MJ Unpacked brings its national cannabis conference and expo to the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center from October 13 to 15, 2026. The main conference and Experience Hall run Wednesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 15, with a welcome mixer and a pre-party on Tuesday, October 13. Jage Media, Inc. produces the show and describes it as a conference and expo curated for licensed operators.
Who can attend
MJ Unpacked is not a consumer event. Attendance is limited to licensed cannabis retail and brand executives at manager level and above, researchers, healthcare providers, licensed testing labs, investors and a limited number of ancillary companies. Budtenders get their own Thursday-only pass. Everyone must be 21 or older, and no children are allowed on site.
Passes and pricing
Pricing depends on business type and registration date. Retailers and wholesalers pay $149 for the Expo Experience or $299 for the Conference Pass. Investors, brands, cultivators and the other qualifying categories pay $399 or $549. The Budtender Pass costs $49 and covers Thursday only.
Social equity license holders can get 50% off registration by contacting the MJ Unpacked team with documentation. MoCannTrade members get 20% off with the association's member code. Registration runs through the official MJ Unpacked registration portal.
What each pass covers
The Expo Experience includes the Experience Hall, the welcome mixer, networking lunches, the product slams, the afterparty and the MJU Cup Awards. The Conference Pass adds curated sessions across Brand, Retail and Cultivation & Science tracks, plus on-demand recordings. An All-Access Pass adds a pre-conference workshop and every networking meal on top of the Conference Pass.
Tuesday, October 13
The week opens with the welcome mixer from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on the Sheraton Crown Center Terrace, mezzanine level, sponsored by Canna Brand Solutions. Timeless then hosts the MJ Unpacked pre-party at Sound Bite Social from 8:00 to 11:00 PM.
Wednesday, October 14
The Experience Hall hosts a GroBro-sponsored lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. The Pitch Stage runs the Supplier & Tech Slam from 2:00 to 3:00 PM and the Brand Slam from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, both sponsored by ACT Laboratories. Oaksterdam University leads a Schedule III Policy Summit Roundtable in the Experience Hall from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.
The Freedom Grow Holiday Fundraiser runs in the Experience Hall from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both show days. After hours, the official afterparty goes from 7:00 to 11:00 PM at In The Lowest Ferns, produced by Farechild Events in partnership with MJ Unpacked.
Thursday, October 15
Thursday brings a second GroBro-hosted lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 PM and the Budtender Slam on the Pitch Stage from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. The MJU MoCann Cup Awards follow on the Pitch Stage from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. To close the day, Swade Cannabis Dispensary hosts a budtender happy hour from 4:00 to 5:00 PM at 1041 Burlington St in North Kansas City.
The MJU MoCann Cup
The MJU MoCann Cup is a Missouri-only product competition produced in partnership with Farechild Events, with a strategic partnership with MoCannTrade. Every entry had to come from a Missouri-licensed manufacturer or cultivator. At least three level 2 certified Ganjiers judge each product independently.
Categories span flower and pre-rolls, solvent and solventless concentrates, gummies, non-gummy edibles and beverages, plus a set of flower categories grouped by terpene profile. Winners are named live at the awards on Thursday afternoon.
Venue and past editions
The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center sits at 2345 McGee St, just south of downtown, and doubles as the official conference hotel, so the show and the rooms are under one roof. MJ Unpacked has previously run editions in St. Louis and Atlantic City in 2025 and New Jersey in 2026. For more on why the format attracts serious operators, read why high-level cannabis events matter.
Same season on the calendar
The same week, CHAMPS Austin runs October 13–15 for smoke shop and dispensary buyers. Later in the fall, the State of the Cannabis Industry Conference meets in Boston on October 26 and MJBizCon 2026 fills the Las Vegas Convention Center December 1–4. Check the official site for last-minute changes.