Below you will find a detailed schedule of the seminars by date at NBWA’s 87th Annual Convention & Product Showcase. With over 24 seminars at this year’s convention — at three different time slots — it’s never been easier to maximize your time onsite and bring back fresh ideas for growing your business.
To view seminars by content track, click here
Make sure to register for the seminars you want to attend — click here to learn how to do so. If you have any questions about the event or how to register for your preferred seminars, please contact Grace Moery at gmoery@nbwa.org
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 | 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
New Perspectives on Innovations
Ian Padrick, CEO, Ohanafy
Charlie Pope, IT Director, Coastal Beverage Co.
Ellie Preslar, COO, Sierra Nevada
Moderated by Lester Jones, VP Analytics and Chief Economist, NBWA
Join industry leaders as they dive into the forefront of innovation, exploring technologies, data-driven best practices and transformative business strategies. This panel will provide deep insights into fostering innovation and staying ahead in today’s fast-evolving landscape. Tailored for founders, executives, and professionals, expect actionable tactics to ignite progress and propel your organization forward.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 | 8:00 – 9:15 a.m.
A Practical Guide to Beer Wholesaler Mergers and Acquisitions
Kary Shumway, Owner, Beer Business Finance
Orman Anderson, CFO, Glazer’s Beer and Beverage
RJ Martucci, Partner, PKF O’Connor Davies
In this lively panel discussion, attendees will learn the practical ins and outs of beer wholesaler mergers and acquisitions. Topics will include business valuation methods, financing options, keys to successful due diligence and pitfalls to avoid with purchase agreements. Attendees will learn practical wholesaler consolidation tactics from veteran industry leaders.
Delivering Effective Sales Meetings
Tom Fox, Partner, Fox Sales Coaching
Too many sales meetings are one-way communications – very little audience engagement and the transfer of information isn’t accomplished. Join sales coach Tom Fox as he walks you through how to create a compelling agenda and deliver your message in ways that not only transfer knowledge – but ensure that the knowledge is received and understood.
Transform your Logistics with Advanced (AI) Technologies and Material Handling
Steven Stavro, VP of Sales, Rehrig Pacific Company
Chris Koch, Chief Operating Officer, Adams Beverages
Explore the transformative power of technology and innovation in distributor warehouse and delivery operations. Attendees will:
- Gain firsthand knowledge from industry peers on the impact of investing in technology and innovative material handling solutions
- Learn actionable strategies to improve warehouse and delivery efficiencies in your operations
- Understand the challenges and requirements of change management in implementing transformative solutions
- Discover how embracing change in one area can unlock greater potential throughout your operation
Case study results will highlight cost savings and measurable improvements. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the direct impact of technological advancements on business outcomes, including increased driver retention and enhanced employee satisfaction.
Incentives vs Entitlements: How to Get More Effort from Your Team
Bud Dunn, President, VXP Tech
Motivating a team to deliver their best effort consistently can be a significant challenge in today’s workforce. This seminar is designed to help leaders overcome this challenge by equipping them with the insights and tools necessary to foster a culture of high performance and engagement. It will delve into the psychology of motivation, revealing how the strategic use of incentives can inspire dedication and hard work.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies for effectively balancing incentives and expectations, ensuring their teams are not only motivated but also aligned with organizational goals. Whether you’re leading a small team or managing a large workforce, this talk will provide valuable ideas for cultivating a motivated and high-performing team.
Transformational Leadership: Defending Contractual Rights & Distributor Branding, Disarming Industry Critics, eCommerce & Digital Sales
Tate Russell, President, Kentucky Eagle, Inc.
Wei Fraser, Director of Marketing, Lakeshore Beverage
Danelle Romain, Executive Director, Oregon Beer & Wine Distributors Association
Hear from industry trailblazers as they share their mission-critical work to strengthen the beer & beverage distribution industry.
Tate will detail why Kentucky Eagle believes it is critically important to defend supplier contracts for the purposes of upholding the validity of the contract and to protect distributor reputation. She will also discuss the value of their groundbreaking rebranding of Kentucky Eagle.
Wei will share Lakeshore Beverage’s journey to transform their sales department by taking advantage of the efficiencies of online ordering and marketing to retailers. In addition, Wei will provide details on how she has streamlined communications to both internal team members, retailers and consumers including how she improved and digitized the POS process.
Danelle spearheaded Oregon’s effort to combat industry critics and discovered intentional misstatement of data by the state health organization. In addition, she led the charge to form Oregon Beverage Alliance, a 3-tier organization focused on stemming alcohol tax increases.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024 | 8:00 – 9:15 a.m.
Design Management Comp to Drive Positive Results
Wes Verno, Consultant, Verno Consulting
Is your management comp structure driving desired behavior out of your key leaders? As wholesalers have become larger and more complex, the need for highly skilled managers that think and operate more like owners has never been greater. In this seminar, Verno will share ways that advanced wholesalers are structuring their management comp to drive positive results as well as attract and retain key talent.
