By: RootSource Media,
For all the noise, infighting, shifting regulations, and ongoing debates over what belongs in which lane, the global hemp and cannabis sectors continue to move forward.
Not evenly and not always gracefully, but forward nonetheless.
One of the clearest ways to track that movement is by looking at where industry conversations are happening. Conferences and trade gatherings are still where policy gets debated, partnerships get formed, education happens, equipment gets shown, investors poke around, and attendees talk shop and have fun while doing it.
The coming months offer a strong cross-section of that activity, spanning Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.
The 2026 event calendar is crowded in the best possible way. From industrial hemp and medical cannabis to beverages, science, and international trade, there’s no shortage of serious conversations happening around the world. For this article, the focus begins with three events where current relationships and active engagement create a more immediate editorial lens: CHEEBA in South Africa, EIHA in Poland, and NIHC’s Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit in New York.
Africa Steps Forward
CHEEBA Cannabis & Hemp Summit
May 29, 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Africa’s role in the global hemp and cannabis conversation continues to expand, and the CHEEBA Cannabis & Hemp Summit has become one of the continent’s more visible business platforms.
Now in its third year, the summit returns to Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre in partnership with The Cannabis Expo, bringing together cultivators, investors, policymakers, processors, brands, and international operators.
The conversations in Africa feel different than in Europe or North America. In many markets, the questions are still foundational: regulatory structure, market access, export pathways, cultivation frameworks, licensing, financing, and who gets to participate as legal industries take shape.
That makes for interesting rooms.
CHEEBA’s programming reflects that mix, bringing together government voices, economists, commercial operators, and international participants from across the cannabis and hemp ecosystem.
South Africa remains one of the most watched jurisdictions on the continent, but the bigger story is regional. Zambia, Lesotho, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and others continue to draw attention as governments and entrepreneurs work through what viable hemp and cannabis markets actually look like.
Europe’s Industrial Hemp Machine Keeps Turning
23rd EIHA Conference
June 10–12, 2026 | Poznań, Poland
Europe tends to approach hemp with a little less hype and a lot more machinery.
The 23rd EIHA Conference in Poznań reflects that.
This year’s event carries official honorary patronage from Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Climate and Environment, alongside collaboration with the Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants.
The agenda is unapologetically industrial.
Fiber processing. Equipment. Construction materials. Textiles. Food and feed. Biobased composites. Carbon. Supply chains.
Less “what if hemp changed everything?” and more “who’s building what, with what equipment, and who’s buying it?”
That’s part of why EIHA continues to attract operators from well beyond Europe.
Poland is also a fitting host. The region has deep agricultural roots, growing industrial interest, and increasing relevance within Europe’s broader hemp manufacturing landscape.
America’s Fiber Conversation Gets More Practical
NIHC Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit
September 16–18, 2026 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York City
The U.S. hemp industry has spent years talking about fiber.
Now more of the conversation is shifting toward execution.
The NIHC Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit returns in September at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, bringing growers, processors, technical experts, academics, policymakers, manufacturers, and brands into the same room.
FIT is an interesting choice for obvious reasons.
If hemp fiber is going to become commercially relevant at scale in the U.S., agriculture eventually has to connect with manufacturing, product development, textile design, and actual buyers.
The summit focuses on the practical mechanics of that transition: standards, quality specs, logistics, processing infrastructure, textile innovation, and supply chain development.
The U.S. fiber conversation has matured noticeably in the past few years. There’s still plenty of friction, but at least the discussions are increasingly about actual bottlenecks instead of theoretical enthusiasm.
Additional Global Events on the Radar
The broader calendar gets busy quickly.
Some of these lean hemp. Some lean cannabis. Some live squarely in the overlap.
That’s fine. It’s one plant, even if the regulatory world insists on pretending otherwise.
Cannabis Europa
May 26–27, 2026 | London
Cannabis Europa continues to attract policymakers, investors, executives, medical cannabis operators, and international stakeholders focused on Europe’s evolving cannabis framework.
The tone here is more boardroom than trade show floor.
Capital, policy, medical access, regulatory models, and market structure tend to dominate the conversation.
Grow Up Conference
June 1–3, 2026 | Toronto, Canada
Canada’s cannabis market is no longer new, but it remains one of the most instructive.
