We’re just one week away from next week’s Brew Talks meetup, taking place on Tuesday, April 11 at Penn Social in Washington D.C., and Brewbound is pleased to finally reveal the speaker lineup and official agenda for the evening.
The industry-only event, hosted in partnership with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and occurring alongside the 34th edition of the Craft Brewers Conference, will offer brewers, distributors and retailers a chance to participate in three hours of top-level business discussion and networking.
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The evening’s feature panel discussion (5:30 P.M. – 6:15 P.M.) will examine the impact a rapidly changing and increasingly more competitive craft segment is having on more than 5,300 craft brewing businesses. Joining that conversation will be:
- Sam Calagione, Founder, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery;
- David Walker, Co-Founder, Firestone Walker;
- Bryant Goulding, Co-Founder, Rhinegeist Brewing
Together, the trio will discuss the maturation of the craft category, the evolution of their businesses, and the challenges of balancing the soul a craft brewery was founded upon with the need for more sophisticated business practices.
Throughout the conversation, Calagione, Walker and Goulding will explain how their companies have adapted to meet changing category dynamics while sharing insights on how they’ve built more robust sales divisions, created more mature marketing initiatives and improved their annual strategic business planning efforts.
An earlier conversation (4:30 P.M. — 5:15 P.M.) will explore changing dynamics within the three-tier system and examine the growing trend toward direct-to-consumer sales and taproom-focused business models, the emergence of virtual distribution startups, continued consolidation within the middle tier and ongoing efforts to reform laws that protect U.S. beer wholesalers (including discussion about franchise laws, self-distribution and direct sales). Joining that conversation will be:
- Todd Bollig, VP of Sales, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery;
- Chris Lennert, COO, Left Hand Brewing;
- Brian Murphy, General Manager, Massachusetts Beverage Alliance
Doors will open at 4:00 P.M., and conversations will begin promptly at 4:30 P.M. Attendees are invited to imbibe and socialize until 7:00 P.M. A selection of Dogfish Head beer offerings and a selection of Penn Social menu items will also be available.
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Due to space limitations, ONLY brewers, distributors and retailers and members of the media will be allowed to sign up at this time. All other supplier and service companies wishing to attend the event should email John McKenna at jmckenna@bevnet.com or 617-231-8825 to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.
Brew Talks — gatherings designed to provide craft brewers, distributors and retailers the opportunity to come together and have conversations on the business of craft beer – will offer attendees an excellent opportunity to gain business lessons and network with other beverage entrepreneurs.
Please Note: This is a ticketed event and a minimum donation of $10 will be required for entry. No free tickets or media passes will be available and 100 percent of registration proceeds will be donated to The District of Columbia Brewers’ Guild, a nonprofit organization that unifies, strengthens, and celebrates the DC brewing community.
Brew Talks CBC 2017 is sponsored by: VicinityBrew, WestRock, Brewery PAK, PFE Fire and Security, PakTech, Second Street and Hartness.
About Brew Talks
Since hosting our first event in the basement of a craft beer bar in Boston in 2013, the Brew Talks meetup series has developed into a multi-city tour where beer industry professionals can gather at well-known industry meetings, such as the Craft Brewers Conference, to share business insights with one another.
The program is designed to provide members of the beer community with an opportunity to come together and have in-depth discussions on the business of craft beer and the events are also broadcast globally via a free live stream. At its 15 meetups in 2015 and 2016, Brewbound raised more than $28,000 for local non-profit organizations and connected with more than 2,000 beer industry professionals.