Deciphering the Data Puzzle
Danelle Kosmal, Consultant, 3 Tier Beverages
Mary Mills, Consultant, 3 Tier Beverages
Lori Scheiffler, Co-Founder and President, Tamarron Consulting
In the dynamic landscape of the beer industry, interpreting data accurately is essential for decision-making and driving growth. Given the amount of data available, it sometimes seems easiest to check one data set and move forward. However, relying on isolated data sets often paints an incomplete picture, leading to suboptimal decisions. This seminar will help guide you to the best data to propel your growth objectives.
Distributors are managing complex portfolios across fragmented channels. A single data source provides a partial picture of performance, but a broader range of datasets provides a more comprehensive analysis. We will highlight the breadth of data available and provide examples of how to weave the data sets together to help you make better business decisions and drive growth for you and your customers.
We will delve into various national and local data sets from free and public sources, trade associations, consumer panels, off- and on-premise scan sources, and will provide examples of leveraging AI in analyzing data. Additionally, we will highlight how you can combine data sources and make retailer presentations through the Beer First Fact Based Selling Tools. Distributors will leave with tools to consolidate disparate data sources, enabling richer beer industry insights within your markets.
Cross-Tier Collaboration: The Key to Achieving Successful Market Execution in an Omnibibulous World
Bill Kraich, VP of eCommerce, Encompass Technologies
Brian Drennan, President, Capital City Beverages Inc.
From brand to beer to beverage, the business of a distributor is in constant change. Driven by the ever-changing demands of the omnibibulous consumer, a distributor must better understand shifting preferences of the end consumer while collaborating with suppliers to develop an optimal portfolio of products.
In this session, concerns and trends impacting the overall health of the beer category — a challenge shared across the industry — will be addressed. As the category encounters obstacles and explores new opportunities, it’s imperative for suppliers and distributors to forge stronger alliances to effectively navigate unpredictable market conditions and sustain competitiveness.
Attendees will hear how leading suppliers and distributors are teaming up to stay ahead of trends, bridge communication gaps, accelerate time to market, foster brand growth, make strategic decisions and execute with precision. Distributors will gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of cross-tier collaboration and its pivotal role in agility, market execution, and mutually beneficial success.
Control the Controllables: A Forward-Looking State of the Industry
Dave Williams, President, Bump Williams Consulting and Arlington Capital Advisors
The theme of this seminar is about looking toward the future and envisioning what the beverage alcohol landscape might look like amidst:
– Current health and performance of leaders / trailblazers
– Ongoing emergence of select “catalyst brands”
– Overlap of beverage alcohol vs. total beverage
– Evolving consumer demographics and behavior
– M&A, consolidation, joint ventures and alliances
Understanding the potential realities that lie ahead can in turn influence the strategies and tactics you implement to grow and stay competitive in a changing alcohol market.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024 | 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Brewing Safety: Navigating Cybersecurity Challenges in Beer Distribution
Thomas J. DeMayo, PKF O’Connor Davies
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is paramount for businesses across all industries, including beer distribution. This session will offer strategic solutions to safeguard distributor operations against industry-specific vulnerabilities such as the reliance on digital platforms for inventory management, supply chain logistics, financial operations and customer transactions.
Real-world examples of cyberattacks that have impacted beer distributors will be explored, ranging from data breaches compromising sensitive customer information to ransomware attacks disrupting daily operations. By understanding the tactics employed by cybercriminals, attendees will gain valuable insights into potential risks facing their own businesses.
In addition, attendees will gain valuable insights into the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by beer wholesalers in managing their financial transactions, tax compliance and accounting processes, along with practical strategies to mitigate these risks. The presentation will include a proactive cybersecurity framework tailored specifically for beer wholesalers.
Five Keys to Business Succession Planning
Michael Beals, Dickinson Wright PLLC
Business succession planning is a process, not an event. From this seminar, distributors will take away specific action steps to advance their succession planning goals. The session will focus on five keys:
- Define the distributor’s ultimate vision for the business
- Who’s the boss?
- Protect the equity
- Multiple shareholders active in the business
- Integrate the corporate planning with the distributor’s personal trust and estate planning.
In addition to the seminar content, compliance with TTB and supplier succession requirements will be the subject of a separate newsletter to distributor attendees.
Introducing AI Into Your Business and Never Looking Back (Part 2)
Sean Mossman, CEO, Behold Beverage Intelligence
Laura Melzow, Strategic Technology Manager, Glazer’s Beer & Beverage
Bud Dunn, President, VXP Tech
Lester Jones, Vice President, Analytics and Chief Economist, NBWA
Perhaps no topic has generated more interest in recent years than the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it continues to transform the way we do business. Hosted by the Beer Industry Electronic Commerce Coalition (BIECC), this two-seminar track will bring together a variety of industry experts who on day 1 will define AI and explain the benefits and risks it offers. Day 2 of the seminar will focus on real-life applications and how distributors are utilizing it in their businesses today.
Herding Taps! Effortlessly Lasso On-Premise Incentives
Tracy Neal, Founder/CEO, iSellBeer.com
Craig Foster, Vice President of Technology, A Head for Profits
Bring market level actionable insights and incentive results to your on-premise team! Join experts from iSellBeer.com and A Head for Profits, who collectively track activity in 35+ states, as they explore new methods for tracking activation, placements, and features without burdening your sales reps with surveys.