CBC 2022: 10 Events That Aren’t About Brewery ERP – But You Still Won’t Want to Miss

We are so excited to be attending, sponsoring and meeting friends old and new at the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) 2022 coming up next week in Minneapolis. To challenge ourselves, we picked 10 events we can’t wait for – and which likely won’t touch on brewery ERP or even brewery software or tech on a wide scale. CBC is always an incredible opportunity to learn from leaders across all aspects of our industry who will be on hand sharing valuable stories, experiences and practices to adopt for the brewers we serve, and the communities in which we live and work. 

It’s hard to pick which sessions and events we’re looking forward to most, but we did manage to narrow down the following list of sessions and events that we’ve already set in our schedule. Some of them overlap, so tough choices will need to be made – always the sign of a great conference. 

Keep scrolling to check out our top 10, and swing by to meet us at any of the events listed below or at Booth #827. We’ll be the ones serving Ballast Point and Schell’s Beer (and also talking about brewery ERP, of course). 

THRIVE Workshop (Monday, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

The THRIVE Workshop is billed as a “day-long experience that will provide attendees with an opportunity to take a deep and integrated dive into DEI, HR, and wellness topics tailored for craft brewers of all sizes.” A Brewers Association initiative, the interactive event will feature speakers, workshops and seminars designed to help “develop a range of people-focused practices that elevate small businesses.” Mini-consulting sessions with experts in DEI, HR and wellness will also be available. 

German Hop Growers Hospitality (Monday, 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

This get-together will not only feature the “2022 Hop Queen” Theresa Hagl, but also 7 beers featuring a range German hop varieties. Try beers from Saint Arnold Brewing Company,  LiveOak, New Glarus Brewing Co., Boston Beer Company, Halfway Crooks Beer, Tributary Brewing and Rahr Eagle Brewery. Suffice it to say, we will be there with bells on. 

Workshop: The Art of Inclusive Communication (Tuesday, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

Speakers Marc Meyer and Ashley Virtue will host an interactive workshop helping participants explore their “personal and cultural identities and learn how they relate to communication styles; how these different styles can sometimes be the root of communication breakdown; and, most importantly, how you can learn to recognize when a communication breakdown is happening, so that you can do something about it.” The session will include exercises to encourage participants to consider the “unwritten rules of life,” while discussing how to find common ground, create respectful communication, work through conflict, and find value in others’ perspectives. 

Hop Creep: New Insights, Research and Approaches for Managing It (Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.)

Featuring speakers James Bruner (Creature Comfort), Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River), Nick Harris, Ricky Molitor, Tom Shellhammer (OSU) and Lauren Torres (Bell’s), this lecture series and roundtable discussion will focus on hop research, processes and techniques. It will also cover beer maturation techniques, alternatives to CO2, best practices for moderating yeast strains, and integrating QC into product development. Participants will walk away knowing simple methods to determine hop creep fermentation amounts, brewery practices to manage its effect, and how to identify areas of potential hop creep.

The Brewstillery: You're Halfway There! (Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

This seminar examines the factors brewery owners must consider when determining whether or not expanding into distillation fits their business. We’ll be there for information on the current brewstillery landscape, as well as helpful details about management, licensing, production, timelines, budgets, sales, marketing and more.   

Leveraging Technology to Enhance the Guest Experience (Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) 
At Doozy Solutions, we’re all about using technology to make better beer – and better relationships – so we were excited to see this interactive discussion on the schedule. Speakers will be exploring how to leverage tech to decrease labor and increase guest engagement, communication and revenue. In the ever-expanding world of DTC ordering and to-go services, it’s helpful to have a guide to review the various platforms and systems on the market. 

Craft After Dark, presented by CanSource and sponsored by yours truly (Tuesday, 7 p.m. - 11 p.m.) 

You cannot miss Craft After Dark this year. You simply cannot. Featuring the Colorado funk band The Motet, and taking place at the iconic First Avenue night club, this promises to be the event of the year. Swing by our merch table to say hi and pick up some special goodies, before drinking and dancing to benefit The Dodge Nature Center. The event is free; all you need is a badge, an ID and a big smile to get in.

Beer as a Force for Good: Balancing Purpose and Profit through B Corp Certification (Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.) 

Ally Helenga from Creature Comforts Brewing will speak about “what it means to become a business that is, certifiably, a force for good.” Her crash course explains what B Corps are, why they exist and how breweries can begin the certification process. We’re particularly interested in this topic as many of our Crafted ERP brewery software customers are exploring the details behind increased social impact and B Corp certification. Conversations and actions around corporate social responsibility have perhaps never been more pronounced, and we love to see it.   

Distributor Partnerships: From Dating to Divorce (Thursday, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)

Doozy is introducing folks to our new Distributor Portal at the Craft Brewer’s Conference, so we couldn’t be more excited about the information being covered in this session. As we’ve designed our brewery software to create a seamless buying experience for a distributor, we are particularly interested in the panel’s focus on creating relationships and managing the relationship post-signing. Of course, the details about distribution agreements and how to manage a wholesaler (and even break up with one, as necessary) are just as compelling and important.

Selling Craft Beer in Latin America (Thursday, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

Latin American craft beer community leader Chema Mora will take participants through an overview of the state of craft beer in Latin America as well as trends in packaging, style preferences and customer demographics. We’re particularly interested in the distribution structure and regulatory requirements for the export / import part of the business. 

The conference schedule is so jam-packed with incredible speakers, panels and topics that it was truly difficult to narrow it down to just 10. What did we miss? Swing by Booth #827 to let us know. We’d love to pour you a beer and have a chat. See you soon!