VANCOUVER — The B.C. Craft Brewers Conference is going virtual for 2021.
The three-day networking and educational event, taking place from February 3 to 5, will offer a selection of seminars and keynotes. Students, beer enthusiasts and brewery staff are among those invited to participate in the virtual conference, which is hosted by the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild and presented by Great Little Box Company & Ideon Packaging.
In response to current public-health advisories, the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild developed a conference focused on virtual experiences geared toward connecting the province’s craft beer community. This includes a new online private community network — The B.C. Craft Brewers Guild Community — designed to help attendees make new connections with industry peers, suppliers and partners year round.
The three days of the event are divided into half-day tracks, broken out into key topics: Brewing, Marketing & Sales, Operations and Finance.
“Breaking out the conference into half-day tracks allows people to take part in what they’re most interested in,” says Ken Beattie, executive director of the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild. “While we can’t meet in person this year, we’re confident the new format and online community platform will help connect B.C. craft brewers in a new way…It’s important for us to continually build connections within our industry and outside of it, to ensure the longevity of craft brewing in B.C.”
Keynote speakers include Ren Navarro of Beer. Diversity., Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association and a representative from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, who will provide an update on the tourism industry.
In an effort to continue developing an inclusive and distinct beer community for years to come, 50 per cent of every ticket sold for the B.C. Craft Brewers Conference will go towards the Canadian Craft Brewers Association.
