On March 29-31 after about a two-hour drive down south to Colorado Springs, Colorado, you can attend the ninth annual NoCo Hemp Expo, also known as NoCo9, hosted at The Broadmoor hotel.

The We Are For Better Alternatives organization is presenting the three-day event to help bring the industrial communities of the hemp industry together in an effort to create environmentally and economically friendly plans for the future health of the affected populations, according to their website.

The three days at the historic century-old hotel will be filled with speakers presenting topics around hemp policies, agriculture, human resources, investments, global opportunities, medical advocacy and so much more. 

The spread of options to attend is hosted across several stages and conference rooms around The Broadmoor campus. A commonly populated spot will be the main stage, where you can learn about advocacy and policy within the industry from WAFBA co-founder and President Morris Beegle March 29. 

“So if you’re looking for something to do in a prime Colorado location at the end of the month, the NoCo Hemp Expo at The Broadmoor may be your way to get out of town.”

The main stage will also be presenting experts like Lorenza Romanese, managing director at the European Industrial Hemp Association; Jon Coyles, vice president of Drug, Health and Safety Programs for the MLB; and Marco Fugazza, an economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. While these specialists are the tip of the bud that NoCo9 is offering on just day one, there is even more to learn through days two and three.

There’s a wide range of topics available to gain more knowledge on, but you’ll have to be a little picky. 

For example, at 11:20 a.m. on day two, you have a few options, like attending “A Linthead’s Perspective — Textile and Apparel Grade Hemp Fiber. What It Is — What It Isn’t — What It Will Be,” where Guy Carpenter, the co-founder of Bear Fiber, will dive into his experience and knowledge about harvesting textile-grade American hemp fiber and its development around the world. Or you can hear from Bridget Williams, author and CEO of Green Harvest Health, and learn about the benefits medical cannabis and CBD bring to the medical industry.

Knowledge of the hemp and cannabis industry isn’t all that NoCo9 has to offer, as you can start your day off by joining in NoCo Yoga before you spend the rest of your day checking out all the vendors. To close out the whole conference, you can purchase a $25 ticket to the NoCo9 After Party with performances from Erica Brown and DJ JazzyTones March 31.

So if you’re looking for something to do in a prime Colorado location at the end of the month, the NoCo Hemp Expo at The Broadmoor may be your way to get out of town. You can purchase day tickets for either March 30 or March 31 for $79 and can find other ticket options and see all the event has to offer on their website.

Reach Taylor Paumen at cannabis@collegian.com or on Twitter @TayTayPau.