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Visit the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America
The Brewers Association will host the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) and BrewExpo America this spring. db looks at the unmissable event.
CBC is North America’s largest gathering for the alcoholic drinks industry. The 2025 edition will take place from 28 April – 1 May at the Indianapolis Convention Center, where more than 11,000 brewing, fermenting, and distilling professionals will gather and network with at least 550+ exhibitors.
Attendees will hear from a wide range of speakers during seminars across 12 different educational tracks. There’s a lot to glean. Not just from being present and keeping a keen ear to the ground on trends, but in the broader sense from simply being there to see people face-to-face and ignite relationships and business connections.
From the largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indy 500, to the largest children’s museum in the world, Indianapolis has some of the biggest attractions in the world. And, with 48 daily non-stop flights from three countries and 24 US states, Indianapolis’ convenient location makes networking with your peers easy.
The event’s welcome reception will be held at Lucas Oli Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, the Super Bowl champions.
Mainstage
The Brewers Association’s new CEO Bart Watson and board chair, Leah Cheston, will kick off the conference during the ‘Day 1 General Session’ which will be followed by a keynote speaker.
On ‘Day 2’, the new afternoon ‘General Session’ will begin with the presentation of the 2024 Industry Award winners.
Each year since 1987, the Brewers Association has recognised individuals who inspire, defend, and innovate within the craft brewing industry. As such, this is a great way to take note of the movers and shakers within the sector who are assisting in its revitalisation and paving its future.
Immediately following the award ceremony, the Brewers Association’s economics team will take the stage to provide the annual ‘State of the Industry’ update and forecast for 2025 – essentially, giving not just a backdrop for where things stand currently, but also inspiration for the year ahead.
What do you get from attending? A tangible education for you and your business.
In addition to the two main stage presentations, experts will also present more than 60 educational seminars and 140+ speakers spanning 12 areas to help you and your teams grow professionally and personally.
Speakers and seminars of note include the following topics:
Understanding your brewery’s health by creating KPIs
As breweries scale up, there are three key areas that they need to keep top of mind for their products—quality, efficiency, and profitability. However, it can be difficult for many operators and owners to know exactly what to do to get started with this analysis, or how to understand if these are the best practices for your brewery.
Market proof hop water
Due to hop water being a newer category of non-alcohol drinks that appeals to hop lovers. In this seminar industry experts will discuss the effects of ingredients and production methods on hop water flavour, texture, stability, and consumer acceptance. The BA will also discuss microbial and safety aspects of packaging hop waters that will ensure a sound and tasty product gets to the market.
Coworker to coach – mastering the transition to a people-manager role.
Take the guesswork out of growing your individual contributors into people leaders and avoid the headaches caused by putting the right person into the wrong role by using behavioral science to fill the gaps and making the manager job more manageable.
Strategies to stand out and engage with distribution partners in a crowded market
In today’s crowded craft beer landscape, having a great product isn’t enough to capture and keep the attention of distribution partners. Learn how to turn their brand story into a powerful brand strategy, build strong and productive relationships with distributors, and create compelling brand plans.
When (and when not) to rebrand your brewery
Or, rather, how to evolve your brand without losing fans. For instance, along the way, the seminar will cover every step of the rebranding process, including determining whether you should (or should not) rebrand in the first place.
Modern media relations
As a means to amplify your story and your voice, this seminar looks at how, in a fragmented, digitised media landscape full of sponsored content, there is still nothing like earned media to amplify your brand story and reach potential drinkers.
Keys to financial planning
Unlock the power of the 13-Week cash flow forecast and discover a reminder that financial planning does not require a crystal ball, but only needs for you to create a simple but thorough spreadsheet that outlines all of your cash needs and expectations quarterly.
Being the change you want to see
Join the event for a crash course in all things social and environmental impact, through the lens of B Corp craft breweries.
State and federal issues your brewery needs to know
Brewery owners and operators who are informed about the legislation and regulation that impact their day-to-day
operation are giving themselves an advantage over the competition.
The World Beer Cup
The Craft Brewers Conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, also known as the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.
Significant updates for the 2025 edition include the addition of five new cider categories: Tannic cider (Cat. 201), No- and low-tannin cider (Cat. 202), fruited or botanical cider (Cat. 203), experimental or barrel-aged cider (Cat. 204), and single varietal cider (Cat. 205).
The 2025 champions will be chosen from over 10,000 entries from more than 50 countries and will be announced at an awards ceremony in Indianapolis in May.
To attend, reservations are now available through CBC’s exclusive booking partner Conference Direct. Book your lodging today without delay at CraftBrewersConference.com and take advantage of the lowest rates at the best hotels.
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