Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo

What Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo does

Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo is a privately held Canadian B2B media and events company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Welland, Ontario, operating a conference-and-expo platform focused exclusively on the Canadian cannabis industry. The company produces two annual flagship events — Grow Up Vancouver (held in January 2026) and Grow Up Toronto (scheduled June 1-3, 2026 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre) — combining a multi-track industry conference, a 30,000+ square foot expo floor, dedicated Brand Zone for brand-to-retailer matchmaking, Speed Networking sessions, Cultivation Masterclasses, a Great Canadian Seed Exchange, and an annual Industry Awards Gala. The Toronto 2026 edition targets 3,000+ attendees, 140+ speakers, 60+ sessions, and 70+ exhibitors, with prior-year attendance signals indicating the Brand Zone and Brands and Buyers Zone sold out.

The underlying technology is a conventional event-management platform supporting delegate registration, ticketing tiers (Industry Pass at $199, One-Day Passes from $115, Budtender Insider Pass at $20, CannaVision Executive Summit at $699, Awards Gala at $255), exhibitor booth reservations across five size configurations, and corporate sponsorship fulfillment. No proprietary AI, data, or software IP is disclosed. The company operates with a lean staff of approximately 9 employees, consistent with an asset-light event-production model that outsumes execution to venue partners, contracted speakers, and third-party production vendors.

Grow Up monetizes through four transaction-fee revenue streams: delegate registration, exhibitor booth rentals, corporate sponsorships (multiple tiers from $1,000 brand sponsor packages to presenting and session sponsors), and the ticketed Awards Gala with table sponsorships at $2,300. GTM motion is event-driven and B2B, acquiring attendees via industry media partnerships, speaker and sponsor networks, email, and social channels, while enterprise booth and sponsorship packages are sold via a direct sales team. Customer segments span licensed producers, cannabis brands, multi-unit and independent retailers, budtenders, and ancillary service providers (equipment, packaging, legal, payments, distribution). Leadership is anchored by President Randy Rowe, who oversees both the Grow Up Industry Conference and the CannaVision Global Executive Summit.

Name

Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo

Legal name

Grow Up Conference

Website

https://growupconference.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo is a privately held Canadian B2B events company, founded in 2017, that produces Canada's largest cannabis industry conferences and expos, running annual editions in Vancouver and Toronto serving growers, brands, retailers, and ancillary service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Cannabis Industry Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• B2B cannabis events
• Trade conference organization
• Expo booth rentals
• Cannabis industry awards
• Cultivation masterclasses

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Delegate Registration: Ticket sales for conference access including Industry Passes, One-Day Passes, CannaVision Executive Summit, and Budtender Insider Pass. Revenue from individual attendees and team packages.
2. Exhibitor Booths: Revenue from booth rentals at the expo, including Brand Booth, 10x10, 10x20, 20x20, and 20x30 configurations with varying included passes and amenities.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at various tiers including presenting sponsors, session sponsors, and brand sponsor packages. Includes logo placement, speaking opportunities, and networking access.
4. Awards Gala: Ticketed awards ceremony with individual tickets and table sponsorships. Includes four-course dinner and networking party.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo organizes and produces annual B2B cannabis industry conferences, expos, and awards galas in Canada, with the flagship Toronto event plus a Vancouver edition. It sells delegate passes (Industry Pass, One-Day Pass, Budtender Insider Pass, CannaVision Executive Summit pass), rents exhibitor booths in multiple sizes, sells multi-tier corporate sponsorships, and runs ticketed Awards Gala ceremonies and table sponsorships. The integrated format combines education sessions, masterclass technical workshops, an expo floor, brand-to-retail matchmaking, and industry recognition.

Product overview

Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo operates as a single unified event platform offering Canada's largest B2B cannabis industry conference and expo. The core product is the Grow Up Conference & Expo event, which combines an Industry Conference, Expo floor, and Awards Gala into one integrated experience. The event is supplemented by the CannaVision Executive Summit (an exclusive executive tier), the Brand Zone for brand-to-retail matchmaking, the Retail Buyer Program offering complimentary passes, Masterclass Technical Workshops for cultivation education, Seed Exchange for genetics collaboration, and specialized Budtender Insider Passes. The components work together to serve the full cannabis industry value chain from cultivators and extractors to brands, retailers, and budtenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CannaVision Executive Summit: Exclusive invitation-only event for CEOs, presidents, and top-level executives leading the future of the global cannabis industry with strategic B2B meetings and high-level policy discussions.
• Grow Up Awards
• Brand Zone
• The Great Canadian Seed Exchange
• Canadian Cannabis Championship

