Our pals at Craft Beer Professionals just finished their fourth Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conference. Here are some takeaways from the event via Andrew Coplon, the big brains behind CBP. You can also rewatch the whole thing right here:
When we hosted our first Virtual Conference in April 2020, most of us were confined to our homes and glued to our screens. That is no longer the case. Things are getting better, and while it’s great to attend and tune in live, these events are so much more. We have created a 100% free resource for all Craft Beer Professionals. A continually growing library of content you can access at your convenience and learn from some of the brightest minds in our industry.
It is our goal to make craft beer education accessible to all.
Our conference was spread over three days and consisted of 50+ speakers and topics ranging the complete spectrum of what goes in to make our industry successful. It is an impossible feat to pinpoint the most valuable talks. Here are 5 of my takeaways from the event.
Mariah and Sam Calagione are great to have a beer with.
The Dogfish Head co-founders have raised a family, grown a brand, and stayed together. Take a watch (or listen on Spotify) to learn the strategies they credit for their success. So many brewer owners are running a business with family, or also working a 9 to 5, and these are extremely important conversations to be had.
Data is only getting cooler.
When we first began hosting virtual events, you rarely saw the word data, but now it’s popping in nearly every conversation. Tune in to the above conversation to hear how 3 breweries have used data management to grow. And follow up with Real-Time Fermentation Monitoring: Stories from the Cellar to learn more.
As an industry, we must create more welcoming, safer, and respectful spaces.
Julie Rhodes’s (Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions) presentation Profits & Social Justice: Yes, You Can Have Both discusses why inclusion, equity, and social justice efforts are vital for the health of your business as well as your team. She also outlines steps you can take to make a commitment.
Branding and diversification are extremely important.
The wonderful people over at CODO Design walk us through 4 proven strategies for extending a brewery’s brand, beyond beer. And if you’re not afraid of the S-word, also check out Grant Lawrence’s (Country Malt Group) talk on Hard Seltzers: Innovation and Compliance.
Innovation is part of the formula for long-term success.
Colleen Quinn (Second Sip Beverage Consulting) dives into need for innovation and variety while balancing the role of flagships (in the above Portfolio Strategy: Optimizing Product Mix for Growth). Mike Paladino and Don Marcil (Stout Tanks and Kettles) focus on the equipment side of things and explore the value of a pilot brewing system.
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