I am very happy and honoured to say CBD Sloth will be a media partner for the World CBD Awards 2024! Below I’ll go through everything you need to know about the prestigious awards, as well as why you should be nominating your brand for an award.
What Happened To The Previous Awards?
The event was unfortunately cancelled and rescheduled for the following year due to unforeseen circumstances. The new event is set to take place in the same location and venue as originally planned for.
What Are The World CBD Awards?
This is an annual awards ceremony and conference, covering products in the CBD/Hemp industry. The company was incorporated in 2019, which was the first year it ran, with some amazing videos of the event available on the homepage of their website.
There are three directors of the company, being Damon Bonnick, Pamela Bonnick and Ryan Wilson.
Sadly, Michael Patterson passed away last year, the former CEO of the WorldCBDAwards. My love and best wishes go out to his family.
Damon (operations director), Pamela (director), Ramsey (managing director) and Ryan (business development director) formed the company in April 2019, before Michael joined as the CEO in October 2019, while Khalilah joined as the sales director in March 2020, however she left in 2021. Ramsey also left his position in late 2022.
Transparency and ethics are at the forefront of their mind when it comes to the awards and the judging process, something I can very strongly relate to, being one of the main reasons why I launched CBD Sloth, to help offer greater transparency on the CBD industry.
When Is The Event Taking Place?
The World CBD Awards will be taking place on the 8th October 2024, at the Palacio Estoril hotel in Portugal.
However, if you would like to submit your brand for an award, the nominations close at the end of July, so make sure to head over to their website.
What time should people arrive on the day?
Delegates should look to arrive to the Palacio Estoril hotel at around 10am Monday the 8th of October.
What time should I arrive as an exhibitor to be setup in time for people arriving?
As an exhibitor, you should look to arrive around 12pm on the Monday for the registration and setup of the stalls.
Who are the big speakers we can get excited about?
They had around 16 keynote speakers last year, while the speakers this year haven’t yet been announced. Last year the names included:
- Lorenza Romanese
- Prof Mike Barnes
- Robert Jappie
- Dr Mohan Coorey
- Dr Nina Nejmah
- Vera Twomey
- Isaac Balbin
Is there any way to book a seat at a seminar or is it first come first serve? How many seats are there at the talks?
You can access the conference by purchasing either a “conference” or a “V.I.P Full Event” ticket, there are 500 seats with around 250 standing space for the late comers. All of the talks are on one stage.
What Nomination Categories Are There?
You can enter your brand to the following categories:
Product Categories
- Packaging
- Vape
- Sexual wellness
- Isolate tincture
- Hot beverage
- Capsule
- Device
- Cosmetic
- Sublingual edible
- Full spectrum tincture
- Cold beverage
- Terpenes
- Flower
- Topical
- Confectionary edible
- Broad spectrum tincture
- Alcoholic beverage
Non-Product Categories
- Retailer
- White label supplier
- Most charitable
- Payment merchant
- Distributor
- Raw material supplier
- Machinery
- Publication
- Laboratory
- Innovation
- Pet range
- Industry newcomer
Health & Wellness
- Health & wellness distributor
- Health & wellness product
- Health & wellness retailer
- Health & wellness educator
How do I enter the World CBD Awards?
Head over to the World CBD Awards website, choose the category that best represents your brand or your products and fill in the form.
You will need certain documentation available to fill in the form, so make sure you have everything to hand. There is a nomination fee and then they will reach out to you.
What is the difference between the different ticket options?
There are three different ticket options available. One ticket is free, which is for the b2b expo. The second is £100 and this grants you access to the conference, while the final ticket, which they highly recommend whilst they’re still available, is the V.I.P full event ticket, which grants you access to all areas of the event, from the expo to the afterparty!
How do I book a meeting with one of the exhibitors?
This can be done at the awards itself, either by arranging to speak with them during the expo or alternatively having a meeting on the friday which is the awards official networking day!
What food facilities are available at the venue? Is it easy to grab a coffee inside?
There are many facilities inside, while refreshments & coffee will be provided FOC throughout the event at many stages. A three course meal will be provided just before the gala!
However, the Palacio Estoril hotel is ideally located, so those looking to dine out will be spoilt for choice by the wide range of cuisine that Lisbon has to offer.
