NBWA
News
October 2012
Beverage Media
117
T
he National Beer Wholesalers
Association (NBWA) annual
convention—slated for October
14-17
in
San Diego, CA—
will cele-
brate the
past 75 years and look ahead
to the future of the industry.
The activity kicks off on Sunday
with a convention staple—the Dis-
tributor Member Meeting—a candid
forum for distributor members to hear
from their elected leaders about the
challenges and opportunities that face
the beer distributors today.
In general sessions, General Stan-
ley McChrystal, former Commander
of U.S. and international forces in
Afghanistan, will share stories from
his remarkable career and provide
insights on leadership, teamwork and
strategic thinking. With the presiden-
tial election just weeks away, leading
pollster and public policy expert Peter
Hart will discuss national trends and
forecast the outcome of the November
elections.
And for the first time ever, five
leaders from some of the nation’s most
prominent brewers and importers will
join on one stage to discuss trends and
issues in the beer industry and to an-
swer NBWA members’ burning ques-
tions. This panel, spanning domestic
and imported beers as well as brew-
ing operations from craft to global,
will include: Sam Calagione, Dogfish
Head Craft Brewery; Luiz Edmond,
Anheuser-Busch; Bill Hackett, Crown
Imports; Tom Long, President, Miller-
Coors; and Dolf van den Brink, Hei-
neken USA.
The popular Product Demonstra-
tion Showcase will be filled with inno-
vative products and services presented
by more than 100 vendors. Some of
the highly anticipated products that
will be displayed include imported and
domestic beer, non-alcoholic beverag-
es, warehousing technology, fuel man-
agement systems, financial services
software and promotional products.
Seminar programming will cover a
broad range of topics, from old school
basics like building better customer re-
lationships to how digital media and
even robotics can impact the beer dis-
tribution industry. Highlights include:
Developing an Employment
Testing Program
Warehouse and Delivery for
the Future
Social Media 102: the Next Step
The Evolving Distributor Landscape!
Business Succession Planning
Fraud: What Every CEO
Should Know
Key Account Leadership
Tips and Tricks from Craft Brewers
SKU Growth and Impact on Costs
Distributorship Pricing
Factoring in the Beer Drinker
Point of Sale Printing
The Case for Robotics
This year’s convention will also
feature a unique edu-tainment oppor-
tunity aboard the historic USS Mid-
way, the longest-serving aircraft car-
rier of the 20
th
century, having served
the U.S. for nearly 50 years. Attendees
will have a chance to get up close and
personal with the engine room, pilots’
ready rooms, flight control and the
bridge high over the flight deck—plus
25
restored aircraft.
■
Annual Convention Celebrates
NBWA’s 75
th
Anniversary
