MJBizCon 2023

December 2023

The Marijuana Business Conference & Expo

The creation of Treez Inc.'s booth conceptualization, theme and visual design for the largest annual cannabis industry facilitating deals and connections within the cannabis industry in the B2B sector, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MJBizCon, short for Marijuana Business Conference, is one of the largest and most influential conferences in the cannabis industry. It serves as a key platform for professionals and businesses involved in various aspects of the cannabis business, including cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and ancillary services. MJBizCon typically features a diverse range of presentations, workshops, and an extensive exhibition floor, making it a significant event for individuals and companies seeking to stay informed and connected within the cannabis industry.

Ideation, Theme, Inspiration

Treez consistently stands out as a prominent participant at MJBizCon, and this year, our emphasis revolved around highlighting the expansive spectrum of services we offer. Specifically, we showcased our expertise in payments, retail analytics, headless ecommerce, global verified catalog solutions, and our commitment to providing dedicated support.

My team and I started the ideation process by exploring creative avenues to showcase our diverse range of products in an easily digestible yet attention-grabbing manner. Recognizing the need for clarity and impact, we decided to incorporate succinct taglines for each product, aiming to efficiently convey their essence. Inspired by contemporary trends, particularly prevalent in digital and social ads, featuring 'affirmation' slogans, we adopted a similar approach—utilizing taglines starting with phrases like "you deserve..." or "I deserve..." to instill a sense of ownership and empowerment.

Observing the prevalent theme of empowerment in recent advertising, especially in digital and social media, we envisioned our showcase to be a celebration of retailers' empowerment within their stores, making dispensary management smoother with the aid of our products. After thoughtful deliberation, we agreed on the overarching theme of our showcase: empowerment. Our focus is on providing retailers with the tools to be the best versions of themselves, ensuring success for their customers without encountering unnecessary challenges.

We opted for an alternating text and image layout emerged as the preferred choice for the visual theme. This layout not only accommodated our impactful taglines for each product offering but also allowed the space for lifestyle imagery to shine, which aligned with our theme. 

Example of a campaign using alternating text and image layout

I took inspiration by a captivating FigJam wall at Figma's design conference, ConFig 2023, earlier this year in March. This innovative installation featured a blank canvas where attendees were encouraged to express themselves by jotting down thoughts, names, social handles, or their affiliated companies on stickers and placing them on the wall. This interactive approach not only engaged a multitude of participants but also garnered significant attention, making it a standout feature of the conference. I wanted to adopt this idea to our booth, to garner engagement and interactivity with participants and to spark curiosity.

Figjam wall seen at ConFig 2023

Design + Feedback

Early stage mockups

Collaborating closely with the product marketing team and content manager, we created taglines for each product offering (payments, retail analytics, headless ecommerce, global verified catalog solutions, and support) in the impactful affirmation style.

We split the theme into two categories: product highlight and lifestyle categories. The product highlight narratives detailed how each of our product areas seamlessly delivered ease of use and unparalleled efficiency tailored to its specific domain. Complementing this, the lifestyle imagery was curated to evoke a sense of relaxation and the luxury of time—elements we identified as critical, given the challenges our retailers often face, working overtime due to inefficient techstacks.

Product focus theme
Lifestyle theme

My content manager and I began the creative process of exploring different approaches to overlay taglines onto our existing product imagery. Recognizing that the lifestyle theme imagery was in its early stages, we ingeniously decided to capture the essence through a breakfast concept. The concept aimed to convey the idea of unwinding and staying in during the weekend instead of being tied up at the dispensary with reports and other time-consuming duties. In the initial phase, we conducted a swift test by taking pictures of eggs and breakfast items we had at home to visualize and assess the potential impact of this approach.

Display case

For the display case, I mocked up a few different styles based on the themes we've created so far, by reusing existing assets to stay consistent with the branding style.

