History
of the CannaBusiness®
CannaBusiness®
2003
The
8th International CannaBusiness® 2003 was a big success
story – the trade fair once again clearly proved to be the world`s
most important hemp trade forum! On Sunday, open also to non-trade visitors,
2,500 visitors flocked into the Europhalle. Almost all of the 142
exhibitors from 17 different nations (new internationality record) and
1,300 trade visitors (even more than in 2002) from more than 30 nations
(e.g. India, Australia, Hungary, Indonesia, Brasil, Croatia, Ecuador)
were highly satisfied with the course of the fair. They were especially
impressed by the large number of well-mixed international trade contacts.
Many trade visitors were interested in having an own booth at the CannaBusiness®
2004. Dynamic change: There were almost 60 first time-exhibitors
who reported about good and partly excellent tradings.
It
was clearly confirmed at the 8th International CannaBusiness® that
the media interest in hemp and hemp business is booming in Germany right
now. Several tv stations like SAT1, WDR and TV NRW (plus several
independent tv journalists), and broadcast stations like Hessischer
Rundfunk, Bayerischer Rundfunk, WDR 2 and Deutsche Welle featured up-to-date
reports about this year`s CannaBusiness®. Numerous regional
and nationwide newspapers supported the fair with excellent articles
before and after the event, and almost the full range of specialized
hemp media was present.
The new
CannaBusiness® Magazine had a felicitous premiere
as trade medium of the international hemp branch, gaining an excellent
response by both exhibitors and trade visitors. Many people
voiced that "this was their best CannaBusiness® so far",
besides economics also because of the great supporting programme. The
B2B party in the beer garden was highly appreciated by exhibitors
and trade visitors, featuring a fascinating live digderidoo performance
by Mark Iwaskiewicz (Traumkraft), the cool sound of
DJ Clip Poet, supported by the exciting light show
by pressplay. Also the chill out evening, organized
by the magazine grow!, was a great success. DJ
Kallefornia showcased various styles with perfect mixing skills,
and Blue-Mountain Sound feat. The Holland Connection
brought us relaxing reggae tunes. Many people were interested and took
part in the grow! vaporizer workshop that featured
almost all vaporizer types that are currently available at the market.
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CannaBusiness®
2002
The 7th International CannaBusiness® 2002 took
place against the background of a conceptional change. Two trade visitor
days and only one regular visitor day left - the CannaBusiness®
set new accents and predominantly presented itself as a trade fair for
the first time, by demand of many exhibitors. With great success: Three
records were scored at the fair! 126 international producers and wholesaler
from 16 nations offered a fascinating range of hemp products from all
sectors of life, thereof almost 50 new exhibitors that took part in
the CannaBusiness® for the first time - evidence
for the unbroken dynamics and attraction of the "mother of all
hemp fairs". It was with great pleasure to welcome exhibitors from
Indonesia, Israel, Australia an Sweden for the first time.
1100 trade
visitors from more than 30 nations, e.g. Guadeloupe,
Thailand, India, Japan and Croatia, brought about many new business
contacts and good turnovers. About 15 % of the trade visitors were retailers
who were just about to found resp. open a new business and used the
opportunity to stock up on new and already approved products. 2500 visitors
attended the shopping day on Sunday and were delighted about low prices
and free samples. Almost all exhibitors reported on vivid business contacts
and the relaxed, but nevertheless enterprising atmosphere. The new concept
has clearly stood the test and will be continued in 2003. The 2002 fair`s
slogan - "Hemp is Lifestyle" - hitted the
nail on the head. Visitors and the media could convince themselves at
the fair of the fact that hemp products meanwhile have arrived in people`s
daily life: For the first time for example, a carpet made from hemp
fibres was exhibited by the carpet wholesaler Jan Kath from Bochum (GER).
