Vanessa Oliver, Innovative Businesswoman & Event Planner – Interview Series

Quite like many other cannabis professionals working across the states with legal cannabis in nearly every type of role, Cloud 9 Studios founder Vanessa Oliver never envisioned herself working in such a rapidly growing and evolving industry at a young age. 

“If you told me 10 years ago I would be working in the cannabis industry I would have laughed.” Oliver recollected. “Never in a million years, I’d say.” My first relationship with cannabis was shaped by my upbringing in East Oakland where the War on Drugs was prevalent. Watching family members get locked up or killed over the plant wasn’t worth it, so I stayed away from it.”

From quite a young age, Oliver was involved in technology. Her mother was the lead developer for the iconic The Learning Company, so Vanessa had the undeniably cool job that any 80’s/90’s kid would cherish of being a tester for some of the educational and adventurous classics. Whether that be the video game series featuring the mysteriously elusive red-hatted woman who indirectly taught us global geography and culture, Ms. Carmen Sandiego herself, to the constant life or death struggles that faced the pioneers on the 19th century Western frontier in The Oregon Trail during the unofficial golden era of the series, Oliver had the distinct honor of testing these infinitely memorable titles, eventually forging a career on the more challenging sides of the tech industry.

“As much as I loved the creativity of my work, the day-to-day of raising children, commuting long hours, and living the stereotype of being a black female in a white male dominated corporate space was taking its toll on my health.”       

When Oliver consulted with a doctor, the physician prescribed antidepressants after only speaking for a brief few minutes without even discussing the specifics and triggers of Vanessa’s anxieties. 

“Needless to say I never took the prescription nor was I given much of an opportunity to. When I told my friend, a practicing cannabis attorney, about my experience he threw out the pills and suggested I try cannabis. Despite my hesitation I decided to go along with it. I’d been hearing a lot about policy reform lately and notably observed several experiences in college where friends would partake with no volatile consequences to accompany them. I was genuinely curious and trusted my friend.”

And similar to many other cannabis aficionados, Oliver’s first experience with cannabis was quite unpleasant. It involved a 100 York peppermint patty that was accidentally consumed all at once and an overwhelming high that she describes as “flying through Willy Wonka’s twisted maze of perception vs reality.” Although this almost trippy experience could have sworn Oliver off cannabis forever, she began to notice a certain mental clarity and “lightness” that hadn’t been  present prior to the York peppermint patty incident. 

“Prospects of the future and decisions I was making around my work felt much more hopeful and manageable. It left me wondering what more I could learn about the plant to enjoy her calming benefits minus the trip. As I began diving into my own research and microdosing I discovered formulations that were supporting my mental health in ways I never thought possible.” 

Oliver soon started her own event production company following this trip and has since planned events for major corporations such as Salesforce (CRM ) and Oracle (ORCL ). The pivotal moment that shifted Oliver’s trajectory into cannabis events happened in March of 2020 when she organized a CBD education event for a school PTA involving local cannabis brands and how cannabis products could enhance sensory communicators. Even after everybody was stuck at home due to the pandemic, Oliver still received frequent requests for the informative program.

“It was the moment I discovered how events had the potential to build a safe and comprehensive relationship between cannabis and new consumers.” Oliver soon after became CEO of the Cannabis Wedding Expo, a series of expos that emphasized the “high” in highly matrimony. In total, Oliver and her dedicated team produced eight different Cannabis Wedding Expo shows that span all across America, from the Denver show which featured stilt walkers and acrobatics to the Boston expo which was hosted at the Sheraton Commander Hotel, located directly across the street from Harvard University and Cambridge Common, a Revolutionary War historical site. On August 25, 2022 with Las Vegas City Councilman Tick Segerblom present, the city official announced the proclamation which affirmed August 25th as Cannabis Wedding Expo Day. 

Of the several cornerstone values that power Oliver’s many successful endeavors and businesses in cannabis, she focuses on four in particular: Consumer and Business Impact, Communication, Organization and Creativity. 

“From the infancy of pre-production to the resolution of post, the event producer’s job is to obsess over all of the details no one else wants to deal with. We meticulously plan out the seconds, to the minutes, to the hours, to the days, to the months of a show’s execution; while living in a constant state of risk management in the event of their upheaval. Some would call it a mental health war zone, I call it organization; one of the key values to ensuring the guests’ experience remains intact with the illusion that ‘everything is fine”.

Although because working in cannabis in general can be very unpredictable, even the most experienced event planner who subscribes to similar values as Oliver will still have to deal with unforeseen roadblocks when hosting cannabis-centric events. From a legal standpoint, cannabis law and acceptance can differ wildly from the federal to state to various local levels. Due to these frequently changing laws, the rules and protocols that cannabis-centric events must abide by is strict yet equally convoluted.

“A lot of times the information is egregiously conflicting and we are left to figure it out or get creative with legal loopholes. As a national trade show, every event requires us to go back to the drawing board to know how we can move forward while staying in integrity of the event’s goals.”

Following the 2022 season, Oliver retired the Cannabis Wedding Expo yet kept the CWE acronym for another similarly unique event very heavily cannabis and wellness-focused featuring a diverse group of passionate vendors and demonstrators from all corners of America. An exponential enhancement on the 2020 PTA-friendly programs that she created for cannabis education, the Cannaluxxe Wellness Expo will be a massive event that is simultaneously focused on all types of both physical and mental wellness as well as even financial wellness. 

“Inspired by Montessori-based principles, the event embodies 4-A’s (academics, amusement, amenities, and activities) by offering instructor guided programs, whole body wellness services, travel and tourism, and an expansive expo marketplace for shopping, entertainment, and more.”

The event itself, hosted on May 25th at the expansive yet otherworldly trippy and spacious venue that is AREA15, will have a memorable number of events and public speakers to listen to, such an exhibition hall with 40 alternative wellness exhibitors and activities like a smash room hosted by Sin City Smash, book lounge hosted by Analog Book Store, and holistic lifestyle products/services. Right in the middle of a contentious mayoral campaign, Councilwoman Victoria Seaman will also be making an appearance.  

By collaborating with Medicated Barbies, Oliver and the CWE will be offering a wide variety of “premium enhancements” that are equivalent to that of an award-winning spa mixed with an educational institution.

“It comes with a library of live-academic programs led by industry professionals coaching students on financial wellness, sexual health and intimacy, mental and emotional wellness, and physical health. Guests may book appointments for a massage with Beso Wellness or chiropractic services, indulge in healthy snacks, and enjoy other relaxing amenities like a stationed aromatherapy bar.”

Through the partnership with Front Row Travels, there will also be a 4 day/3 night VIP experience that includes a detailed and curated private tour of the vast NuWu Dispensary and a Cannaluxxe After Dark experience with the artist Lizzy Jeff. Private transportation and the most exclusive of accommodations will also be happily provided.     

As a large-scale and nationally-hosting event planner, Oliver also has grand and expansive plans for the future. The Cannaluxxe Wedding Expo will be venturing out to the East Coast in the fall and the 2025 tour will also be quite adventurous, with Cloud 9 Studios planning on everything from the community favorite Holiday Wellness Grams to local conscious education parties and wellness pop-ups among several other events.

“Especially when considering the consumer feedback from our programs; they have become such an invaluable tool for enhancing the future of the show and other respective programs. The personal stories we hear shared during and after our events are easily the most exciting and rewarding takeaway.”