NEW YORK, New York – Emerald Holding has acquired MJBiz, the leading event producer and content platform serving a broad range of businesses operating in the growing cannabis industry.
Founded in 2011, MJBiz produces MJBizCon, the longest-running and largest B2B cannabis trade show in America. In 2021, MJBiz generated approximately $27 million in revenue, which is close to pre-pandemic levels.
MJBizCon is a premier trade show in the cannabis industry, having welcomed more than 1,200 exhibiting companies and 27,000 attendees—including more than 18,000 paid registrants—at the October 2021 event, rivaling pre-pandemic numbers.
MJBiz leadership, including CEO Chris Walsh, SVP of Events and Sales Jess Tyler and SVP of Content and Audience Development Pam Moore, will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of the company, utilizing their exceptional knowledge and experience in events and content platforms.
“This is a transformative acquisition for Emerald, as it represents a significant milestone in the execution of our strategic initiatives and underscores our commitment to evolving and growing our clients’ businesses 365 days a year,” said Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have long admired MJBiz’s exceptional reputation as the most trusted event and content producer serving the business side of the cannabis and hemp industries and their respective participants. MJBiz’s portfolio of premier events and content, combined with its 365 engagement platform that connects the entire cannabis supply chain, will diversify our collective product offering, enhance our growth profile and position us to deliver even greater value to our clients over the long term.”
Cassandra Farrington, MJBiz Co-Founder and Board Chair, said, “Our organization has grown massively since its inception as a hands-on resource to help dispensary owners better manage their businesses, to our current position as the leading business resource for the cannabis industry. Integrating into a larger organization provides the additional resources and channels to unlock the next phase of growth for MJBiz and is the next step in our evolution as a company. We selected Emerald because they clearly value the unique aspects of our brand and are committed to serving the expansion of the industry.”
Emerald paid $120 million as upfront consideration at closing of the transaction, with potential future payments contingent on MJBiz’s performance through 2022.
“At Emerald, we are strongly behind our strategic initiatives and framework that will enable us to optimize the portfolio and deliver growth for our people, customers and business. Through this acquisition, we can partner and collectively invest in the growth areas that MJBiz has already identified, alongside the strategic opportunities that lie ahead,” said Sedky.
MJBizCon returned to Las Vegas for its first in-person conference in two years last October, attracting 26,998 attendees and 1,246 exhibitors. Approximately 249,300 net square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center were used for the show.
“This is an exciting opportunity for MJBiz. Joining the Emerald team will allow us to take MJBizCon – and the brand – to the next level with additional resources and extensive experience across their many verticals. With Emerald’s support, we look forward to building on the success of the 2021 show and serving our audience and exhibitors better than ever before,” said Jess Tyler, CEM, Senior Vice President of Events and Sales, MJBiz and MJBizCon.
Upcoming MJBiz events include the Emerald Conference, February 27-March 1, 2022, in San Diego, California at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort, and MJBizCon, November 15-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Sidebar
MJBizCon
- Ranked once in the Gold 100 (Exhibition year: 2019)
- Ranked five times in the Fastest 50 (Posting years: 2015-2019)
- The 2019 show ranked 72nd in the Gold 100
- 2019 Show Ranked #3 by NSF, #2 by Exhibiting Companies, #32 by Attendance in Fastest 50 Ranking
- The 2015 show ranked No. 1 in all three Fastest 50 metric categories.
- 2021 Show Data Reported for Upcoming Q4 Dashboard (October 20-21, 2021 at the Las Vegas Convention Center): 247,700 NSFs; 1,245 Exhibiting Companies; 26,998 Attendees.
- The show was previously called Marijuana Business Conference & Expo (shortened to MJBizCon starting in 2017).
- The Marijuana Business Conference – Spring was a spring edition that was held in previous years (the last edition was in 2019). The spring edition ranked in the Fastest 50 once (show year: 2016).
MJBizCon Gold 100 Grand Awards
- 2019 Show: Fastest Growing Gold 100 Shows by Net Square Footage in 2019 (by Percentage Growth)
- Salon 2019: The fastest growing Gold 100 salon in 2019 (by mixed growth)
MJBizCon Fastest 50 Grand Awards
- 2018 Show: The annual show with the strongest growth in terms of attendance (in absolute figures)
- 2018 Show: Fastest growing annual show in terms of exhibition space (percentage)
- 2017 Show: Fastest Growing Retail Show by Combined Growth Percentage
- 2017 Show: Fastest growing biannual show in terms of combined growth percentage
- 2016 Show: Fastest Growing Biannual Show by Percentage Growth (NSF, Exhibitors, Attendance)
- Salon 2015: the show that experienced the strongest growth in 2015
- Salon 2015: The fastest growing trade show run by an independent organizer
Contact Hervé Sedky at [email protected]; Cassandra Farrington at (720) 212-5802 or [email protected]