From the desk of ABL...

Industry Leaders meet in Las Vegas

Annual ABL meeting focuses on Challenge of Change for Independent Beverage Licensees and Alcohol Industry

BY Matt Evans, ABL Communications Manager

  Independent beverage licensees and their hospitality industry partners came together on March 24-26, 2019, for American Beverage Licensees (ABL) 17th Annual Meeting at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. During the meeting, attendees networked with their peers from across the country while also learning about emerging trends and ongoing issues affecting the beverage alcohol industry.

“For bar, tavern and liquor store owners, change is occurring in their industry faster than ever before. Social and business norms are being tested and beverage licensees will play a key role in determining what the future beverage alcohol marketplace looks like,” says ABL Executive Director John Bodnovich. “This year’s ABL Annual Meeting challenged attendees” self-awareness by addressing provocative but relevant issues that beverage retailers are currently facing- or will face in the near future.”

A FULL AGENDA OFFERS INSIGHTS INTO INDUSTRY ISSUES

  The annual meeting featured two keynote addresses from longtime industry veterans who shared their wisdom and ideas from the beer and spirits industries, respectively.
Keith Villa, brew master and co-founder of CERIA Brewing Company, shared his unique perspective on the beer industry, from discussing his vision as the creator of Blue Moon more than two decades ago, to starting his own brewing company that incorporates cannabis into products and the challenges and opportunities that come with being at the forefront of an emerging product marketplace.

  Peter Angus, executive vice president of U.S. and Canadian Sales for Tito’s Handmade Vodka, discussed the rapid rise – and exceptional success—of Tito’s over the past decade, and how culture, quality and commitment have made their product the number one on- and off-premise distilled spirits brand in the United States. Peter also emphasized the vital role that independent retailers continue to play in the success of not just Tito’s but the industry as a whole.

  With a Supreme Court case pending and state legislatures debating hundreds of bills that would affect the beverage alcohol industry, a handful of industry attorneys were on hand to breakdown the legal issues of the day and alcohol regulatory trends in the states.

  Scott Keller, partner with the law firm Baker Botts LLP and Michael Madigan, managing shareholder of law firm Madigan, Dahl and Harlan, P.A., provided attendees with an overview of legal cases currently in the courts that have the potential to upend the traditional Three-Tier System of beverage alcohol in the United States, including the current U.S Supreme Court case of Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association vs. Blair.

  A panel discussion on key issues facing state alcohol regulators including the challenges they face in the ever-scrutinized world of licensing and enforcement, featured Jake Hegeman, vice president of Legal & Regulatory Affairs for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America; Matthew Botting, general counsel for California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control; and Neal Insley, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.

  Meeting speakers also addressed a variety of important trends in beverage alcohol media; mobile sales platform and data; sports gaming; impaired driving policy; and sexual harassment in the hospitality workplace.

  ABL Executive Director John Bodnovich led a Q & A session with Harry Schumacher owner and publisher of Beer Business Daily, who answered a range of questions on topics including diversity in the industry (with a focus on women leaders); craft momentum; wholesaler consolidation; and what media outlets we should trust for our industry news.
Roi Kliper, CEO of City Hive Inc., a provider of branded digital solutions to thousands of independent retailers around the country, discussed what retailers should be paying attention to when it comes to fully utilizing their customer data, and how to build for success in this new and challenging business environment.

  Becky Harris, immediate past-chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and current academic fellow at the UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation, shared her views on the current state of sports betting following the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down in federal ban and what it could mean for beverage licenses looking to establish or expand lottery and gambling offerings in retail establishments.

  Ann Kitch, transportation research analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures, shared her insights into the policy world of impaired driving, ow she identifies and monitors state legislation on traffic safety issues and the rise of drug-impaired driving as it relates to legislation in state capitols across the country.
Heather Stone, legal counsel at the national law firm Dinsmore and Shohl LLP, shared her expertise and insights into helping employers lower the frequency and severity of employment practice claims – focusing on what those in the hospitality industry should be paying attention to in the #Me-too era.