Products and services

• Grow Up Conference & Expo Canada's largest B2B cannabis industry event, a multi-day integrated gathering combining a 30,000+ sq ft expo floor, 60+ educational sessions, masterclass technical workshops, networking, brand-to-retail matchmaking, and an awards gala, designed for cannabis growers, licensed producers, brands, retailers, and ancillary service providers.
• Exhibitor Booth Rentals Booth rentals at the Grow Up expo floor for cannabis brands, licensed producers, equipment vendors, and ancillary service providers, available in multiple sizes (Brand Booth, 10x10, 10x20, 20x20, 20x30) with included Industry Passes, lead retrieval, and show guide listings.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Multi-tier corporate sponsorship packages for cannabis industry suppliers and service providers, including presenting sponsorships, session sponsorships, brand sponsorships, and event sponsorships with logo placement, speaking opportunities, networking access, and recognition.
• CannaVision Executive Summit An exclusive, invitation-only executive summit bundled with a 2-day Industry Pass, designed for CEOs, presidents, and top-level executives of cannabis companies, featuring strategic B2B meetings, high-level policy discussions, and international networking.
• Grow Up Industry Awards Gala Annual ticketed awards ceremony celebrating excellence across Canada's cannabis industry, recognizing top producers, retailers, brands, and service providers, with individual tickets and table sponsorships available, including a four-course dinner, cocktail reception, and awards presentation.
• Brand Zone A dedicated marketplace space for cannabis brands to showcase products to retail buyers, featuring Speed Networking sessions, direct access to 250+ retail purchasing decision-makers, and reserved Brand Zone booths for cannabis brands only.
• Retail Buyer Program Application-based program offering complimentary two-day industry passes to verified cannabis retail stores, providing direct access to licensed brands, retail-focused education sessions, and networking with growers and suppliers.
• Masterclass Technical Workshops In-depth educational sessions dedicated to cannabis cultivation and extraction techniques, designed to elevate growing expertise and operational knowledge for industry professionals.
• Delegate Registration Passes Ticketed delegate passes including the Industry Pass (2-Days), One-Day Passes (Tuesday and Wednesday), Budtender Insider Pass, and 3-Pack Industry Pass bundles, providing access to sessions, the expo floor, masterclasses, networking parties, and the seed exchange.
• The Great Canadian Seed Exchange A structured initiative bringing together Canada's cultivators, researchers, and breeders to advance genetic diversity and breeding practices through collaborative seed exchange, included in the conference programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ attendees expected at Toronto 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered sponsor, retail partner and partner.

• Futurola USA LLCsponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event, providing booth and logo presence at the conference and expo.
• Rad Source Technologies Inc.sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event.
• CANNA Canada Corp.sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and supporter of Grow Up events since earliest days, returning year after year.
• STERIS ASTsponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event.
• HefestussponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and exhibitor for Grow Up Toronto 2026.
• BovedasponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event.
• High NorthsponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and supporter of Grow Up events. Named main stage conference location 'High North Main Stage'.
• Ad LucemsponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event, legal services provider.
• F.T.L. DistributionsponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibitor and sponsor, distribution company in cannabis industry.
• Sarah Seale Inc.sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing coffee break at CannaVision, networking support.
• BIS SolutionssponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026 event.
• Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation (OCS)sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor presenting Speed Networking sessions at Grow Up Toronto, Ontario's cannabis wholesale distributor.
• CorpaysponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for CannaVision Cocktail Reception at Grow Up Toronto 2026.
• (Teapot) The Boston Beer CompanysponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2026, cannabis-infused beverage company.
• City Cannabisretail partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail location sending buyers to Grow Up Toronto Brand Zone for product sourcing.
• Dutch Loveretail partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail chain participating in Grow Up Toronto buyer program.
• Spiritleafretail partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail chain with buyers attending Grow Up Toronto.
• Burbretail partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail location participating in Grow Up buyer networking.
• Canadian Cannabis Tourism Alliance (CCTA)partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization collaborating on cannabis tourism panel at Grow Up Toronto 2026.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference: Cannabis-specific executive and investor conference similar to Grow Up's CannaVision Executive Summit, focused on industry leadership and B2B deal-making.
• Lift & Co Cannabis Business Expo: Canadian cannabis business expo and conference that overlaps directly with Grow Up in Toronto/Canada, addressing LPs, brands, retailers, and ancillary operators.
• Hall of Flowers: Invite-only B2B cannabis trade show focused on brand-to-buyer matchmaking, directly analogous to Grow Up's Brand Zone model of connecting brands with verified retail buyers.
• Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo (CWCBExpo): US cannabis industry B2B trade show with cultivation, medical, and ancillary tracks, comparable to Grow Up's industry-specific conference-plus-expo structure.
• MJBizCon: The flagship US B2B cannabis trade show and conference run by MJBizDaily, the closest direct analog to Grow Up's industry-specific B2B event serving licensed producers, brands, and ancillary businesses.
• NECANN (New England Cannabis Convention): Regional cannabis B2B convention series with cultivation, processing, and retail tracks, comparable to Grow Up's masterclasses and industry-specific programming model.
• Cannabis Conference (Cannabis Business Times): Annual US cannabis cultivation, retail, and extraction trade show mirroring Grow Up's grower-and-buyer focus and industry-specific B2B trade show format.
• International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC): Multi-city B2B cannabis conference series with executive summits and policy programming, comparable to Grow Up's trade-show-plus-CannaVision executive mix.

Regional players

• CHAMPS Trade Shows: Large US B2B counterculture, glass, and headshop trade shows, comparable to Grow Up's B2B ancillary/exhibitor marketplace format and expo-floor model, though in a different geography.
• Spannabis: European (Spain) cannabis trade fair and conference, comparable in scale and structure as a regional cannabis B2B event but operating outside North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrowUpConf
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrowUpConference
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/growupconference
• Instagraminstagram.com/growupconference

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grow Up Conference, Awards and Expo