Grow Up brings together licensed producers, retailers, extraction companies, investors, brands, technology providers, and service companies navigating the realities of regulated cannabis business.
Toronto remains a useful checkpoint for anyone watching North American cannabis.
Mary Jane Berlin
June 12–14, 2026 | Berlin, Germany
Mary Jane has grown into one of Europe’s biggest cannabis events, mixing business, consumer culture, brands, product launches, media, and a healthy amount of organized chaos.
It’s a completely different animal than EIHA, which is exactly why it belongs on the calendar.
Berlin knows how to do big.
Hemp Beverage Expo
June 2026 | Austin, Texas
One of the more active categories in the broader hemp market right now is beverages.
As hemp-derived THC, CBD, and other cannabinoid-infused drinks continue carving out shelf space, distribution channels, and consumer attention, the beverage conversation has quickly moved from niche curiosity to legitimate business category.
The Hemp Beverage Expo in Austin is focused squarely on that segment, bringing together brands, manufacturers, formulators, retailers, distributors, investors, and regulatory voices working in one of the fastest-moving corners of the plant economy.
For anyone tracking the convergence of hemp, functional beverages, adult alternatives, and retail innovation, Austin deserves a look.
Portugal Medical Cannabis Conference (PTMC)
September 10–11, 2026 | Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal has become one of Europe’s more important jurisdictions in the medical cannabis conversation, particularly around cultivation, exports, regulation, and pharmaceutical pathways.
PTMC brings together clinicians, operators, policymakers, researchers, investors, and international stakeholders focused on the medical cannabis sector.
For those tracking Europe’s medical cannabis evolution, Lisbon remains an important checkpoint.
Australian Industrial Hemp Conference
September 21–23, 2026 | Geelong, Victoria
Australia continues to carve out its own lane in industrial hemp across grain, food, fiber, and materials.
It doesn’t always get the same attention as Europe or North America, but solid work continues there.
Science in the City
September 29–30, 2026 | Paris, France
Science in the City takes a more research and innovation-driven approach, bringing together scientists, brands, formulators, researchers, policymakers, and commercial stakeholders working across cannabis, cannabinoids, and adjacent plant science sectors.
Paris adds an interesting dimension, particularly as Europe’s conversations around medical access, science, product development, and regulatory modernization continue to evolve.
For operators watching the intersection of research, commercialization, and policy, this one belongs on the radar.
Japan International Hemp Expo
November 13–14, 2026 | Tokyo, Japan
Japan remains one of the more intriguing markets to watch.
Regulatory evolution tends to move deliberately there, but interest continues building across wellness, materials, and broader hemp applications.
Tokyo should offer a useful snapshot of where that conversation sits.
Asia International Hemp Expo & Forum
November 18–20, 2026 | Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand’s cannabis experiment has produced plenty of headlines, confusion, enthusiasm, reversals, and lessons.
But zoom out, and Southeast Asia remains commercially interesting for manufacturing, processing, ingredients, and regional supply chain development.
Bangkok continues to position itself accordingly.
World Hemp Forum
November 24–26, 2026 | Troyes, France
For those focused squarely on industrial hemp, the World Hemp Forum deserves attention.
Returning for its second edition in Troyes, France, the event brings together international stakeholders from across the hemp value chain, from agriculture and processing to textiles, food, construction, composites, research, and emerging industrial applications.
France remains one of Europe’s most established industrial hemp markets, making Troyes a fitting host for a gathering centered on practical development, business collaboration, and international market expansion.
With business meetings, technical programming, site visits, research forums, workshops, and broader ecosystem engagement, World Hemp Forum is positioning itself as a serious addition to the international industrial hemp calendar.
Closing Thoughts
The global hemp and cannabis industries are evolving at different speeds, in different directions, for very different reasons.
Europe tends to be more infrastructure-driven. Africa is still shaping foundational frameworks. North America continues to wrestle with regulation, market corrections, and figuring out what comes next. Asia remains a mix of emerging opportunity and cautious movement.
No two markets look the same, and that’s exactly what makes the global picture interesting.
One thing they do share is momentum.
If you want a clearer sense of where things are headed, pay attention to where people are gathering, what conversations are gaining traction, and which ideas keep showing up across continents.
The event calendar won’t tell you everything, but it’s often where the next chapter starts taking shape.
