Best Practices in Cannabis Marketing for 2019 — New Jersey
Legal cannabis has arrived. But with seemingly endless opportunities coming into focus for marketing professionals in our nascent industry, it can be hard to know where to spend your time, money and energy when bringing the next great cannabis product or service to market.
With new legal frameworks and regulations, marketing and communications professionals often find themselves working harder than they need to, spending too much on simple execution, and often finding their campaigns don’t earn the proper reach for the investment.Cannabis companies continue to struggle for access to traditional marketing channels like digital advertising, social media, and mainstream publications. Not to mention, cannabis still faces a huge branding issue as the stigma still pervades.
Join us for a deep, candid conversation with the top local minds in cannabis marketing, communications, and public relations. This panel discussion will be expertly moderated by Victor Pinho, California Director, Cannabis Marketing Association.
Reserve your Early Bird tickets in advance. Ticket pricing goes up Day-Of.
Members of the press please email
[email protected] with your credentials for press access.
Topics to be addressed in our discussion include:
Navigating Existing Marketing Regulations
Authenticity and Inclusivity in Cannabis Advertising
Improving Your Bottom Line Through Best Practices
Agenda
There will be time for a moderated audience Question & Answer session at the end of our panel discussion. Attendees are encouraged to come prepared with their relevant cannabis marketing questions for our panelists. Light snacks and non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided.
6:00 pm - Doors Open
6:30 pm - Panel Discussion and Q&A
7:30 pm - Open Networking
Sponsorships Available Now
Get your brand in front of a targeted group of cannabis business owners, executives, and communications professionals. Email
[email protected] to secure an event sponsorship.
There are 3 corporate sponsor slots available for each event.
Event sponsors receive:
One 6 foot table and two chairs at the event to showcase your brand to 100 cannabis professionals
May provide one item for the raffle
May provide swag items for the group (quantity 100)
Your company logo permanently branded on the official CMA event video which is made available to all CMA members nationally through the CMA Member Portal
20% off a First Year CMA Corporate Membership
May submit a 100-word blurb to the CMA National Newsletter
Speaker Bios
New Jersey Assemblymember Raj Mukherji
Raj Mukherji is an Assemblyman in the New Jersey State Legislature who represents the 33rd Legislative District as well as a lawyer, businessman, former Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, and political science professor. On November 7, 2017, Mukherji was reelected to a second term. Mukherji is the Democratic Majority Whip.
According to media reports, he started multiple successful businesses before leaving his teens and was sworn into his first public office at age 24.
Kelley Crosson
Vice President, New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association
Kelley Crosson is a horticulturist, designer, and cannabis advocate. She owns KC, Inc., a horticulture and design consulting company based in Manhattan. From October 2009 – May 2018 she worked with major donors for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP.) MPP played the leading role in drafting, funding, and staffing the historic 2012 Amendment 64 initiative in Colorado - which made CO the first place in history to legalize marijuana for adults and regulate it like alcohol. MPP also led the coalitions that passed measures to legalize and regulate marijuana in Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada in 2014 and 2016. Through MPP, Kelley is knowledgeable about marijuana policy at both the state and federal level. Currently, serving as the Vice-President of the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association.
She received her BA in English from the Pennsylvania State University in 1991 and is a 2013 graduate of the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. The main emphasis of her horticulture studies and her current practice is low-impact, sustainable design and the use of native plants. While a student at the NYBG, Kelley interned with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in New Jersey to study Helonias bullata, a plant federally listed as a threatened species. She was an instrumental part of the installation team for the 3.5-acre, $15 million Native Plant Garden at the NYBG, which included Helonias bullata and other plants native to the region.
Evan Nison
Founder & President, NisonCo
Co-Founder & Cheif Financial Officer, Whoopi & Maya
Evan Nison is the Treasurer and youngest member of the Board of Directors of NORML, and sits on the Board of Directors of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. In 2013, he founded the PR firm NisonCo which connects leaders in the legal cannabis, medical marijuana, CBD and hemp industries with influential journalists across the U.S. and the world. NisonCo has been recognized as a top cannabis pr firm since 2016. That same year he co-founded Whoopi & Maya, a women-focused medical cannabis product with actor Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Elisabeth, creator and owner of Om Edibles.
In college, Evan studied business with the goal of creating socially conscious for-profit businesses. During his career as an advocate, where he was personally involved in public relations, Nison was instrumental in the passage of the New York 911 Good Samaritan Law, the New York medical marijuana law, and a US Conference of Mayors resolution calling for the legalization of marijuana.
Heather Kumer, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Heather Kumer, a LEED-Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, practices primarily in the areas of real estate, land use and cannabis law. Heather guides clients in making their real estate project’s vision a reality. As part of her practice, she regularly works to obtain approvals in front of planning boards, zoning boards and historic preservation boards, as well as provides counsel on redevelopment agreements and redevelopment plan amendments. She has been involved with real estate development throughout the City of Jersey City for almost a decade in both the private and public sector.
Combining her background in land use and zoning, sustainability, redevelopment, cannabis, municipal law, and regulatory and government affairs, Heather provides a unique perspective on development projects. In addition, she represents not only real estate developers, but also cannabis companies with applications and site plan approvals as well as related legislative issues. In fact, Heather has been involved with drug policy reform and cannabis legislation since 2004, when she was involved with Students for Sensible Drug Policy during college. She continues to work in cannabis industry advocacy as the Municipal Policy Advisor for the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association.
Prior to joining Connell Foley, Heather was an in-house counsel and sustainability coordinator for the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency for over five years, where she worked closely with the general counsel on legal matters. As part of this work, Heather was involved in redeveloper designations and agreements, as well as large scale projects related to the redevelopment of the City of Jersey City, including the construction of Berry Lane Park, a 17 ½ acre former brownfield site. While working in the public sector, Heather secured and implemented federal, state, county and private grants, including Major League Baseball Grant, Tony Hawk Grant, Hudson County Open Spaces Grant, NOAA Resiliency Grant, and the NJDEP Post Sandy Resiliency Grant.