New Beverage Alcohol Brands Deliver Industry Insights and Market Research at Fourth Annual US Drinks Conference
A record-setting audience, cast of experienced presenters, and enlightening panel discussions with strategic advice made the 4th Annual US Drinks Conference, held October 12 and 13, 2010 the most successful production to date.
The US Drinks Conference attracts attendees on a global scale and is pivotal for young brands looking to succeed in the $188 billion alcohol business. Providing an insider’s point-of-view on strategies to best penetrate the challenging “three-tier” marketplace, this two-day conference highlights many of the key components to building spirits, wine, and beer brands, such as securing a distributor, avoiding legal pitfalls, and allocating marketing budgets.
For new and emerging brands looking to efficiently and profitably enter the US alcohol beverage system, Next Level Marketing President Mike Ginley emphasized that brands with “a tight plan and long-term focus are going to meet a very receptive audience,” as told to the CNBC news network.
Leveraging Social Media Marketing and engaging directly with the consumer were resounding themes throughout the conference following the keynote presentation from wine entrepreneur and social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk, an avid social media marketer whose Wine Library TV videos are viewed by 90,000 people daily and boasts a Twitter following over 800,000 strong.
(Photo: Social Media Marketing panel L to r: Tyler Colman, Dr. Vino; Christian McMahon, CMO, Heineken USA, Colleen Graham, About.com Cocktails Columnist; Carter Reum, Veev Acai Spirits founder; Steve Raye, Brand Action Team.
“The feedback we are receiving from attendees and panelists alike is very positive,” said Conference Organizer and CEO of Menefee Consulting Group Denise Menefee, “The real-world case studies and industry market research, coupled with the practical wisdom from panelists makes the US Drinks Conference an invaluable asset to executives managing wine, spirits, and beer brands.”
“We saw our largest audience this year – over 200 attendees from 14 different countries throughout the two-day conference – which presents a tremendous networking opportunity not typically available at any other industry events,” Menefee added.
CNBC Business Reporter Brian Shactman was on site at the New York Helmsley Hotel for the conference and had the opportunity to speak with many of the beverage industry’s innovators, including Vaynerchuk. The news clip can be viewed on the US Drinks Conference website at www.usdrinksconference.com.
To learn more about the successful 2010 program and to inquire about USDC 2011, please visit www.usdrinksconference.com.
About US Drinks Conference
The US Drinks Conference is designed specifically to provide the critical and practical information alcohol beverage brands need to be successful in the US marketplace. With real world case histories from established industry veterans and current market data, the US Drinks Conference offers innovative solutions to spirits, wine, and beer executives with responsibility for managing new and existing brands. To learn more, please visit USDC on the web at www.usdrinksconference.com. US Drinks Conference is organized by partners Brand Action Team, MHW, Ltd., and Next Level Marketing.
About MHW, Ltd.
MHW Ltd. is a leading national US importer, distributor, and service provider for wine, spirits, beer and malt products. As the United State alcoholic beverage industry continues to experience consolidation at the importer and wholesaler levels, MHW serves as the US importer and National Distributor for hundreds of different brands across all categories, representing an opportunity and alternative for foreign wholesalers to efficiently and cost effectively bring brands to market. For more information visit MHW, Ltd. online at www.mhwltd.com.
About Next Level Marketing
Next Level Marketing is a marketing and promotion agency focused on building premium beverage brands. With a time of over 500 full, part-time and contract beverage professionals operating in all key markets across the country, Next Level Marketing helps clients to develop and execute fully integrated turn-key marketing programs. Next Level’s mission is to help clients to successfully execute their brand building and volume-driving programs. For more information, visit Next Level online at www.nextlevel-co.com.
About Brand Action Team
Brand Action Team is a results-driven marketing consulting company with a mission to help spirit, wine, and beer brands succeed in the US market. BATs senior team of industry professionals boasts experience as brand marketers with P&L responsibility, as well as importers, retail liquor store owners, WSET-certified cork dorks, and authors of six proprietary blogs. BAT’s core competency is in building brands and is delivered through a suite of services including: marketing planning and brand development, social media marketing, trade advertising and PR, and digital marketing and E-commerce. For more information, please visit Brand Action Team online at www.thebrandactionteam.com.