Other novelties were hemp potato chips, hemp ice tea, hemp cuddly toys
or hemp animal bedding: The flood of new products does not stop, but
persistently makes its way into people`s households. In order to maintain
this innovation power on the long term, an innovation contest for hemp
products was promoted at the fair for the first time, organized by the
Republic of Bongland/GER (in overall charge: Rainer Wokatsch) and supported
by Tri Tec GmbH. The traditional product award also enjoyed vivid participation,
more than 30 exhibitors entered products.
The programme
of the 7th CannaBusiness® once again had some attractions
in store. The impressive live-performance of the "Nightflite"
glass-blowers from the Republic of Bongland heavily aroused people`s
interest, as of course did the hemp body-painting with two attractive
models. This was compatibly accompanied by the ethicly atmospheric sound
produced by the didgeridoo players from "Traumkraft". Apart
from that, there were spontaneous gigs by a guitar bard and two Dutch
ganja rappers. Funny Nick Schumacher performed as "Caretaker Dornbusch"
and fooled both visitors and exhibitors.
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CannaBusiness® 2001
It was the hottest weekend since 60 years, when the 100 exhibitors from
14 nations presented their products in Castrop-Rauxel at the 6th
International CannaBusiness: But not only the weather was hot:
30 new, first-time exhibitors enriched the product range of the hemp
exhibition with many exciting innovations.
The top-class lecture program with its main topic "Cannabis
as Medicine", taking place in a separate hall, caught
special media attention this year. Experts from the fields of medicine
and research as well as lawyers and judges spoke about the medical uses
of Cannabis and the current state of research and the legal status which
is also very important for patients. Additionally, interested parties
got informed about contacts and self-help groups at various booths.
The lecture held by Claude Vaney, a Swiss MS specialist, probably was
the highlight of the program: Dr. Vaney reported on his experiences
on cannabis as a medicament; due to the different legal situation in
Switzerland he is allowed to use cannabis. The very hot weather in fact
made it impossible for many interested and concerned parties to travel
to Castrop-Rauxel - nevertheless the speakers reported of up to 70 interested
listeners and lively discussions.
The press reacted very positively on the topic medicine and mentioned
the CannaBusiness in many publications in advance. The shady beer garden
was crowded with visitors through the three days who were not only entertained
by the German JoJo-champion but also by the hemp-body painting on two
attractive young ladies.
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CannaBusiness® 2000
The 5th International CannaBusiness® (Sept. 1 -
3 2000) returned to its place of birth in the Ruhr Area: on the first
September weekend the doors opened for hemp friends from all over the
world. Most exhibitors were delighted about this, because everyone remembered
the nice and friendly atmosphere of the Castrop-Rauxel location. More
than 100 exhibitors from 14 countries looked back satisfiedly and reported
of three days of more than successful business - not only on the trade
day. The international hemp branch met in the "Europahalle"
to establish new contacts, to deepen long lasting connections, to get
informed and - last but not least - to make plans for the next year
of hemp business. The traditional lecture programme concentrated on
topics like "Cannabis as Medicine", the current
legal status and the state of politics. The subject "BioResource
Hemp" was treated on a special symposium in the city of
Wolfsburg two weeks later - organised by Tri Tec, too. As every year,
the CannaBusiness® had special guests like author and photographer
Laurence Cherniak (The Great Books of Hashish, Vol. I - III), Howard
Marks ("Mr. Nice") or the famous German underground cartoonist
Gerhard Seyfried, who introduced his "Cannabis Playing Cards",
published at the Swiss Nachtschatten Verlag.
