Loveland, CO – July 10, 2018 – On the heels of its sold-out, over-capacity show drawing more than 6,000 attendees and 150 diverse exhibitors, the Colorado-based NoCo Hemp Expo is taking the party south and east, launching the Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo (SHE), Sept. 28-29, 2018, at The Fairgrounds Nashville in Nashville, TN.
“The South is a leader and will continue to be a leader in hemp production, and we are very excited to bring this dynamic gathering of industry movers and shakers to the region,” said Colorado Hemp Company co-founder Morris Beegle, producer of NoCo Hemp Expo, who also noted the theme of the inaugural SHE event is “Bringing Balance Back to Mother Earth.”
“The 2018 NoCo Hemp Expo was far and away the biggest and best hemp event we have produced yet,” Beegle continued. “The interest level for this plant and all that it can do is overwhelming. We are excited to launch this expo in the Eastern U.S. With the first annual SHE event in Nashville in September and NoCo6 in Denver in March, our shows are firmly grounded in the country’s strongest regions for hemp production.”
With rising acceptance and popularity of hemp for food, fiber, and its therapeutic nonpsychoactive cannabinoid CBD, domestic production of hemp, or cannabis sativa, is reaching new heights. U.S. hemp-based product sales grew 16% to reach $820 million in sales in 2017 nd is expected to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2018, led primarily by hemp-derived CBD, food, personal care and industrial products, according to the publication Hemp Business
Journal – a number not lost on politicians. This past spring, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which would remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and allow it to be sold as an agricultural crop.
The Feminine Touch
SHE – feminine acronym intended – will offer networking opportunities, presentations and workshops by pioneers, innovators and activists including the leading women and business professionals in industrial hemp. The fifth annual NoCo Hemp Expo in Loveland, Colo., in April, featured keynote speaker, activist and hemp entrepreneur Winona LaDuke, who illuminated hemp’s value in driving a new economy for rural and Native American communities. Other keynotes featured were Nature’s Path Foods founder Arran Stephens, who discussed why he’s been investing in farmland to cultivate organic hemp.
“I was amazed at the buzz of the show,” said Arran Stephens, co-founder and co-CEO of Nature’s Path Foods and a keynote speaker at the recent NoCo 5 event. “In some ways, it reminded me of the spirit of the early organic food trade shows. This is really the beginning of a strong new movement.”
“Hemp production is taking off so fast, and law reform is so close” Beegle said. “There’s never been a more exciting time in this industry, and SHE provides a festive and effective forum for expanding crucial dialogue about the latest developments and opportunities in the commercial hemp products market.”
Exhibit Space and Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities for the Southern Hemp Expo are now available online at www.southernhempexpo.com.
About the Southern Hemp Expo
The Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO, and producer of NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s largest and most comprehensive trade show and conference for industrial hemp. WAFBA is founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services and the Colorado Hemp Company. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Learn more at SouthernHempExpo.com, and find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, tel 970.581.5049, hemp@coloradohempcompany.com