How long should I give myself to walk around the entire venue?
The venue is quite large and will be split up on the day, roughly 15 minutes should be enough to have a quick whip round. Of course, give yourself a full day if you plan on networking with people and jot down the main stands you want to speak to.
What are the official hashtags I should monitor on the day for the World CBD Awards?
#SeeYouSoon #WCAWinners #WorldCBDAwards #CBDAwards2024
Why should someone attend this event in Lisbon?
Networking is the most obvious benefit for everyone, with millions of pounds worth of distribution/sales deals made at the last event, I can’t wait to see the results of bringing the industry together again this year!
Are there any local hotels you can recommend for people hoping to stay the night?
They haven’t directly provided any recommendations for this years event, but the event is in a hotel, while you also have a number nearby, such as Vila Gale Estoril, Inglaterra Estoril, Rent4rest and Hotel Sao Mamede. I haven’t looked into the star rating or quality of these, so conduct your own research before booking.
Is there a big party at the end?
Would it be the World CBD Awards without one? This year’s afterparty will be held at the hotel, while the group normally head to a local nightclub after late hours but it hasn’t been set which one just yet.
Is it too late to become a sponsor?
Absolutely not! They have a few spots left for those companies looking to see their name in lights in 2024, get in touch with their team through their website and they can arrange a chat.
How can exhibitors stand out in the crowd? Any little tips?
As they do things a little differently and only have two sizes of stall (2×3 and 3×3), unfortunately it’s not a case of buying more floor tiles! They recommend bringing additional things to your stall (screens etc) or colourful banners for the shell scheme will help you stand out from the crowd!
Why Should I Enter An Award?
When a potential customer is trying to work out which brand to opt for, it can be incredibly difficult, with each brand offering a product which is virtually identical on paper.
They’re also potentially not skilled in reading a lab report or know the scientific differences they should expect, therefore they will look towards trust signals such as product reviews on Trustpilot or on a website such as…CBD Sloth!
But another factor which holds a significant amount of pulling power is an award. If you can say your CBD oil won the best in the industry around the world, you can certainly expect people to take notice of your brand and opt for you over a competitor.
You can then use this on your product packaging, throughout your website, in email newsletters or in PR pieces.
What Do I Need To Nominate My Brand?
If you’re hoping to enter a product then you will need to complete the application form, send in a sample and also pay the £100 (+VAT) fee for the lab report. Remember you have to send three samples rather than just one, with 2 being unbranded and 1 being branded.
If you’re entering one of the brand awards, such as most charitable company, you’ll need to complete an application form along with a 30-60 second video clip explaining why you deserve to win. This is a short period of time, so make it precise and ensure you include everything that needs to be said.
Finally, if you’re entering an award such as to be the CBD influencer of the year, then you just need to complete an application form.
How Much Is A Ticket?
You have two options available, you can either buy a 3 day full event ticket, which includes the pre-dinner drinks reception, networking opportunities, the awards ceremony on the final night and the after party. These tickets cost £500, while they don’t include accommodation.
The other option, if you were more focused on attending the conference, is the Conference & Lunch ticket, which is exactly what it says on the tin. This ticket costs £100.
What Is The Judging Process?
What I love about these awards is that they have been very open in the scoring breakdown, which can help people to understand more about why they won or didn’t win.
30% of the score, the biggest factor of them all, comes down to the lab report, so if your product doesn’t contain the stated levels of cannabinoids you’re claiming, then you’re always going to come up short here.
Behind this, the research panel report is also a key indicator, holding a 20% weight. The physical testing (taste, smell etc) and application/supporting documents also hold a 20% weight each, while the final 10% is the aesthetics and safety report.
I’m a big fan of their judging process, as there seems to be an increasing amount of national publications and magazines that are launching supposed ‘CBD awards’ as column pieces, where they request the CBD products and simply base their decision on which one they like the best, with the judges being journalists. I know, as I have worked alongside a few of them, but I found the entire concept a bit bizarre, for a judge to be someone who had never previously tried CBD oil, to decide the best in the country and potentially affect people’s purchase decisions.
On the other hand, the World CBD Awards are the real deal, to win an award here would put your brand at centre stage of this ever growing industry. So make sure to get your brand nominated in time and I hope you win in Lisbon!