Dear Friends,
Why do we put on festivals? It's not the money -- trust me there are easier and less risky ways to make a living. When you invest in festival production at the high level we do, festivals are about as profitable as magazine publishing.
So, why do we put on festivals? For the same reason we publish a beer magazine and a beer website. It's our passion. We love educating the public about beer appreciation and beer quality; and we love fostering the development of local beer community. Every single member of our staff is first and foremost a beer lover, then a talent at their particular skill set. We are truly all about beer.
Our festivals are designed to get people excited about beer, excited about the depth, variety and beauty. Then to go out and buy them, challenge retailers to carry them, introduce them to other beer lovers, become passionate about beer like we are. That's our job in a nutshell: building local beer markets.
How do we measure success? It's actually pretty easy. First and foremost, did a lot of people get even more excited about beer because of our work? Some key people in the business think so::
In the weeks following the World Beer Fest in Columbia we have seen an incredible surge in customers wanting to know more about better beer and actively seeking new items that they were able to taste at the event.
-- Dave Smith, Director Malt and Non Alcoholic beverages, Green's Discount Beverage, South Carolina
The World Beer Festival is great for beer - for beer drinkers, for the brewers and definitely for beer stores like ours. It's a great way for people to get excited about beer. We see an increase in interest and in sales surrounding the festival.
-- John Boy, Sam's Quick Shop
The World Beer Festival is a driver of sampling in the Triangle area. In the beer business, sampling is the lifeblood of growth, particularly for new brands. So, we at Harris Incorporated, feel our investment in the World Beer Festival grows our craft portfolio.
-- Jay Harris, President, Harris Incorporated, North Carolina
At the World Beer Festival, All About Beer Magazine has embraced the true understanding of craft beer by being selective in brewery participation, training and educating their volunteer staff, taking care of the brewery participants and wholesaler concerns.
-- Jeff LeVine, President, Carolina Craft Distributing
The World Beer Festival is the prime opportunity to sample a large diversified selection of quality malt brews. The event is an educational experience for novices and hop-heads alike. The WBF promotes the growth of the better beer and has a positive effect on the category.
-- Jeff Mims, Mims Distributing Co.
Of course, there is also the action of the 8,000 attendees per festival.. According to our attendee survey data, festival after festival, 75+% try at least 10 beers they have never tasted before and then go purchase them after the festival. So, do the math. Bottom line: our festivals build the market.
Or, you can forget the math and just enjoy this special event. We work our butts off to make it enjoyable for participating beer people. We knock ourselves out trying to keep the focus on beer appreciation and keep inebriation to a minimum. And the location is just spectacular. In short, our festival is a lot of fun. Add in coverage in the magazine and on our new website, and you get a total beer community experience from your participation.
Come join the fun. Come enjoy the local beer community. Come meet a lot of your present and future customers.
Cheers,
Daniel Bradford
All About Beer Magazine
Beer Coordinator Contact Info
Click here to go to online sign up form
Click here to download sign up form (.pdf) 
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