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CannaBusiness® 1999
The 4th CannaBusiness® again presented itself in
Hennef as the worldwide most important product show for the international
hemp branch. Looking back on three days of hemp business, 135 exhibitors
from 12 nations were more than satisfied. Over 7.000 visitors and about
200 journalists from all over the world experienced a comprehensive
overview of proven and innovative products from the hemp scene. The
mayor of Hennef, Mr. Kreutzberg, was so kind as to hold the opening
speech and to cut the welcoming hemp cake in the entrance hall - every
visitor got a piece of cake! (see photo
gallery). The schedule of lectures was again organised
by the nova Institute for Political and Ecological
Innovation GmbH. The CannaBusiness® visitors were
very interested in the lectures, which had the headline "The
Handling of Cannabis as Medicine and as a Drug" on Saturday
and on Sunday "Current Development in Hemp Business". The
jury of the 1999-Booth Award was a delegation of the "Verband Deutscher
Werbejunioren" (Federation of German Junior Advertising Experts)
under the direction of Hubert Graf von Spreti. The HANF!-Award ceremony
is traditionally part of the CannaBusiness® and went to Franjo Grotenhermen,
M.D., for his untiring fight for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal
and therapeutical purposes. Dr. Grotenhermen - seriously ill himself
- is co-founder and chairman of the IACM (International
Association Cannabis as Medicine) and is working as a freelancer for
the university hospital of Cologne.
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CannaBusiness®1998
The "3rd International CannaBusiness®"
took place in the modern exhibition halls of the city of Hennef which
is - as the name already hints - located in an old hemp region. Exhibitors
from 20 countries presented themselves at 175 booths and on two floors.
Experts as well as the general public could enjoy an extensive and clear
presentation in the CannaBusiness® core areas.
In the exhibition area of the Bioresource hemp, raw materials, industrial-
and consumer products, e.g. clothing, food and cosmetics were presented
altogether. Paraphernalia, greenhouse technology, services, media and
institutions presented themselves on the second floor. The nova
Institute was again responsible for the lecture programme in
which international experts of the science of cannabis held lectures
in the fields of medicine, law and business. The distribution of the
CannaBusiness® exhibitors 1998 (42,8% production,
25,4% trading and 23,8 % service) guaranteed coherence, representation
and closeness of the different branches at this international exhibition.
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CannaBusiness®
1997
In September 1997 the "2nd International
CannaBusiness®" took place in Castrop-Rauxel and covered
another milestone in the development of hemp marketing. The numbers
speak for themselves: In relationship to 1996, the number of the exhibitors
raised by 20%. The need for space nearly doubled. The capacity of the
Europahalle in Castrop-Rauxel was exhausted and had to be expanded by
a 1000m²- tent. Especially positively regarded was the increase
of the number of international exhibitors. Nearly half of them were
companies from abroad. On the whole, furteen nations had registered.
A high level and a wide range of products made the CannaBusiness®
a world-wide renowned exhibition.
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CannaBusiness® 1996
Zahlreiche Due to the vivid trading activities at the Bioresource
Hemp, the positive reactions and manifold requests by the producers,
the Tri Tec GmbH decided to give this economic branch under the name
of CannaBusiness® a forum on its own. In November 1996 the "1st
International CannaBusiness®" started in Castrop-Rauxel
in the "Europahalle". This time the areas of growing (gardening,
light and climate) and paraphernalia were added. The competence of the
organisers made it possible to put aside the concerns of police and
administration regarding this touchy subject. There were no breaks of
the law around the exhibition area, as the police reported. The section
Bioresource Hemp was still one of the most important
aspects of the exhibition. The nova Institute provides the exhibition
with a professional programme of different lectures of well-known experts.
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1st
International Bioresource Hemp 1995
On the
occasion of the "BioFach" in Frankfurt, Tri
Tec GmbH arranged the "1st International Bioresource
Hemp" in co-operation with the nova Institute of Hürth,
the organiser of the technical and scientific symposium at this exhibition.
This first special show was the initiation for a world-wide co-operation
of technicians and scientists. In this way the versatile Bioresource
Hemp made its first steps towards a reunion of the economic circle.
The first independent presentation on a national basis, the "1st
National Bioresource Hemp", which took place at the end
of 1995 under the roof of the Bio 95 in Dresden, established a new standard.
The trading of hemp goods which had started in Frankfurt was secured,
expanded and also newly established - especially in the new federal
states of Germany .
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