Craft Beer Professionals

A strong public relations campaign can help build your brewery’s brand, keep customers walking through the door and coming back for more. With the media landscape ever evolving, getting exposure requires a nuanced balance of persistence and sustained outreach. From earned to owned to social media, how can your brand benefit from PR and what are the successful strategies the can help amplify your business? Abby will provide tangible takeaways for breweries to ramp up their media efforts and start making headlines. Abby Cohen is an Executive Vice President at Rosen Group. For nearly a decade, she handled media relations for the Brewers Association, promoting its members, events, data, legislative initiatives and more. She currently works with breweries, as well as beverage and restaurant technology companies, to promote their brands, businesses and products. Rosen Group is a full-service public relations firm headquartered in New York City focused on media awareness and thought leadership with extensive experience in the beverage, epicurean, and cannabis industries., as well as industry associations, policy-driven media outlets, and sustainability-focused issues. Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

Inspired by a recent CBP thread, this session will discuss how to not only set guest expectations, but to go above and beyond. We will dive into staff training, customer interactions, and strategies you can implement to create the most memorable and profitable experience.   This conversation features:  Casey LeFever (4 Noses Brewing)  Erica Baca (Coal Mine Ave Brewing Company)  Jim Christian (Savannah River Brewing Company)  Nick Rainey (Triptych Brewing)  Tiare Austin (Walking Stick Brewing) Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking  Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023  Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

When was the last time you reviewed and updated your craft brewery’s employee handbook? Does your craft brewery even have an employee handbook? If you have even one employee, your business is large enough to need an employee handbook. It the key document that outlines expectations for employees and management. While you may be tempted to search for a handbook template on the internet, this will likely provide a foundation that is outdated, illegal, or fails to comply with the laws of your specific state. Moreover, an off-the-shelf solution misses a key communication opportunity with your new and existing employees. You need to craft a customized handbook that documents the guidelines and expectations between your organization and your employees. If you do not pay careful attention to your handbook’s contents, you might violate the law, alienate employees, and invite lawsuits. In this informative webinar, you will learn about all the key policies that should be included in your brewery or taproom’s employee handbook, and how to avoid the biggest mistakes that employers keep making in handbook drafting. Investing in a quality (and legally compliant) employee handbook is one of the best investments you can make in your employees. Start A Brewery is a collaboration amongst a fun group of craft beer industry veterans who are often invited to speak at beer business / brewing education programs. Each has offered to share their knowledge and experience to support the craft beer community as a whole by helping fledgling breweries in planning. Conceived and coordinated by Candace L. Moon, The Craft Beer Attorney, and Laura Lodge of Customized Craft Beer Programs, StartABrewery.com is provided as a free educational resource for those dreaming of opening a brewery, those who are taking steps to make their dream a reality, and those who are opening their brewery doors and living it. Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

Join us for a lively, interactive discussion on how to use communication tools and methods to your advantage to bring people together to get work done. How much of your time has been wasted in meetings for the sake of meetings with minimal results and greater chaos? Is your email inbox overflowing with endless threads of tangled “reply alls” and forwards? In today’s virtual, fast-paced business world, there are endless ways to communicate. How you select which ones and when you apply them effectively across different teams and scenarios is essential. This session will inspire you with practical, inclusive ways to improve the effectiveness of your internal communication and may serve as a mental health check-up for your entire company. Dana Kaluzny (she/her) wants people to enjoy coming together for beer and work that matters. She the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Endswell Beer and provides business consulting for anyone running a business with someone they care about. After 15 years of experience working in for-profit and not-for-profit, founding two small businesses (including a brewery with her partner in life and love), all while raising two boys, she knows how to juggle personal and professional. She supports businesses with a founder-first approach focused on the two areas that make or break both relationships and businesses - systems and communication. She is a founding partner of the Safe Bars P.A.C.T. Initiative. With over 2 decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, Julie Rhodes is an authority on beverage sales, digital marketing, leadership, and distributor partnership management. She is the owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, an educational services, and strategic business consulting company built specifically for growing craft beverage brands, where she teaches small to medium-sized beverage alcohol companies how to work smarter, not harder, in order to achieve long term growth. In addition to being an educator and strategic advisor, she is also a business writer, public speaker, is Cicerone Certified, a national committee chair and local chapter leader within Pink Boots Society, and a mentor for the Brewers Association and on the BA DEI Marketing & Communications Subcommittee, the North American Guild of Beer Writers, the American Cider Association, Women of the Vine & Spirits and multiple state brewery guilds. When not working, you can find her spending time with her husband and two boys in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or on the couch watching sci-fi movies. Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

