Grow Up Toronto: Driving Media Attention for a Major B2B Industry Conference
The Challenge
Grow Up Conference & Expo was bringing its established cannabis industry event to Toronto for the first time, creating an opportunity to build awareness, attract industry media and generate momentum ahead of the May 2024 conference.
Marigold was engaged for a six-month PR campaign spanning January through June, with a mandate to secure earned media, drive press release performance, manage media accreditation and support media engagement surrounding the event.
The Strategy
Marigold developed a PR program designed to build awareness in the months leading up to Grow Up Toronto and convert that momentum into strong media attendance onsite.
The campaign combined strategic media relations, press release distribution, interview opportunities, media accreditation and direct industry engagement, supported by Marigold’s established cannabis media and industry network.
Two major announcements gave the campaign newsworthy moments: the release of Grow Up’s Top 50 Cannabis Leaders in Canada ahead of CannaVision ’24 and the opening of nominations for the 2024 Grow Up Awards Gala.
Turning Announcements Into Reach
Both press releases significantly exceeded campaign targets.
The first generated 403 full-text placements, 8,640 GlobeNewswire views and 1,383 link clicks. The second generated 517 placements, 7,556 views and 1,688 link clicks. Coverage and placements included outlets such as The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Finance, National Post, MarketWatch, Toronto Sun and Financial Post.
Combined, the campaign delivered:
920 full-text press release placements
3,071 link clicks
16,196 GlobeNewswire views
The original goal was 300+ full-text placements and 800+ link clicks—meaning the campaign delivered more than 3X the placement target and nearly 4X the click target.
Building Earned Media Around the Event
Beyond distribution, Marigold focused on creating editorial opportunities that positioned Grow Up and founder Randy Rowe as voices within the cannabis and events industries.
The campaign secured seven pieces of earned media coverage with a combined unique monthly visitor audience of more than 13.6 million, alongside four onsite interviews and additional social and e-news mentions. Importantly, 85% of earned coverage included a link back to the Grow Up website, helping turn awareness into valuable digital visibility.
Features included interviews with ADCANN and Authority Magazine, including a long-form profile exploring Randy Rowe’s experience building successful live events. The project report notes both written interviews were strong, relevant additions to the overall PR impact.
Bringing Media to Grow Up Toronto
Media attendance was another major priority.
Marigold invited 50+ media representatives, managed accreditation requests, coordinated interview interests and provided media with pre-event information. Ultimately, 30 media representatives confirmed attendance—far exceeding the original goal of eight.
Confirmed media included representatives from Cannabis Now, MJBizDaily, Cannabis Prospect Magazine, KIND Magazine/The Globe and Mail, High! Canada Magazine, High Moon Magazine and DANK Magazine.
Extending PR Into Community
Marigold also leveraged its Tether cannabis community to put Grow Up directly in front of retailers and Budtenders.
Grow Up was promoted through Tether’s Budtender Appreciation Week, including event information distributed to more than 100 Budtenders. Tether also used Grow Up passes for ticket giveaways and outreach to influential Budtenders to encourage awareness, word of mouth and user-generated content.
The campaign's social activity generated 2,987 impressions and 285 engagements, with an average engagement rate of 6.21%.
The Results
920 full-text press release placements
3,071 press release link clicks
16,196 GlobeNewswire views
13.6M+ combined UMV from earned media
7 earned media placements
4 onsite interviews
30 confirmed media attendees vs. a goal of 8+
85% of earned coverage included a Grow Up website link
2,987 social impressions
6.21% average social engagement rate
The Takeaway
Event PR works best when media relations begin well before the doors open.
For Grow Up Toronto, Marigold combined strategic announcements, earned media, media accreditation and cannabis industry relationships to build momentum around the conference and bring that attention directly onsite.
The result was a campaign that exceeded every major PR KPI established for the project and helped introduce Grow Up’s Toronto show to media, retailers, Budtenders and the broader Canadian cannabis industry.