Retailers, wholesalers and analysts have preached focus as a key to winning in 2025 and beyond.

During the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference, leaders from Whole Foods Market, Deschutes Brewery and Bump Williams Consulting will define what a focused strategy looks like, why retailers are asking suppliers to sharpen their plans and portfolios, and how laser-focused lineups are generating sales results.

Joining the conversation will be:

• Peter Skrbek, CEO, Deschutes Brewery;
• Mary Guiver, principal category merchant for beer, Whole Foods Market;
• Brian “BK” Krueger, VP of business development and portfolio strategies, Bump Williams Consulting.

An analysis by Bump Williams Consulting this summer revealed that brewers who focused on their core business posted stronger trends and outperformed their competitors.

In the 52-week period ending October 5, dollar sales of the Deschutes brand family have increased +7.5% at off-premise retailers tracked by NIQ, according to data shared by 3 Tier Beverages. Those trends have significantly accelerated, to +15.6%, in the latest four-week period.

Brewbound Live takes place December 11 and 12 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in California.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024 >>

The conference will bring together leaders from all three tiers for business-focused conversations on driving the bev-alc industry forward, data presentations, networking and brand building.

The 2024 Brewbound Live speaker roster includes:

• Sam Calagione, co-founder, Dogfish Head;
• Zech Francis, SVP of global marketing, BeatBox Beverages;
• Rebecca Dye Yonushonis, CMO, New Belgium Brewing;
• Julie Rhodes, strategic consultant, Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions’
• Rebecca Maisel, Gulf Distributing SVP legal and government affairs;
• Lauren Doll-Sheeder, Doll Distributing managing partner;
• Jennifer Grant, Markstein Sales general manager and VP;
• Lindsay Kunkle, Foresight Factory director, head of U.S. Consultancy.
• Arthur Moye, owner and CEO of Full Circle Brewing;
• Kaleigh Theriault, director of thought leadership, beverage alcohol vertical, NIQ;
• Mary Mills, consultant, 3 Tier Beverages;
• Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner, Russian River Brewing;
• Lester Jones, chief economist and VP of analytics, National Beer Wholesalers Association;
• Jennifer Hauke, founder and president, Draftline Technologies;
• Rob Tod, founder, Allagash Brewing;
• Karen Hertz, founder, Holidaily Brewing;
• Paul Verdu, president, Wisconsin Brewing Company;
• Day Bracey, founder, Barrel & Flow Fest;
• Jessica Fierro, owner and head brewer, Atrevida Beer Co.;
• Christian McMahan, chief growth officer, Suntory RTD Company, North America;
• Satoru Shimizu, president, Suntory RTD Company, North America;
• Scott Selix, co-founder, Climbing Kites;
• Aaron Vargas, managing director, Backpocket Brewing;
• Amy Cartwright, co-founder and president, Independence Brewing;
• Chris Herron, co-founder, BevStrategy LLC and Creature Comforts;
• Ryan Lake, managing director, Arlington Capital Advisors.

In addition to the mainstage programming and networking parties, Brewbound Live will feature opportunities for one-to-one conversations with retail buyers from chains (Whole Foods and ExtraMile Convenience Stores) and distributors (Breakthru Beverage California, Reyes Beer Division and California Beverage Solution – Stone Distributing, Markstein Sales and Heimark Distributing). Registered attendees will be considered for meetings with buyers, as space is limited. Find out more details here.

Brewbound Live sponsors include John I. Haas, Abstrax Hops, Suntory, Yeti, NIQ, Crafted ERP, Strike Visuals, Fast Track Packaging, Foundry, BeatBox, Firestone Walker and JuneShine.

A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are still available for those seeking to elevate their presence. Businesses interested in sponsoring the Pitch Slam and/or Brewbound Live should contact the Brewbound sales team about opportunities.

About Brewbound Live

Brewbound Live is a strategic two-day business conference for the beer and beyond industry. Brewbound Live 2024 takes place on December 11 + 12 in Marina del Rey, California. Join founders, top-level executives, investors, retailers, wholesalers and experts for networking opportunities, an all-star speaker lineup, and impactful industry insights.

About Brewbound

Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer category, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news coverage, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage industry via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.