That was the best night ever!
That’s what many said coming away from an April 21 afterparty that marked the end of Benzinga’s Psychedelics and Cannabis Capital conferences.
Hosted at Groot Hospitality and David Grutman’s LIV Nightclub, which is inside of the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach, owned by members of the Soffer family, Benzinga’s afterparty saw founder and CEO Jason Raznick chat it up with wrestler Ric Flair, boxer Mike Tyson and rapper Rick Ross, who sang live.
Here’s the scoop on why this party was memorable and how you may partake in an even bigger one next time.
A Meeting Of Leaders: Benzinga hosts live conferences several times a year to recognize disruptive innovation in finance and technology, trading and emerging assets.
After a pandemic hiatus, two of those events occurred last week, in person; Benzinga’s Psychedelics and Cannabis Capital conference offered event participants — founders and investors — a friendly environment to learn and network.
In attendance were the likes of Canadian businessman and investor Kevin O’Leary, portfolio manager Tim Seymour, NBA player Lamar Odom, Tyson 2.0’s Mike Tyson and Ric Flair, among many more.
Raznick, who launched Benzinga.com in 2010 and recently sold a majority stake to Beringer Capital, kicked off the conferences alongside O’Leary.
Photo: Benzinga CEO Jason Raznick, left, and "Shark Tank" judge Kevin O'Leary at the Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference Tuesday at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by Dez Smith.
The Cherry On Top: To end each evening, Benzinga hosted exclusive cocktail networking events on the terraces at Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
“These cocktail parties offered event attendees a safe environment to make deals with their peers that are either founders, operators or investors,” Benzinga’s Executive Vice President Patrick Lane said in an interview. “We took this event to another level. I saw smiles in all directions.”
Raznick, alongside Benzinga’s Director of Operations Luke Jacobi, worked on a surprise in the days leading up to the end of the event with rapper Ross and Ashley Terrell of Groot Hospitality to give event attendees a night they would never forget.
“Time was of the essence and giving people unique value, unexpectedly, is core to what we do here at Benzinga,” Jacobi said. “Hosting Rick Ross and the team at Tyson 2.0 — so, Ric Flair and Mike Tyson — was something we came up with, naturally.”
Grutman, who is regarded as a leader in luxury restaurants, hotels, bars and nightclubs, alongside his team at Groot, pulled through and allowed Benzinga the opportunity to rent out LIV, an iconic 18,000-square-foot anchor nightclub inside of the Fontainebleau.
The facility is often visited by celebrities of the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5 and Jay-Z. Billionaire entrepreneur, investor and television personality Mark Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks, was said to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at the club after a championship win.
David Grutman. Photo via Groot Hospitality.
“We weren’t sure it was going to happen but the speed at which Groot worked with us speaks to its commitment to unparalleled hospitality,” Raznick said.
“Groot made our company look better.”
Best Night Of My Life: Ross kicked off the night chatting it up with Raznick, Flair and Tyson.
Rick Ross, left with Mike Tyson and Ric Flair. Benzinga photo.
“I got one question for the legend. What was your most classic match?” he asked Flair.
“Ricky Steamboat,” Flair responded. The three proceeded to laugh together.
Jason Raznick, left, with Ric Flair and Mike Tyson. Photo via Benzinga.
“Absolutely unbelievable — never have I experienced something like this at one of our events,” Raznick added. “This, indeed, is a full-circle moment and I’m excited for the opportunity to work with the rest of our Zingers in building Benzinga to be the best global content provider and event host, by the people and for the people.”
Benzinga’s Jason Raznick, left, freestyles with Rick Ross, right. Photo via Benzinga.
Did You Miss Us In Miami? If you were not an attendee or among some news outlets (cough, TMZ and New York Post, cough) that didn't have the ticket to join, Benzinga’s is hosting a Cannabis Capital Conference in fall 2022 in New York City and the Global Fintech Awards on Dec. 8, 2022, also in Manhattan.
The fintech awards are the longest-running show of their kind and will recognize disruptive innovation in fintech. Simply put, you don’t want to miss this one.
As Raznick says: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Mike Tyson, left, speaks to Benzinga's audience. Photo via Benzinga.
