Meadowlands was Meadow's cannabis industry retreat, held September 30 through October 3, 2024 at Camp Navarro in Mendocino, California. For four days, operators, cultivators, regulators, and technologists traded a hotel conference hall for redwoods, campfires, and open conversation.
Here is what happened across those four days: the connections, the education, the tastings, and the reasons people still ask when it is coming back.
In This Post
- 1. Community and Connection
- 2. Education and Inspiration
- 3. Unique Experiences and Activities
- 4. Nature and Rejuvenation
- 5. It Was Fun
- Will Meadowlands Come Back?
- Meadowlands Was Powered by Meadow
1. Community and Connection
Real Relationships
At Meadowlands, attendees were surrounded by people who got it. Industry leaders, innovators, and peers networked in a setting with no trade show floor and no badge scanners. It was less about business cards and more about the kind of conversations that turn into collaborations, partnerships, and friendships that outlast a conference weekend.
Fireside Chats
Industry experts shared their zones of genius and their vision for what came next. These were small, intimate sessions where attendees learned directly from seasoned operators, picking up strategies for the challenges actually in front of them.
2. Education and Inspiration
Learning from the Best
The speaker lineup included some of the most influential names in cannabis. Sessions covered business strategy and regulatory updates, and dug into the most pressing issues facing the industry at the time: rescheduling, navigating the supply chain, conversations with state and local regulators, cannabis and technology, social equity, finance, and craft cannabis.
Interactive Workshops
Hands-on sessions gave attendees something to take home. Workshops covered mastering dispensary management, sharpening sales strategy, and preparing for Schedule III, each built around practical insights and actionable plans rather than slide decks.
3. Unique Experiences and Activities
Exclusive Tastings
Meadowlands landed in the heart of the Emerald Triangle during harvest. Attendees sampled flower from top California craft growers, many of them cultivating for generations, who brought the best of their harvest to share straight from the source. Those tastings came with the stories behind them: the growers, the harvest, and the communities that make California craft what it is.
Wellness and Fun
Rejuvenation was on the schedule alongside everything else. Massages, Ganja Yoga, archery, lawn games, and camp activities filled the gaps between sessions. Mornings started with Wake n Bake sessions pairing artisanal coffee and cannabis. Evenings brought happy hours, silent discos, dancing under the stars, and night hikes, which turned out to be where a lot of the best conversations happened.
4. Nature and Rejuvenation
Escape and Recharge
Set in the redwoods, Meadowlands was an escape from the daily grind. Outdoor activities, fresh air, and a genuinely quiet environment gave people room to think, which is not something most industry events can offer.
Work in Nature
Nobody had to disappear for four days. Dedicated workspaces and complimentary Wi-Fi meant attendees could stay on top of their business while working from the redwoods instead of a home office.
5. It Was Fun
Every moment was built to be enjoyable and enriching, from the activities to the conversations that ran long around the campfire.
The weekend gave cannabis operators, producers, sellers, and facilitators something the industry rarely makes room for: a chance to breathe, pause, relax, and recharge.
Unlike conferences held in hotel lobbies under fluorescent lights with no consumption allowed, Meadowlands was an outdoor event where cannabis consumption, culture, and celebration were part of the experience rather than something to step outside for.
Will Meadowlands Come Back?
There is nothing announced yet. If we bring Meadowlands back, it goes out on social first.
Follow @meadow.sf to hear about it before anyone else. For questions about Meadow events, reach us at events@getmeadow.com.
Meadowlands Was Powered by Meadow
Meadow builds the most loved and trusted POS software in the cannabis industry. Since 2014 we have focused on three things for cannabis retailers: efficiency, compliance, and profitability. Meadowlands was our attempt to build the same thing offline, a place where operators could get real value out of being in a room together.
More Resources for Dispensaries
- Hall of Flowers Ventura 2025: In-Booth Sales, Standout Brands and the Future of Cannabis Events
- Celebrating California Hash: Highlights from Meadow's B2B Hash Showcase
- A Journey Through the Ganjier Experience: Honoring Craft Cannabis in Humboldt
- Cannabis Events That Stick: How Alien Labs, Connected and Smoken Promises Show Up for the Culture
