Draft:NECANN

NECANN, the New England Cannabis Convention, is an American trade-show company that organizes business-to-business cannabis industry conventions. Founded in 2014 and based in Boston, Massachusetts, the company held its first conventions in 2015 and subsequently expanded to produce cannabis trade shows in several U.S. states, primarily in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions.[1][2][3] Its co-founder and president is Marc Shepard.[2][4]

NECANN events combine an exhibition hall with educational programming, and cannabis is neither sold nor consumed on site.[1][4]

History

NECANN was founded in 2014, and launched its first conventions in Massachusetts and Maine in 2015.[1] The company also ran a Rhode Island convention for a period during its early years.[1]

The company's Maine event, the Maine Cannabis Convention, was held in Portland. In 2016 the one-day convention drew about 80 exhibitors and roughly 1,500 attendees at the University of Southern Maine's Sullivan Complex.[2] After Maine voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis in November 2016, the 2017 convention moved to the larger, 70,000-square-foot Portland Sports Complex, expanded to two days and 120 exhibitors, and drew an estimated 3,000 attendees over the weekend.[2] The Maine convention continued annually; the 2021 edition featured around 120 exhibitors, more than 100 speakers and about 2,000 attendees.[5] In 2023 the event moved to the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, where it was held in partnership with the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine and featured roughly 120 vendors and 30 speakers.[6][7]

NECANN's flagship Boston convention has been held at the Hynes Convention Center. By 2018 the Boston show hosted about 250 exhibitors and around 100 speakers, and, because the venue prohibited the cannabis plant itself, no cannabis was present at the event.[8] Coverage of the 2023 Boston convention described hundreds of vendors and noted a maturing Massachusetts market in which competition and falling prices were reshaping the industry.[9]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NECANN postponed its March 2020 Boston convention and later moved the event online, describing the virtual gathering as a large-scale digital cannabis industry event.[10]

Expansion

NECANN expanded beyond New England beginning in the late 2010s. In 2019 it launched a New Jersey convention at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City.[11] In 2023 the company held its first Connecticut convention at the XL Center in Hartford — about five months after the state's retail cannabis sales began — with roughly 130 exhibitors, nearly half of them from Connecticut, and organizers reporting attendance in the thousands.[4][1] The company's fourth annual Illinois convention, held in Schaumburg in 2024, featured actor Jim Belushi as keynote speaker along with about 150 exhibitors and more than 50 speakers.[12] Its Vermont convention reached its eighth annual edition in 2026, held at a hotel in South Burlington and adding a "Best in Show" competition.[13] By 2022, the company was reported to produce events in seven states.[3]

Format

NECANN's conventions are business-to-business events built around an exhibition hall and multiple tracks of educational programming, including sessions on regulation, licensing, cultivation and business operations.[1][2] Cannabis is not sold, distributed or consumed at the conventions.[1][4] Co-founder Marc Shepard has described the company's approach as locally focused, with state- and region-specific shows intended to help smaller businesses participate alongside larger competitors.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference wtnh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference pph2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference mg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference nbcct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference pph2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference centralmaine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ncm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference nbcboston was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference masslive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference wcax was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  1. ^ Quimby, Beth (October 14, 2017). "Marijuana convention in Portland bigger than last year's". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "pph2017" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "NECANN Maine 2021 Cannabis Convention". Portland Press Herald. September 23, 2021. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "pph2021" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Maine Cannabis Convention moves to Augusta Aug. 12, 13". Kennebec Journal / CentralMaine.com. August 5, 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "centralmaine" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Annual cannabis convention explores the state's cannabis industry in Maine". NewsCenter Maine (WCSH/WLBZ). 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "ncm" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Cannabis Convention Held In Boston With Legal Pot Sales Around The Corner". CBS News Boston (WBZ-TV). 2018. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "cbs" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Hundreds of Vendors to Set Up at New England Cannabis Convention in Boston". NBC Boston (WBTS). March 9, 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "nbcboston" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  7. ^ "NECANN moves marijuana convention online for what it says will be largest digital cannabis industry event in the world". MassLive. August 2020. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "masslive" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "The biggest NJ cannabis convention hits Atlantic City this weekend". NJ.com. September 2019. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "njcom" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  9. ^ Sherman, Jolie (May 21, 2023). "Hartford Sees First-Ever Connecticut Cannabis Convention". NBC Connecticut (WVIT). Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "nbcct" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Connecticut Cannabis and Hemp Convention at Hartford's XL Center expected to draw large crowds". WTNH. May 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "wtnh" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "The 4th Annual Illinois Cannabis Convention features Jim Belushi". WSIU. May 22, 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "wsiu" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Vermont Cannabis Convention features 'Best in Show' competition". WCAX. May 8, 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "wcax" is not used in the content (see the help page).
  13. ^ Gardiner, Ross (February 16, 2022). "Cannabis Trade Show Strategies". mg Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-05. Cite error: A list-defined reference named "mg" is not used in the content (see the help page).

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