The Cannabis Travel Intersection

100 Aquarium Way,Long Beach CA 90802

11 May, 2022

Description

Join TTMA and James Leitz as he walks us through the benefits a destination can experience after embracing cannabis tourism. The Cannabis Travel Intersection: Preparing DMO's and their Stakeholders for the Cannabis Motivated TravelerLooking for the Member's Only Discounted Ticket? Please email Micha ([email protected]) for the code, or for information on how to become a member of TTMA. Join TTMA and James Leitz, co-founder and CEO of Cultivar Brands, Inc. as he shows us what the cannabis tourist is looking for in their experiences and the benefits destinations can encounter by embracing these travelers. The Aquarium of the Pacific is also giving all attendees complimentary access to the aquarium immediately following the luncheon. Discover all of their exhibits, including sea otters, sharks, sea jellies, frogs, and more in the Tropical, Northern, and Southern California/Baja Galleries. Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Registration and Networking:  11:30am - 12:00pm Lunch and Presentation: 12:00pm - 1:30pm Explore the Aquarium of the Pacific: 1:30pm James LeitzCo-Founder & CEO, Cultivar Brands, Inc. James Leitz has spent 35 years in the global sports, media and entertainment marketplace creating campaigns, strategy and events for some of the most powerful brands, media companies, agencies, leagues, sanctioning bodies and celebrities. Leitz sold his first company to IMG in 1998 and spent the next 21+ year career as Senior Vice President - Events at WME|IMG, the world’s largest sports and entertainment firm. Over the course of a 21-year career at IMG, Leitz led the creation and expansion of a new Global Events Division in Action Sports, Mass Participation and Endurance Sport. IMG Action Sports built proprietary and legacy events including the US Open of Surfing, the Soul Bowl, Target Beach Bash, Street League with Rob Dyrdek, Philips Fusion, Bear Grylls Survival Challenge, Escape Triathlon Series, Bermuda and Beijing International Triathlons, Australian Open of Surfing, Formula Drift Series, Red Bull World Drifting Championships and many, many more. The Division rolled out The Color Run in 20 countries, as well as Tough Mudder, Run to the Beat and dozens of licensed and contracted events across the globe for dozens of major global brands. Leitz crafted an international team with a network of over 60 full-time staff in 10 central offices in 7 countries. When IMG was acquired in 2013 by Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), Leitz and his team pivoted to new territories of sports and entertainment, assisting in the creation of eSports properties like ELEAGUE with Turner Sports and the Fortnite World Tour with Epic Games, as well as celebrity-driven legacy events for some of today’s biggest stars. In 2019, Leitz became the General Manager of Dwayne Johnson’s Athleticon – an athletics, wellness and entertainment festival where he built the entire business and the property, from a concept to a fully functioning machine. With a voracious appetite for new and vibrant industries, concepts and products, Leitz continues to pivot towards high-growth opportunities, new technologies and exploding markets across the globe. Leitz joined cannabis travel thought leader and visionary Brian Applegarth in 2020 to create Cultivar Brands, Inc., a California-based strategic marketing agency specializing in the cannabis industry. Cultivar Brands is the holding company for a host of proprietary brands and methodologies, as well as two distinct business units: Cultivar Strategies and Cultivar Events. Cultivar Strategies is the consulting, data insights and strategic arm, providing thought leadership at the intersection of cannabis and travel. We build programs for some of the largest and most influential cannabis-friendly destinations in California including Visit Greater Palm Springs, SF Travel, Visit Oakland, Visit Mendocino County, Visit West Hollywood and Visit Modesto. Cultivar Events has a roster of proprietary events and capabilities and is the creators and producers of the first-ever, state-sanctioned CA State Fair Cannabis Awards. Leitz graduated with a BA from University California at Santa Barbara in 1987. Leitz, wife Rosy and sons David and Joaquin reside in Pacific Palisades, California.