RetailNow is a 4 day event being held from 25th July to 28th 2021 at the Gaylord Opryland Events Center in Nashville, by the RSPA. The RSPA is North America’s largest community of VARs, software developers, vendors, and distributors in the retail, restaurant, grocery, and cannabis verticals. Join Harry and Dan at the conference and be sure to attend Harry’s panel “want to enter the cannabis vertical better start here”.
Video Transcription
Harry Brelsford 0:06
Hey 420MSP Harry Brelsford former Alaskan back with Dan Foote current Alaskan Dan great time of year up there long day is how’s it how’s the summer been?
Dan Foote 0:19
You know, it’s been an interesting summer weather has been all over the place yesterday we had a very hard rain. Today it’s, you know, kind of a little partly cloudy but not raining. So you know, it’s it’s typical Alaska summer, you cannot predict it. Yeah, there’s no Prediction Service available that, you know, will tell you what summer is going to be like up here.
Harry Brelsford 0:46
Yeah, real different than two years ago, when I visited you and you you had the 90 degree weather and the fires and you know, the times are changing. But hey, I want to talk to you. I’m fired up to see you again. Because I’m going to be at Retail Now. July 25 26th 27th. From the RSPA, the trade crew point of sale channel partners in Nashville, Tennessee. So So let’s talk about that. Is this one of the first conferences you’ve been to? Since since the pandemic?
Dan Foote 1:21
Number two, that’ll be number two. I did. I did an event in Orlando. Actually now in May I think it was Yeah, good lord. times it’s just times just blowing out the doors. I don’t know.
Harry Brelsford 1:41
I know it’s mid year. So I I’m, uh, I’m facilitating a panel want to enter the cannabis vertical better start here? What’s your thinking? What’s, what’s your thinking about what that panel would be?
Dan Foote 1:57
I think it’s, it’s going to be, I think it’s gonna be fun. For one, I think the big stressors that need to be impressed on people are the importance of compliance. You know, it’s, it seems to me that it’s, for a lot of a lot of cannabis clients, it tends to be more almost an afterthought, it is how to really handle compliance. You know, they go and read the regulations, and they get, you know, they get approved by the city or state, but then they kind of neglect the ongoing needs for compliance. So, that’s a, that’s actually been a learning curve for us to make sure that, that our clients are well prepared for that. Like when the auditor comes through and says, prove to me that your video compliance is giving you 40 days of coverage? Oh, yeah. Well, you know, okay, we we as an MSP need to make sure that we’re doing our job to make sure that the owners or their staff are trained, and how to deal with that. Show them, you know, so that we don’t have to go and do it for so you know, it’s a it’s a training curve for everybody.
Harry Brelsford 3:24
Yeah, exactly. What I, what I’m going to contribute in my commentary on that panel is better start here. It’s, of course, easiest if you’re in one of the new Greenfield states. So we’d be talking about New York, New Jersey. Still, Illinois is a little bit on a slow roll. Maybe you saw the fly by Virginia went legal on July 1, just a few days ago.
Dan Foote 3:54
Wow. No, I don’t think I did see that. Yeah, man that remain clean. But I didn’t.
Harry Brelsford 4:00
Yeah, it’s just it’s happening faster than we thought. So yeah, you know, start here, I guess I would say better start now.
Dan Foote 4:12
Yes, but you know, not only compliance, but also this this industry. Like any other industry. It has to rely on technology, and maybe even more so than some other industries. And so having having your network infrastructure, designed and built by professionals instead of, you know, oh, all I need to do is run out and buy this little off the shelf from Best Buy router to, you know, really, you’re going to do what? So you’re making sure that there’s an involvement Cannabis retailers, they look at the the stack of services that are out there and available. But then I think sometimes they neglect, how are we going to get to those services? And what makes the most stable environment to do that?
Harry Brelsford 5:17
Yeah, absolutely hate before we call it good. Since you are going out to shows again, name two or three conferences that you’ll be attending in the second half of the year, besides retail now, so people can track it down.
Dan Foote 5:32
Oh, I’m, I understand that datacom is supposed to be in Seattle this year. And that’s one of my favorite shows. That just datto has put on top shelf events every time I’ve been to them. So that I’m still waiting for actually the official announcement on that. All we’re getting is ticklers. And you know, I don’t know who else yet. I’m, it’s it’s really this post COVID thing. is really rather strange coming out of this. fog. Yeah. Really. It’s, it’s, it’s really strange. And I think we see that in some of the behaviors of people. But also, we’re seeing it in how different organizations are going to handle events. Yeah. So, um, you know, I’m kind of being watchful and waiting for them to but yeah, but I do hope to get out to a couple others. Yeah,
Harry Brelsford 6:45
I’ve Yeah, I’ve already registered for datacom. For me, it’s always, you know, an excuse to get back to where I put my 32 years in Seattle, you know, good to get back and warm up the business relationships. I have it is essentially Columbus Day forward. a three day, it might be starting on the Sunday before Columbus Day. So don’t hold me to it. But it’s right in that 10th 11th 1213 era. timeframe.
Dan Foote 7:13
Yeah, that’s what it’s what I think I saw, I think I actually saw it panned for a little bit earlier. But have they actually officially announced it? They have
Harry Brelsford 7:22
because as a member of the press, I’ve already registered right, I’ve already I’ve already gone through the hoops. And so, here again, I’ll be good to see. You spent time in Seattle. I certainly did be be fun to be on the home field.
Dan Foote 7:40
Oh, here you go. Harry. This is my anniversary month for moving to Alaska. Officially moving. I moved up here in 89, July of 89. I have now lived in Alaska longer than I lived in Seattle, which you know, figured out it’s been a while. And you know, I still love it up here. It’s just we just have it maybe a little bit better than other places. Don’t tell me but don’t tell anybody. Okay, I’ll take care. And thanks so much for everything and talk to you see in a few couple few days. Couple of weeks.
Harry Brelsford 8:24
Yeah, a couple weeks in Nashville at retail now. Thanks. Dan.
