Spirit Strategies & Innovation Conference

• Looking at the longer-term impacts of the pandemic on the future of the spirits industry
• What new innovations can lead to increased success and ensure companies meet their profit & sustainability goals
• Predicting the categories and consumer trends that will be prevalent with the newer generation
• Focussing on the emerging trends that are influencing our business to predict their evolution over the next 3-5 years

• Creating branded memorable moments
• Winning in the new consumer journey
• Crafting a premium experience in the on-trade

• Understanding the way consumers shop for spirits by integrating machine learning models to offer predictions
• Predicting the impact the pandemic has had on consumer behaviors and the extent of permanency of these new trends
• Assessing the risk when branching into untapped markets through utilizing AI algorithms
• How far can AI take the Spirits industry in terms of consumer insights and predictions

• Digital dispensing systems are the key for new sustainable business models, keeping full control of the value chain
• Full support for venues already proposing cocktails menu, also enabling additional revenue streams for venues new to mixology
• Perfect cocktails served in every consumption occasion, ensuring best recipe, speed of dispensing and consistent quality

• Understanding the on-trade post covid is short of trained staff creating a need to offer the retail industry a product that is as pre-batched as possible
• Ensuring sustainability measures are followed when creating single serve products to minimize the negative impact to eco-footprint
• Ensuring the democratizing of pre-mixed cocktails to allow widespread accessibility in the market
• Offering a more premium product in this format to appeal to a wider genre of customer

• Fermentation is at the heart of the distilled spirit production process. Despite it’s key role in the development of alcohol and flavours, there are very few examples of compelling technical innovation in this area of the production process which then feed through to a marketing strategy.
• As suppliers of fermentation ingredients to the spirits industry, Lallemand Craft Distilling have a unique perspective on the potential for innovation in this often-overlooked part of distilled spirits production.
• From proprietary yeast strains and the creation of new flavours to improving efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of our spirits, Lallemand Craft Distilling are encouraging you to consider fermentation as being a key driver of both technical innovation and marketing strategies of the future.

• Understanding the new generation of consumer who are looking for a social experience that does not contain alcohol
• Unlocking consumer markets who want the feeling of that special occasion also when alcohol is not an option
• The non-alcoholic spirits category – where is it heading?
• Adding benefits to the products to meet the consumer demand for healthier and fulfilling ways of drinking

• Engagement & Experience
• Supply Chain & New materials
• Technology & Interaction
• Sustainability & Environmental impact

• What role does the experience play for the consumer in driving their average spending with a company?
• Offering a luxury in-bar experience that will engage the consumer to keep them there longer increasing spending
• Using this opportunity to communicate dedication to sustainability in company practices
• How to keep this experience relevant in the home to encourage engagement even when consumers are unable to access the on-trade

• Brief introduction to te Guhala Closures Group
• How consumer habits have changed post covid: a growing focus on health, hygiene and security
• Digitalization as a key driver for the development of safer packaging options and a stronger education for sustainable consumption
• Connected closures as a revolutionary tool to tackle the problem of counterfeiting

• Capitalizing on the increase in events while ensuring complete compliance to covid-19 guidelines
• Understanding the medium to long term effects the pandemic will have on consumer behaviors that may affect the success of on-trade market
• Sourcing new local connections to partner with after the closure of many smaller businesses due to lockdown restrictions
• Offering products that are easier to use as the on-trade struggles with shortages of trained staff

• Capitalizing on the ability to take more calculated risks as a mid-sized company to ensure success through untapped markets
• Entering markets with a competitive angle as seen with Japanese Gins
• How branching into these riskier areas can catapult a smaller company into a midsize position
• Creating partnerships that can lead to mergers and acquisitions to further grow your brand

This will be a 2 hr session where Ripples will serve non-alcoholic and alcoholic cocktails featuring their technology of printing on the foam of beverages. This is a great opportunity for all to get familiar with their innovations, as well as a great time to reflect on the event findings in a relaxed and sophisticated networking environment

Interactive roundtable sessions offer a unique opportunity to come together with your peers to share best practice and develop solutions to critical challenges facing the industry as a whole. Hosted by industry experts and each focused on a single issue, roundtables are an exciting, interactive way to build your personal network and learn from the experience and expertise of others.

Each roundtable session lasts for 45 minutes, and delegates may attend up to 2 roundtables

Looking at the categorisation of No/Low ABV alcoholic drinks and its impact on the spirits category.

• How can we create a more collaborative culture in terms of having both ABV and no ABV beverage choices on the table

• Where do the opportunities lie in social occasions with drinkers of mixed drinking behaviours? How do we create harmony for drinkers through both options?
• Creating experiences for drinkers and non-drinkers alike so they can both enjoy the social occasion together
• Encouraging responsibility through offering a mix of spirits and low & no
• How to collaborate and not to compete in a social drinking climate?
• How does on and off trade categorization help to unite these two beverage categories?

• Can larger spirits distilleries gain the same advantage in this category through micro-distilleries?
• What are the differences, if any, between what ABV and Non ABV offers the consumer to enhance social experience?

• Premiumization : Catch the eye with shaped and textured closures and differentiate your brand on shelves
• Hand-in-hand support: More than a product, SHAPEART is a process that will support you at every stage of your project: from the idea, through feasibility, sampling and bottling
• Recyclability: Add recyclability to your packaging! SHAPEART closures are made of aluminum which is a material fully recyclable

• Investing in ecommerce platforms such as Amazon to ensure direct access to the consumer through any circumstances
• Navigating the FBA model to promote off-trade sales
• Understanding that ongoing investment into ecommerce models will be needed for company’s to remain competitive in a post-pandemic market
• Creating an experience for the consumer where they are able to have their on-trade indulgence from the comfort of their own homes

• How Siemens creates sustainable industrial innovation
• Working with customers to address key manufacturing business challenges to assist them in improving operational practices, save waste and become more efficient
• Looking at insights to innovation in the Distilled Spirits industry
• Case Study: proven benefits gained via collaboration to innovate solutions utilizing key technologies and developments of new technologies applies whilst maintaining traditional operational methods

• The rise of innovative mixer options, what they offer vs. more familiar flavours and classics
• How these mixers can play an active role in adding interest and excitement to a menu
• Capitalising on their potential to open up spirit categories beyond gin
• How spirits and mixers can work together
• The growing health and wellness trend – complementing spirits without adding extra calories or sugar
• Understanding the newer brand of consumer that is not looking to drink in excess but are looking for a truly engaging experience – how the new breed of mixers can help you here

• Reaching net zero emission goals through innovative ideas to reduce the amount of waste created by the food & beverage industry
• Unlocking new flavor profiles through using ingredients such as banana peels that have been discarded
• Creating marketing campaigns that can further promote the brand and their sustainability efforts to untapped markets
• Focusing on ensuring the most use out of every component of the process from ingredients, to the barrels, etc