Display case specs
Style 1: Illustration-based product focus
Style 2: All green wrap, encouraging participants to add customized stickers 
Style 3: Reusing the tagline theme

Upon presentation to the marketing team, the feedback was favored towards Style 3, particularly since it resonated best with our already established theme. This preference was not only grounded in its aesthetic appeal but also stemmed from our decision to accentuate the themes of retail analytics and payments.

Storage structure

The centerpiece of our booth was the back wall of the storage structure, not just for its utilitarian purpose but also for offering the most real estate for showcasing our design. Initially I designed the tiled/alternating text and image layout in line with the overarching theme and sought feedback from the marketing team. In response to collective insights, we pivoted towards a different concept: a tree symbolizing the diverse product categories we are showcasing. The ideation process consisted of these two concepts.

Back wall mockup
Back wall options

Among our product offerings, both support and ecommerce were newcomers without pre-existing illustrations. Following initial feedback on the support illustration I had initially crafted, there was a consensus that introducing a more human element would be beneficial. In response, I developed several alternative illustration options that conveyed a customer support representative and exuded a cheerful and joyful tone through the inclusion of emoticons. Ultimately we reached a consensus, landing on Style 2.

First iteration of support illustration
More support illustration styles

On the front side of the storage structure, we planned to set up a swag wall, using clean white shelves to display our branded merchandise. We opted for the dark green color from our brand’s color palette, and our logo featuring our tagline “The enterprise platform of the cannabis industry”.

Swag wall

On the sides of the storage structure, we brought in our FigJam wall concept. Leveraging the side space, we aimed to capture the interactivity and engagement that a space like this could generate.

Side walls

Here are the stickers we crafted for participants to stick onto the side walls. I created two distinct styles for options and flexibility: a concise one-liner for simplicity and a larger square for those who wished to share more detailed thoughts.

Side wall stickers

Supporting collateral

As part of our booth's supporting collateral, we devised an Iron Cross brochure to spotlight our product areas. However, due to unforeseen issues with our printing vendor, the Iron Cross couldn't be printed in time for the event. Consequently, we developed a tri-fold brochure as an alternative solution.

Iron cross brochure
Tri-fold brochure

The Outcome

Final theme

Here's a sneak peek at the finalized theme, blending product focus and lifestyle imagery. This cohesive aesthetic was employed across social media, email campaigns, and translated into printed posters and stickers.

Product focus theme
Lifestyle theme

At the show

Finally the conference day arrived, and the setup went smoothly, with every element aligning precisely with our intended design. Despite a notable decrease in attendance, roughly half compared to the previous year, the outcome was positive as we managed to secure a substantial number of leads. Remarkably, our lead count matched that of the previous year, showcasing an impressive 30% lead generation success even with the reduced number of attendees.

Swag wall front view
Swag wall side view
Storage structure side wall
Storage structure back wall
Our "Treeple"
Product demos
Booth view
Booth view

In Conclusion…

Our journey from ideation to execution for the conference has been a dynamic and collaborative process. From conceptualizing a compelling theme on product focus and lifestyle imagery to navigating unforeseen challenges with adaptability, our resilience and creativity shone through.

We seamlessly navigated unexpected challenges, demonstrating resilience and adaptability as we quickly addressed issues with our printing vendor and adjusted our collateral plans. The multiple feedback rounds, particularly concerning the taglines, the FigJam wall concept, and the support illustration, ensured that the end product not only resonated perfectly with our chosen theme but also garnered approval from our stakeholders

As the conference day unfolded, witnessing the successful setup and the positive outcome in lead generation despite a reduction in attendance was a testament to our meticulous planning and innovative approach. This experience not only reinforced our brand's adaptability but also highlighted the team's ability to turn challenges into opportunities, leaving a lasting mark at the conference. Looking forward, this accomplishment fuels our enthusiasm for future endeavors and reinforces our commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity and engagement in the dynamic landscape of the cannabis industry.