The trailer for the new upcoming Star Wars movie has just been released and within the first 24 hours there have been over 30 million views on YouTube. No doubt it will win multiple movie records when it opens in December. The excitement is building and everyone is talking about this upcoming super movie.
This past week in Portland, Oregon, the Craft Brewers Conference was held. The attendance was in excess of 11,000 people at the conference center in downtown Portland. The exhibition floor was packed from nine to five every day as brewers, soon to be brewers, and wannabe brewers visited all sorts of companies who cater to the industry.
As you can imagine there were many brewing equipment manufacturers, packaging, cooperage, bottlers, canning equipment, and hop sellers which came from all over the world. There was even one from Mongolia. In addition, there was a large number of tap handle companies, p-o-s, glassware, and neon suppliers. The list goes on and on as the size of the display area was massive.
The rapid and dramatic growth of the craft segment has created the need for beer industry education and training. In addition to Portland States classes in the Business of Craft Brewing, schools such as Oregon State, U. of Portland, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and many others have started schools addressing all areas of the beer/wine/spirits industry. In many cases, there are waiting lists of students eager to get into the upcoming semester. The number of up-coming or wannabe brewers at the convention was amazing.
Some booths featured accountants who specialize in craft cost accounting, lawyers who have developed specialized practices in craft labor laws, compliance, and some in contract negotiations specifically for craft brewers. In addition, there were marketing firms who target branding opportunities and experts in social media. In essence, it was a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in learning about crafts.
The conference schedule included seminars on various industry concerns and topics. Panel discussions took place hourly on every subject from building a brewery to retailer insights, all of which were well attended. After five every night the attendees converged on the local breweries in Portland, enjoying all the great beer and the wonderful sunny weather. The only issue was finding a cab, as Portland does not allow uber in parts of the city.
The executives and shareholders of those mega breweries in Antwerp, London, New York, Chicago and Denver, while enjoying the majority of market share, must be feeling the heat from Portland.
The Craft Brewers Conference excitement was similar to the Star Wars, The Force Awakens trailer for the Christmas movie. In fact, I have never seen such craziness in all my years in the industry. The craft segment is on fire and will continue to be so. To the craft brewers: May the force be with you!
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