The 2024 Craft Brewers Conference rocked Las Vegas
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Viva the Craft Brewers Conference! —
The Brewers Association held its annual Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America (CBC) last week in Las Vegas, NV. Recognized as the premier event in the craft brewing industry, the CBC connects and educates brewers, suppliers, and enthusiasts attending from throughout the world. The Brewers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting small and independent American brewers, organizes the conference.
The conference delivered everything an attendee could hope for except a free pair of blue suede shoes.
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The 2024 CBC was held at The Venetian Hotel Resort in Las Vegas, NV. The event changes location annually.
Photo courtesy of The Venetian Hotel Resort.
The CBC is designed to provide educational and networking opportunities for professionals in the craft brewing industry. It covers a wide range of topics, including brewing techniques, business strategies, marketing, sustainability, and industry trends. This year’s conference featured more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business in various segments of the beer industry.
BrewExpo America is the trade show component of the conference, featuring a vast exhibition floor with hundreds of vendors showcasing brewing equipment, ingredients, technology, and services. This year more than 730 exhibitors displayed the latest and greatest products, innovations, supplies, and services.
Image courtesy of CBC and Brewers Association. Photo © Brewers Association.
And the conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup®, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.
Image courtesy of WBC and Brewers Association. Photo © Brewers Association.
Viva the Craft Brewers Conference!
Observations and Thoughts
Any event this size is too massive for one person to experience all its offerings. However, here are my observations and thoughts from portions of the event I experienced.
Viva the Craft Brewers Conference!
Photo © Brewers Association.
New York Times bestselling author and groundbreaking business mogul Fawn Weaver provided the opening talk for the CBC. Weaver’s keynote address, “The Story of Uncle Nearest and What Craft Distillers and Brewers Have in Common,” highlighted her journey to becoming the first non-celebrity Black American woman to build an independent company, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, valued at over $1 billion from the ground up.
Fawn Weaver said – “If we can make it to the top we are going to bring everyone with us.”
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For professional brewers, CBC provided the best environment in North America for concentrated, affordable brewing education and idea sharing to improve brewery quality and performance. The conference was also a great social event with 10,000+ brewing industry professionals enjoying craft brews together.
CBC provided an unparalleled opportunity to interact with brewing industry individuals and companies – both formally and informally.
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Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association, provided a state of the industry report. He noted the following. Craft beer faces a challenging environment at this time. Production costs are increasing faster than consumer prices. The craft beer market place is becoming more crowded. And Americans’ perception of moderate drinking has become more negative. Bart noted that innovation is critical to business success but tough in today’s market environment.
Key to today’s success –
“Find ways to stand out.” – Bart Watson
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There were numerous presentations relevant to finding ways to make your business stand out in today’s environment. Michael Marquess, Founder and CEO of Mother Road Brewing Co., and Dylan Prater, GM for Hospitality Operations at Mother Road Brewing, gave a very compelling presentation entitled “Creating Your Culture with Radical Hospitality”. Key points made in their presentation:
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- Radical hospitality creates a competitive advantage.
- Radical hospitality requires creating a culture that is embedded into your space, personnel, and everyday actions.
- Change must start from the very top of your business and flow to your patrons.
- “Everyone must live the culture… The culture must be co-created with your guests by practicing Radical Hospitality and is the direct reflection of you, your team, and your brewery.”
- Need to create a space that promotes patrons’ making authentic connections so that your place becomes theirs.
- Your space must provide comfort, safety, ease of use, overall cleanliness, ADA access.
- Must promote and embrace a family, pet, and tourism friendly environment.
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Why it matters –
“We live in an era of screens – phones, laptops, TV’s, etc. More than ever humans crave authentic connection. Providing a third space ‘living room’ for your guests will satisfy their craving and allow for revenues as they make your place theirs.” – Michael Marquess and Dylan Prater
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CBC featured a variety of seminars, workshops, and panel discussions led by industry experts. These sessions covered technical brewing topics, business management, marketing, and other aspects relevant to the craft brewing community. With more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business in various segments of the beer industry, attendees could tailor their agenda specific to their needs and questions. The critical seminar areas covered:
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- Business & Leadership
- Export Development
- Government Affairs & Legal
- Production & Operations
- Quality & Ingredients
- Sales & Marketing
- Taprooms & Brewpubs
- Thrive – featuring a range of people-focused tools to elevate small businesses.
