This article explains Metrc (Minnesota) Support Bulletin MN_IB_0058 on Temporary Event Sales, including how Minnesota licensees should set up a Temporary Event Location, move inventory to an approved event using an Event Transfer, record event sales on time, and return unsold product to the originating facility in Metrc.
What the Minnesota Metrc bulletin covers
Metrc’s Minnesota bulletin provides the required inventory tracking workflow for retailers (and other authorized license holders) who have been granted permission by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to sell at a licensed temporary event. The goal is to keep package custody, location assignments, and sales reporting accurate while inventory temporarily leaves your primary retail facility.
Who should follow this process
These steps are intended only for license holders who have explicit authorization to operate at temporary events as a vendor. If you are not approved for event vending, creating event locations or event transfers may create compliance risk because your Metrc records would show inventory activity that does not match your permitted operations.
Step 1: Choose which packages will go to the event
Before anything moves physically, identify the specific Metrc packages you intend to sell at the event. Operationally, this is where teams prevent common issues such as bringing more inventory than needed, selecting the wrong package tags, or forgetting to include all saleable units intended for the event.
Step 2: Create a Temporary Event Location in Metrc
Metrc requires event inventory to be clearly separated from normal store inventory through a dedicated location. In Metrc, go to the Admin area, open Locations, and add a new location.
- Location name: Use a clear name that matches the event (so staff can select it correctly when receiving and selling).
- Location type: Select Temporary Event.
Practical implication: a Temporary Event Location makes it easier to reconcile what was staged for the event, what sold during the event, and what must return to the main facility—without blending event inventory into everyday sales locations.
Step 3: Create an “Event Transfer” to yourself (same license)
To move inventory from your facility to the event, the bulletin instructs Minnesota operators to create a transfer where the origin and destination are the same license (you), and the transfer type is Event Transfer. This documents custody and travel details while allowing the product to be received into the Temporary Event Location upon arrival.
Key fields to complete correctly
- Destination: Use your own license number (since you are transferring to yourself for the event).
- Phone number: Enter the transporter’s phone number.
- Planned route: Record the event name, event location details, the event license holder number (as applicable), and the route from your facility to the event.
- Transporter number: Use the Secure Transporter license number.
Practical implication: Metrc transfer details are often reviewed during audits or investigations. A complete planned route and correct transporter licensing help demonstrate the movement was legitimate, authorized, and handled by the appropriate licensed party.
Step 4: Receive the transfer into the Temporary Event Location
Once the shipment arrives at the temporary event, receive the incoming transfer in Metrc and place the incoming packages into the Temporary Event Location. This step matters because it aligns the system location with the real-world location where sales will occur.
Practical implication: if packages are received into the wrong location (for example, a backroom or sales floor at the primary facility), your daily inventory and sales activity can appear inconsistent with where product was actually sold.
Step 5: Record event sales in Metrc within 24 hours
The bulletin states that all sales made each day of the event must be recorded in Metrc by the end of that same day, and also notes the requirement to log all event sales within 24 hours of sale. Operationally, the safest approach is to treat this as a daily close requirement: reconcile and post sales before staff leave for the night.
Practical implication: late sales entry can create compliance exposure, distort inventory on hand, and complicate end-of-event reconciliation (especially if returns, adjustments, or additional transfers occur).
Step 6: Return unsold inventory using a new transfer manifest
If product remains unsold, create a new transfer manifest to move inventory from the event back to your retail facility. The bulletin emphasizes that a licensed transporter must be used to move the product back.
What to document
- Planned route: From the event location back to your facility.
- Transporter details: The licensed transporter who will execute the return trip.
Practical implication: returning inventory is not just “moving it back.” It is a second regulated movement that must be recorded as its own transfer so your chain of custody remains continuous from store to event and back to store.
Step 7: Receive returned packages into the correct facility locations
When the return shipment arrives, receive the transfer back into your facility inventory and assign packages to their correct locations. This closes the loop on event inventory and supports accurate on-hand counts for normal retail operations immediately after the event.
After the event: discontinue the Temporary Event Location
Once the event is complete and all inventory has either been sold (and recorded) or returned (and received), the bulletin instructs operators to discontinue the Temporary Event Location. This helps keep location lists clean and reduces the chance that staff accidentally select an old event location during future receiving or sales activities.
Day-to-day operational implications for Minnesota cannabis operators
Temporary events compress normal retail compliance into a short timeframe and a nonstandard sales environment. In practice, the bulletin’s workflow supports three core controls:
- Inventory segregation: Event inventory is isolated via a dedicated Temporary Event Location.
- Traceable movement: Event Transfer manifests (outbound and return) document custody, routing, and transporter authorization.
- Timely sales reporting: Daily (or within 24 hours) sales entry prevents inventory drift and reduces end-of-event reconciliation problems.
Teams that operationalize these controls typically see fewer inventory adjustments, fewer transfer corrections, and faster post-event reconciliation.
Packaging, retail labels, and Metrc Retail ID readiness
Accurate Metrc sales tracking at events often depends on having clean, compliant retail labels that match what is being sold and what is being reported. DistruLabels is a 100% free tool for creating compliant packaging and retail labels, and it can help operators stay organized for Metrc Retail ID requirements by standardizing how product identifiers and retail labeling information are generated and applied.
Scaling beyond events: DistruERP for full supply chain control
For larger operators managing high SKU counts, multi-location inventory, frequent transfers, and complex purchasing/production workflows, DistruERP is Distru’s comprehensive Cannabis ERP platform designed to support end-to-end supply chain management while keeping compliance workflows aligned with systems like Metrc.
Where to get help (Metrc resources)
If you need assistance with locations, creating or receiving transfers, or training staff on temporary event workflows, Metrc directs operators to official support and training resources:
- https://support.metrc.com for Metrc Support (also accessible inside Metrc from the Support dropdown)
- Metrc Learn for guided training modules and facility-specific learning programs
- In-app Metrc resource links (manuals and educational guides available from the Support dropdown)
