunction with Freedom Seed and Feed, their lead corporate partner. Native Nation Events has been putting on events like this for the past thirteen years and are a trusted company to the Native American community. Freedom Feed and Seed is one of the few licensed hemp growers in the United States. While Native Nation Events is not an advocacy group, Freedom Feed and Sees has done a good deal of positive work in regards to advocacy and legislation in the hemp space.
What is the goal of the event?
The goal of the Native American Marijuana and Hemp Conference and Expo is to, first and foremost, educate the Native American community. Secondly, the conference acts as a networking platform for the tribes in attendance. Again, NNE is not an advocacy organization. However, the speakers or presenters at the event are allowed to bring their own suggestions as to how Native American tribes can succeed or avoid the cannabis industry. The highlight of the speakers in attendance will be Dr. Suzanne A. Sisley, M.D. Director of Medicinal Plant Science at Heliospectra.
By combining their efforts, Native Nation Events and Freedom Feed and Seed produce a polarized panel of speakers so that each attendee can make their own decision as to the information presented.
“We don’t stack our panels so that they learn a particular way. We tend to have plenty of contrarian views so that tribe representatives can hear all the ins and outs of the issues before going back and presenting them to their communities.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
Who is the target audience/demo?
NNE’s conference is aimed to attract influential Native Americans who have a prominent voice in their community. That means people with official council experience, those who are governing, those involved with economic positioning or those who simply have influence in their tribe. By and large, those attending will be decision makers within the tribe.
“This industry has unbridled potential. It’s our job to make sure the Native American community has both sides of the equation. What are we trying to achieve? What are the legal hurdles in your way? How do you address those hurdles? Do you even want to address them? There are a lot of things we need to address that are quite important and we need to do it now.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
Why now? Why Southern California?
Native Nation Events was one of the first companies to work with the Native American market, as has been involved with the community throughout the entire process of cannabis growth. The locations they pick are locations that Native Americans, as a whole, would come to. That being said, this specific event is being held in the southwest because it represents the epicenter of Native American culture, as well as the cannabis industry. NNE believes that delaying the education and progress of the Native American community would essentially ‘remove their seat from the table’ as it pertains to long-term industry development. Cannabis is the ‘final frontier’ in terms of industries that Native Americans can get into at the ground level. However, NNE is of the opinion that assimilation has to happen now.
“The landscape of the cannabis industry changes everyday and there are plenty of tribes that are on the fence as to what to do. We can’t delay their education any further on this subject. They need to be given the information that allows them to steer themselves in the most educated direction possible.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
In addition to the fact that there are plenty of local experts in the surrounding area, the southwest is a great venue because it provides an interesting and unique perspective on the legislative successes and pitfalls of medical and recreational cannabis. California, Colorado, Arizona and other surrounding states all have varying levels of legality as it pertains to the industry, this intersection of thought allows experts from all over to educate as to their specific regions and how it compares across the board.
“The only way our location could be better is if we had a higher concentration of Native Americans in other states where cannabis is recreationally legal, like Alaska and Colorado. However, we host the event in Southern California because it was the easiest location to get the most amount of industry experts and Native American tribes involved.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
How did they put it together? Any hangups along the way?
Native Nation Events has been successfully hosting events for 13 years. They do ample due diligence to ensure that the chosen locations for these events are accessible for Native Americans and appropriate for the occasion. NNE has a great relationship with numerous partners in the tribal community, including the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, who has hosted multiple events for NNE.
“We have yet to experience any real hang-ups in terms of putting this event together. We routinely tap into our connections within the Native American and cannabis communities, and then coordinate an agenda with our Native American partners, trusted professionals and Advisory Board members. The only hang-up would be the nerves surrounding the ‘what ifs’ of producing an event. However, we plan ahead for those contingencies and are expecting this event, like our previous events, to run as smooth as silk.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
The Native American Marijuana and Hemp Conference & Expo is expecting no less than 200 influential Native American attendees and is looking forward to providing an unbiased look into the possibilities of the cannabis and hemp industries. Should a tribe choose to get involved, this event will also serve to assist them in taking the appropriate route to success.
“If Native America opts to enter the cannabis space, we want to make sure they take all the right steps to operate in compliance with regulations, so that it can be a fruitful venture for all involved.” – Russ Anderson – Director of Operations – Native Nation Events
Check out any of the Native Nation Event links above for information on attending the conference. For other questions, comments or concerns, feel free to comment below!