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Prominent industry leaders and experts delivered lessons and insights from their first-hand experiences. The spectrum and depth of these seminars should help jump-start new businesses or elevate existing businesses to stand out and thrive. And the lessons learned can help business owners avoid pitfalls.
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Photos © Brewers Association.
BrewExpo America, the trade show component of the conference, featured a vast exhibition floor with hundreds of vendors showcasing brewing equipment, ingredients, technology, and services. The exhibits provided brewers with the opportunity to explore the latest products and innovations in the industry. For example, I learned a lot about the construction, manufacture, installation, maintenance, and use of side-pull tap handles from Ryan of Hop and Stuff.
Side-pull tap handles are a great indicator that a brewery or tap room really care about their lagers.
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Attending the CBC and visiting the local area provides an opportunity to find interesting and unique stories and make connections with the people behind those stories. Here are a few outtakes.
Able Baker Brewing Company
Able Baker brewery derives its name from the first two atomic bombs detonated at the Nevada Test Site. These two test explosions were code-named after the military’s phonetic alphabet of the time, making them tests “Able” and “Baker”.
The experimentation at the Nevada Test Site led to the refining of the Atomic Bomb and the ushering in of the Nuclear Age. This was a notable time in Nevada as “Atomic Blast” viewing parties were commonplace and several “Miss Atomic” beauty queens were crowned. The Atomic Age influences the brewery’s artwork and concepts while allowing a respectful nod to Nevada’s unique state history.
Legend has it, that a duck was the only animal to survive the Atomic tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site. That duck, bested the blasts, wandered off and waddled into history, becoming forever known as … the “Atomic Duck”.
National Black Brewers Association
Less than 1% of craft breweries in the U.S. are owned by African Americans and there was no single entity to help African American brewers and brewery owners with their specific needs and issues. Hence, the National Black Brewers Association (“NB2A”) was formed as a 501c6 membership-based non-profit organization to:
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- Promote the Black brewing community as a first-of-its kind organization;
- Increase the number of African Americans in the brewing industry at all levels of production, especially ownership and brewmaster;
- Exercise political influence by developing and advocating for effective policy; and
- Foster understanding about the history and legacy of African American brewing in the United States.
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The Silver Stamp
In a contest hosted by Entrepreneur Magazine, this 3-year old and unmarked bar was just voted America’s most loved Mom and Pop shop. Rose Signor and Andrew Smith survived a business start during COVID when they couldn’t even afford outdoor signage. In three years they have gone on to pay off their investors, average a 23% yearly revenue growth, and become a must-visit location for locals and tourists looking for a drink in what may just be the most comfortable bar in the world.
“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t know what it is, but I just feel so comfortable in your space.” – Rose Signor of the Silver Stamp in Entrepreneur
Viva the Craft Brewers Conference!
WBC Photos © Brewers Association.
The World Beer Cup awards ceremony was held on the final day of the CBC. Throughout 14 sessions spanning seven days, a panel of 280 judges hailing from 37 countries meticulously evaluated 9,300 entries. Representing 2,060 breweries across 50 nations, this year’s World Beer Cup competition solidified its status as the premier international professional beer contest. 329 winners from 20 countries were honored for the best beers in 110 categories covering 172 different beer styles (including all subcategories). Learn more about the World Beer Cup and get a list of all winners by clicking here.
“Each award represents not only exceptional quality but also innovation and creativity, driving the global craft beer industry forward,” said Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director. “This year’s winners exemplify the spirit of craftsmanship and ingenuity and showcase the diverse flavors and techniques that make beer an art form. Congratulations to this year’s winners for their outstanding achievements in brewing.” – Chris Williams in Brewers Association Press Release
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The selection of Las Vegas and the Venetian Hotel Resort for the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference was pure genius. Las Vegas offers a non-stop selection of live entertainment, gourmet dining, tantalizing bars, near-by parks and recreation, and so much more! The Venetian Hotel Resort provided luxurious accommodations and an expo center more than large enough to handle the scope of the conference.
So Viva the Craft Brewers Conference and the Brewers Association!
Viva the Craft Brewers Conference!