This conversation is a behind the scenes look at the Taproom Success Membership. The Taproom Success community is dedicated to providing you with the tools for greater taproom success. You can learn more here. Dylan Mazurkiewicz has been at Lakefront for 10+ years, and has held many roles - from Gift Shop and Tour Guide work, to creating our Tour Manager position, and now onto On-site Business Development. Currently, he is responsible for the guest experience in the Beer Hall including the restaurant and the tour operation, overseeing 50+ employees. He has helped create many successful recurring events here including our Keg Stand Up comedy showcase and their popular Drag Queen Bingo event. In this conversation, we will learn about Lakefront's 35 year history, the importance of brewery tours, the recipe for their success, and discuss best practices for launching tours at your brewery. We will be hosting a June 20 reception at Lakefront Brewery as past of CBP Connects Milwaukee. You don't want to miss this experience! Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking  Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023  Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

The taproom! The epicenter of your brand. We’re excited to have a conversation today on how you can make the most of your guests’ time at your brewery. We hope that you leave with greater strategies for success and inspiration to further maximize your brewery’s taproom experience. After all, it’s not just about making great beer, but also putting out world class hospitality. We'll be joined by: Andrew Burman, Other Half Brewing Mike Corneille, Pryes Brewing Tim McLaughlin, GoTab Tony Ren, Maui Brewing We’ll Discuss: Lines - How lines impact the guest experience in your tap room and ultimately, your bottom line. Labor - How to use trend data to predict labor needs and adapt to unexpected peaks Food - Key trends to take advantage of to drive higher beer sales. Technology - What are the most important technologies a brewery needs to consider implementing and what percent of their budget should they plan to invest? Payments - How to provide options that will drive higher check averages and guest satisfaction. GoTab, Inc. is a leading restaurant commerce platform that helps more than 1,000 large- and mid-sized restaurants, breweries, bars, hotels and other venues run lean, profitable operations while making guests even more satisfied.  Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

Contract brewing! Do you have extra capacity? Are you looking for a production partner to help keep up? In this conversation, we will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss the operational, financial, and legal aspects of whether contract brewing makes sense for your business. We will dive into what makes a good partner, setting clear expectations, and how you can see greater success through contract brewing. This conversation features: Bob Grigsby (Big Kettle Brewing) Jason Sleeman (United Community Bank | Craft Beverage Lending) John Szymankiewicz (Beer Law Center) Trey Sinclar (Dry County Brewing Company) Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

In this webinar, Pulkit K. Agrawal (Founder & CEO of Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient) and Steve "Hendo" Henderson (Founder of Rockstar Brewer) dive into 5 actionable ways brewers can use their data to #BrewMore and #BrewBetter. The topics include: Using Brew Sheets in Beer30 to dial in deviations and quality based on text alerts and tolerances. Diving into weekly KPIs with Brew-Filter-Pack Metrics for your team Looking at tank charts on a daily basis to understand hop creep or diastaticus issues (with a bonus round of yeast genealogy and QC control checks!) Comparing the gravity and pH of multiple batches of the same brand name, to ensure consistent quality Diving in on how to use data to be ready in case there is a product recall from an ingredient supplier (with a bonus round of sales traceability, COGS, and actual $ for a claim) Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

One way to sell more out of your taproom is to invest in more taps or stock more branded gear to offer consumers. But that version of “selling more” requires cash up front and doesn’t necessarily guarantee payback quickly. Instead, you may be looking for a way to increase sales that doesn’t require you to spend capital first! In this session, we’ll walk thru strategies and plans that can equip your staff members with knowledge and low-to-no-cost tools required to increase sales. It's no surprise that consumers hold brewery taprooms to higher standards when it comes to service and product knowledge than the local craft beer bar. And now add that during inflationary times, customers who are willing to pay more for your experience, expect more from it as well. Is your staff ready to meet these expectations? How are you coaching them up? What tools do they have to help them be successful? During this session, we will wrestle with tough questions like these that successful taprooms are willing to conquer. You will leave this presentation with a better understanding of what your customers expect, tools for staff members, and a plan to implement some simple strategies that can increase your taproom revenue. Download the Real Taproom Staff Selling Tips Guide Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/

Your point of sale system is the backbone of your taproom. From the guest experience to your team and taproom's unique needs, it is important to find the right POS that helps maximize your success. In this session, we will discuss reporting/analysis, fees/pricing, selling tools, integrations, service/support, and a process to make selecting the POS more efficient.   Whether you are soon to be opening your doors or looking for a more effective POS solution, Kary is excited to outline criteria to consider.   Kary Shumway is the founder of Craft Brewery Financial Training.com which offers online resources for beer industry professionals. He has worked in the beer industry for more than 20 years as a certified public accountant and a chief financial officer for a beer distributor. He currently serves as CFO for Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, Massachusetts. Craft Brewery Financial Training publishes a free weekly beer industry finance newsletter, offers online training courses on topics such as cash flow planning, financial forecasting, and brewery metrics. You can follow Kary at https://craftbreweryfinance.com/ Join us in-person for CBP Connects | Half workshop, half networking  Milwaukee, WI | June 19-21, 2023 Grab your spot now at https://cbpconnects-milwaukee.eventbrite.com/