Craft Beverage Expo is pleased to announce that industry and marketing experts Christian McMahan (pictured left), president of Wachusett Brewing Company, and Tom Flanagan (right), founder of the new Dive Bar Beverage Company, will lead the events keynote sessions.
CBExpo attendees come to discover and share best practices for everything POST-production and address the business needs for independent producers such as marketing, business development, navigating beverage laws, finding the right distributor for their product, or catching the attention of retailers.
“The independent beverage producer community has asked for help addressing the biggest business challenges they are facing, primarily how to get their product in front of customers,” said Kellie Shevlin, executive director of Craft Beverage Expo. “In an effort to support their business goals and future success, this year’s conference will feature topics focused on marketing’s best practices, including the most recent digital, social and e-commerce tactics. We are pleased to announce that Christian and Tom, industry thought leaders and visionaries, will be on hand to share their personal stories and provide attendees with tips that will help them succeed in today’s market.”
McMahan has 20-plus years of beverage and marketing experience including his work as managing partner of Smartfish Group, chief marketing officer for Heineken USA and vice president of marketing for Diageo North America. He has been recognized as an early pioneer among marketers in social media including features on ABC News, CNBC’s The Facebook Obsession, and the Wall Street Journal.
Speaking from his vast experience, McMahan will present Creating Brand Reappraisal, A Marketer’s Toughest Test. In this session, attendees will learn how companies have gone about trying to achieve the hardest of all marketing strategies, brand reappraisal. He will share his thoughts on how some companies have succeeded and some failed. McMahan will explore the multiple levers brand marketers have to pull from when going about this strategy and how to best identify if and when a brand is indeed in need of this approach.
As co-founder and partner of Nut+Bolt, Flanagan is responsible for driving content strategies and creative services for global brands and entertainment companies. As a former EVP and managing director for Leo Burnett, Flanagan helped lead the company’s entertainment marketing and content creation efforts. As a beverage marketer, he has worked with Bacardi, Kastner & Partners (Red Bull), Gallo Wine and others.
Flanagan will present, How to Find Your New Competitive Advantage. In this keynote, Flanagan will discuss how helping to create a new market and/or growing a tiny portion of a current market into a very large one is the better strategy. He will share proven tactics to ensure that independent producers are developing the right beverage at the right time for the right audience.
By attending CBExpo attendees will learn how to stand out, create a compelling marketing package, and get their products in front of consumers either through distribution or direct to consumer shipping. Early registration deadline has been extended to Sept. 15.
Founded in 2014, CBExpo is the leading trade exposition and conference for the entire craft beverage industry, with the primary goal of creating and defining a cohesive independent wine, craft beer, cider, mead and spirits producing market. As the premier show for the industry, CBExpo offers education, marketing strategies and turnkey solutions for the challenges facing independent beverage producers today. CBExpo 2017 will take place November 7-9 in Portland, Ore. For more info, visit www.craftbeverageexpo.com.
