CMA Presents: Building Brands — The Importance Of Good Design

Please join CMA for a panel discussion on Building Brands - The Importance of Good Design — a panel discussion on May 22nd at 6:00 pm at EVB.

During this monthly Cannabis Marketing Association meeting, design experts from inside and outside the cannabis industry will speak about the importance of good design in brand building.

Building Brands - The Importance of Good Design

As the cannabis industry grows and matures, 'design' will play a huge role in differentiating brands at retail.  From innovative product design to packaging and user experience, the way that brands look and work may be the single biggest factor that leads to a new consumer's decision to buy.  Join our panel of industry experts who have all built successful brands with an eye for high-quality design and user experience.

Are there lessons that can be learned from traditional consumer packaged goods?  How do we overcome the clunkiness of the packaging regulation? Can products be over-designed / over-packaged?  Why does everyone want to be the "Apple" of cannabis? Is product quality important to new consumers? These questions and more will be addressed by our panel on May 22nd.

Panelists:

• Christopher Peak, Owner & CEO at Pratt Tech. LLC & Former Head of Retail Design & Direct Sourcing, Apple Inc.

• Rosa Ziebell, SVP Marketing, Eaze

• Brian Wallace, Founder, Endorfin Foods

Moderator:

• David Downs, Award-Winning Journalist

There will be time for an audience Q&A at the end of the discussion. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Ticket prices go up at the door, so reserve your space in advance. Please join CMA's Bay Area Chapter for this informative and fun meeting!

6:00 - 6:15 Doors Open

6:15 - 7:15 Panel and Q&A

7:15 - 8:00 Open Networking

#CMABayArea

About Our Panelists & Moderator:

David Downs, Award-Winning Journalist

David Downs is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author who covers cannabis policy and legalization. As the cannabis editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, he founded GreenState.com. Downs is the co-author of the new crop science book Marijuana Harvest (2017) by Ed Rosenthal and David Downs. He has guest lectured at Loyola Law School, and UC Berkeley Extension, and shared in a 2018 Scripps Howard Award for Breaking News for his “Wine Country Fires” reporting.

Rosa Ziebell, SVP Marketing, Eaze

Rosa Ziebell is a consumer marketer that builds brands and demand for consumer products and services.   She is currently the SVP, Marketing at Eaze Solutions, growing the awareness of the Brand as the company expands into new markets across California. Her first foray into the cannabis industry was as the consulting CMO at Pax Labs. She has fallen in love with this industry and helping educate consumers about the benefits of cannabis. 

Rosa has been building brands across a range of industries—consumer goods, energy bars, financial services, EdTech —as both a marketer and general manager.  The experience from other highly competitive, and often regulated, industries is coming handy in navigating the dynamics of the cannabis industry.  

Rosa Ziebell lives in Oakland with her husband and son.  She grew up in SF and attended UC Berkeley, University of Chicago and Harvard Business School

Christopher Peak, CEO, Pratt Launch

Christopher Peak is known internationally for his leadership and innovation. Changing the playing field across several industries, this creative executive delivers dynamic results for global brands. A former executive for Apple Retail, he has successfully navigated the world of real estate, business development, design, construction, architecture, manufacturing, and sourcing.

Peak possesses an innate ability to effectively develop strategies, cultivate and lead complex teams and build operational infrastructure. His tenacious drive has consistently translated into powerful results at Apple inc, Universal Studios, and Michelle Kaufmann design. This success has kept him in demand as a consultant and executive for major retail brands, designers, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs.

Brian Wallace, Founder, Endorfin Foods

Brian's passion for ethnobotany led him to chocolate, aka Theobroma cacao, which translated from Latin literally means "the food of the gods". Through years of courses and travels around the globe, Brian learned to unite his love for wildcrafting with the technical savvy required to make great chocolate, which is currently what you'll find him doing nearly every waking moment. Brian believes in nourishing the mind, body, and spirit through all things cacao, and his current mission in life is to spread the chocolate gospel everywhere he goes.