When you’re a maturing craft brewery with a growing reputation for producing quality beer, getting on tap at the local craft beer tavern is the easy part. But keeping that tap handle, while simultaneously building off-premise sales in supermarkets, convenience stores and chain accounts requires thoughtful planning and strategic execution with wholesaler partners.
That’s why Brewbound is excited to announce that a trio of veteran craft beer sales executives will participate in a panel discussion at the upcoming Brewbound Session, being held on May 29 at the Revere Hotel in Boston.
Joining a moderated conversation on the importance of developing effective sales strategies will be Joe Whitney, the director of sales and marketing for Sierra Nevada Brewing; Naomi Neville, the national sales director for Allagash Brewing; and Marty Ochs, the founder of E3 Craft Strategies.
During the discussion, Whitney, Neville and Ochs will highlight the keys to developing successful sales programs, tactics for executing those programs at the street level and strategies for working alongside wholesalers to grow sales in important off-premise channels.
Prior to the panel discussion, Marty Ochs — who most recently served as the vice president of sales for the fast-growing Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing — will present on how fast-growing craft breweries can establish specific programming to meet and exceed their goals and objectives. Drawing on his experience from Ninkasi, where he helped to grow sales from 13,000 barrels in 2008 to 86,000 barrels in 2013, Ochs will discuss various strategies for making new distributor selections, writing annual business plans and evaluating marketplace performance. He’ll also provide guidelines for creating winning, on-premise and off-premise presentations while offering tips for closing the deal.
The Brewbound Session is a full-day conference for beer industry professionals. The event focuses on the strategic marketing, brand building and business development issues that most directly impact craft brewers. A variety of distribution, retail, investment and branding discussions are offered.
Brewbound Session attendees will have multiple opportunities to engage speakers, both during the moderated portions of the program and also during structured networking and sampling breaks.
Sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities are available. To learn more or for questions regarding registration, please contact Mike Vassallo at mvassallo@bevnet.com or by phone at 617-231-8827 to learn more.
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About the Speakers:
Joe Whitney has been the Director of Sales & Marketing at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. since 2006. Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada is one of a handful of pioneers in the craft brewing movement. Mr. Whitney has been charged with shaping Sierra Nevada’s voice and course through the increasingly crowded craft beer landscape and growing sales without a reliance on traditional media. In 2012, Sierra Nevada grew more than any craft brewer in the U.S.A. Prior to joining Sierra Nevada, Mr. Whitney spent four years as the National Sales Manager for New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire. Prior to that, he worked in a variety of sales and marketing roles at the Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel Adams, including five years as Director of New Products where he created the Twisted Tea brand.
Naomi Neville is the National Sales Director for Allagash Brewing Company. Naomi grew up in England and moved to the U.S in 2000 after graduating University. She spent several years in restaurant management before joining Allagash Brewing Company in 2009 as their first Sales Representative. Since joining, she has helped deliver +30% growth every year in existing markets without adding new territories, and she has grown the sales force to nine team members across the U.S. Today’s duties involve managing the day-to-day operations and long-term vision for the sales department along with working with National Accounts.
Marty Ochs most recently created field teams for Sales Departments that effectively act as “Sales Reps, Marketing & Events Managers, and Ambassadors” for two rapidly growing breweries, Ninkasi Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery. Ochs created a sales team from scratch at Ninkasi that included 10 Market Managers, two Region Managers, and a KAM, built a distributor network in six states with 51 wholesalers, and grew volume from 13,000 bbls to 86,000 barrels with revenues growing from $1 million to ~$25 million in four years. Ochs also worked in many different environments of management, marketing, guest/client services, corporate sales and promotional positions that included positions with the Texas Rangers, Angel Fire Resort, and large marketing agencies including CMI/SFX, Team Ent. and GMR.
About the Brewbound Session:
The Brewbound Craft Beer Session is a business conference addressing the topics that most directly impact the decisions craft brewers are faced with as they look to grow their brands. The event focuses on the business side of craft, offering brewers a unique opportunity to learn from and network with industry experts.
About Brewbound.com
Published by BevNET.com, Inc. Brewbound.com is dedicated to covering the rapidly evolving craft beer industry. Brewbound delivers daily content via www.brewbound.com and the Brewbound email Newsletter. Content includes: new product launches, analysis of industry trends, video interviews with industry leaders, expert beer reviews and exclusive content from craft beer events.