We at Gregory FCA attend a lot of conferences and trade shows. Oftentimes we’re accompanying exhibiting clients who are seeking increased media coverage with their presence. Other times we attend shows simply to keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s next in the industries most important to our business.

In the tech space, it’s no secret that there are two shows that rule them all, CES and SXSW — both of which we have written extensively about. However, these larger shows have given way to a new breed of tech conference — the kind that allows you to hobnob with industry leaders while getting to know the new wave of promising, pre-venture-backed startups. Having just celebrated its third year, after moving to New Orleans from Vegas, the annual Collision Conference checks both of these boxes, and more.

Whereas CES showcases the year’s best and brightest new products, and SXSW draws those who can discuss what’s on the horizon, Collision excels at bringing together true industry thought leaders and innovators to share their experiences and reflect on what got them there, and of course, what’s to come.

GE CMO Linda Boff, WeWork Founder Miguel McKelvey, Eventbrite Co-Founder and CEO Julia Hartz, and NFL future Hall of Famer Brett Favre were all there to provide thoughtful conversation with leading journalists from the likes of CNN, BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Wired.

Both of the best speakers I saw were industry veterans offering advice to prospective startup founders. Slack Co-Founder and CTO Cal Henderson shared an important piece on how Slack became so popular.

VC Superman Chris Sacca did his best to steal the entire show (and I think he succeeded), telling hilarious anecdotes, throwing back beers, and trashing some of the most commonly held tenets of conventional investor wisdom.

Speakers aside, Collision’s other main draw is its impressive group of exhibiting startups.

With literally hundreds of newly founded companies crammed into a single convention center room, it was an investor’s paradise. And from a PR perspective, there was no shortage of new tech players with fascinating stories to tell.

On the product side we had Super8 iPhone converters, “floating” record players, and the “the fitbit of pills.” For service providers (almost exclusively apps), there was a wide array of health care services, home delivery, and financial services companies — just to name a few.

But of this group of startups there were two industries that were clearly trending: social networking and medical marijuana. Need to find local strangers to play softball with? How about throwing a pop-up club party? Weepo and Physi have you covered, respectively. As more and more founders are finding themselves swiping right and left, the ubiquity of networking apps seems to be permeating all aspect of social life. This much was clear with the group of startups at Collision 2016.

In the medical marijuana space, innovative companies like WoahStork, a data-driven online dispensary marketplace, echoed to me the importance of trade show attendance, and the subsequent brand awareness gained from said attendance. Unfortunately for the players in this burgeoning industry, Google, Facebook, and Twitter ads are still prohibited, making earning media a critical component of an effective marketing campaign for marijuana-related businesses.

All in all, Collision is an awesome show for tech industry networking and learning. If you’re a startup, no matter your industry, you should apply to attend. For validation, look no further than Robert Scoble, who simply says, “It is the best. Period.” Oh yeah, and New Orleans is a pretty awesome city.

Looking forward to what next year has to bring.