Brewbound Live Winter 2024 - AGENDA
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2024
7:00 AM - 9:30 AM Breakfast & Registration -- Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 7:00 AM PT.
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Brewbound Live Pitch Slam Semifinal Round -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
The Brewbound Live Pitch Slam is a business pitch competition designed to encourage entrepreneurship and build awareness for startups within the beer, cider, hard seltzer, alcoholic kombucha, and canned cocktail segments. Watch the semi-finalists pitch and vote for your favorite to help them make it into the finals!
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM One-to-One Meetings with Retailers & Distributors -- Location: Outdoor Sinder Lounge - Lobby Level
Prior registration is required and meeting times are sent individually. Please check in at the One-to-One Help Desk before to heading to your meeting room. Retail meetings will be 10 minutes and the complete schedule is posted at the Help Desk.
with Mary Guiver, Principal Category Merchant, Beer, Whole Foods Market; Dan Barrera, Global Beer Category Merchant Analyst, Whole Foods Market; Samantha Fletcher, Senior Category Merchant, Beer, Whole Foods Market; Justin Ray, Senior Category Merchant, Beer, Whole Foods Market; Michelle Abdollah, Category Manager, Alcoholic Beverages, Extra Mile; Sinead Carey, Director of Beer, Breakthru Beverage; Kevin Day, Director of Trade Development - Beer, Breakthru Beverage; Jessica Muskey, VP of Craft and Innovation, Reyes Beverage Group; Laura Markstein, President, Markstein Sales Company; Peter Heimark, President, Heimark Distributing LLC; Brian Fried, General Manager, Stone Distributing
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Sponsored Workshop: Hops! For Beer and Beyond -- Location: Promenade Ballroom - Lobby Level
Learn about John I Haas, the history of hops, and how they can be a powerful flavor option for your next beverage.  Stay for a hands-on workshop where you can dose our liquid hop products into beverages and complete a hop rub and sniff like the pros do.
with Shae Maloney, Brewing Solutions Specialist, John I. Haas; Jeff Dailey, Sensory Manager, John I. Haas
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Networking Break --
10:00 AM - 10:05 AM Welcome Remarks -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
10:05 AM - 10:30 AM How Russian River Made Pliny the Younger An Experience -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
How do you create a memorable event that will keep customers coming back? As creating meaningful experiences has become a bigger part of connecting to modern consumers, Cilurzo will explore what’s worked and what hasn’t for Russian River. She’ll share how the event has evolved throughout the years, how it’s connected Russian River’s fans in unexpected ways and what keeps their loyal customers coming back each year.
with Natalie Cilurzo, Co-Founder, Russian River Brewing
10:30 AM - 11:10 AM Open Taps: Why Draft is Beer's Biggest Opportunity -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
The No. 1 tap handle in the nation is “open,” meaning there are more empty draft lines than those with a brand of beer flowing through them. Beverage-alcohol producers should view this as an opportunity to make a splash in bars and restaurants across the country. National Beer Wholesalers Association VP of analytics and chief economist Lester Jones and Draftline founder and president Jennifer Hauke will discuss the opportunities in the challenged – and some say neglected – channel.
with Lester Jones, VP Analytics & Chief Economist, NBWA; Jennifer Hauke, Founder & CEO, Draftline Technologies
11:10 AM - 11:40 AM Suntory's Playbook for Winning the Fourth Category -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Leaders from Suntory Global Spirits will share how the company plans to become the No. 1 ready-to-drink company in the world through a product portfolio of spirits-based cocktail brands, including -196 vodka seltzer and other new-to-world brands.
with Christian McMahan, Chief Growth Officer, Suntory RTD Company North America; Satoru Shimizu, President, Suntory RTD Company North America
11:40 AM - 12:00 PM Pitch Slam Finalist Announcement, Awards & Rising Stars Video Announcement -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Sponsored Workshop: Beer Flavor Goes Electric: A New Era of Flavor Innovation -- Location: Promenade Ballroom - Lobby Level
Join as Tom Nielsen takes the stage to redefine what beer flavor can be. Inspired by Bob Dylan’s bold switch to electric guitar, Nielsen presents Abstrax’s mission to transform the brewing landscape. Just as Dylan’s change rewrote music history, Abstrax is electrifying beer flavor with an expanded palette and revolutionary solutions that have never been possible before now. This immersive session showcases how Abstrax’s plug-and-play offerings empower brewers to create unforgettable, sensory-rich experiences. Join us to discover the innovation, sustainability, and ease of use behind Abstrax’s unique approach and be a part of this new era in brewing.
with Tom Nielsen, Director of Brewing & Beverage Innovation, Abstrax Hops
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch, Sampling & Livestream --
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Middle-Tier Mindmeld: How to Make Yourself a Priority -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Middle-tier leaders from across the country will discuss what is and isn’t working in their markets, which products they’re interested in and how they’re diversifying their portfolios in a rapidly changing beverage business.They’ll share their views on the future of beer and beyond beer offerings, including how Delta 9 beverages are playing in their markets; what they’re hearing from retailers; how the battle for the cold box is shaking out and how suppliers can best work with their teams.
with Jennifer Grant, GM and VP, Markstein Sales; Lauren Doll-Sheeder, Managing Partner, Doll Distributing; Rebecca Maisel, SVP Legal & Government Affairs, Gulf Distributing
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM Why Intoxicating Hemp is the Fifth Category -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Leaders from intoxicating hemp beverage makers will share why they believe they’re at the ground floor of a new category and the opportunities ahead for those blazing trails in the space.
with Scott Selix , Co-Founder, Climbing Kites; Chris Herron, Co-Founder, BevStrategy LLC; Ryan Bandy, Chief Business Officer, Indeed Brewing Company
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Sampling, Networking & Livestream --
3:00 PM - 3:40 PM NIQ/3 Tier Beverages Presentation -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Dive into the numbers that shaped 2024 and get insight into the trends that will matter in 2025.
with Mary Mills, Consultant, 3 Tier Beverages; Kaleigh Theriault, Director of Thought Leadership, Beverage Alcohol Vertical, NIQ
3:40 PM - 4:10 PM Platforms, Pivots & Partners: Surviving & Thriving in a Challenging Market -- Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Craft brewers are banding together in different ways to survive and thrive in a challenging market. Explore the different ways they’re making it work, from acquisitions and platform building, to shared services agreements.
with Arthur Moye, Owner and CEO, Full Circle Brewing; Aaron Vargas, Managing Partner, Backpocket Brewing; Ryan Lake, Managing Director, Arlington Capital Advisors
4:10 PM Beers & Networking --
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Official Party, Presented by Firestone Walker with NIQ and Crafted ERP -- Head over to Firestone Walker - The Propagator (3205 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292) for additional networking. Enjoy beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and light appetizers. All registered attendees of Brewbound Live Winter 2024 are invited to attend. An event badge and valid ID is required for admittance.
Please note that event agendas are subject to change.