BrauBeviale Special Edition 2020: The most comprehensive supporting program ever

Live on site and digital | Can the BrauBeviale remain true to itself during the Covid-19 pandemic while still daring to do something new? The simple answer is yes, it can. Over the past few years, the trade fair’s diverse supporting program has been a valuable addendum to the presentations given by exhibitors in the halls. At the Special Edition 2020, event manager Andrea Kalrait’s team will go one step further and move the industry’s Stammtisch (regulars’ table) into the digital world.

NürnbergMesse is currently fast-tracking a project that is very exciting. A new dialogue platform, www.mybeviale.com, will be online by autumn, which will dovetail the analogue and digital trade fair worlds to promote communication within the beverage industry. This is not limited to the three days of the trade fair but will also be in place for the other 362 days of the year. At mybeviale.com, users will soon be able to find information on products and solutions for the brewing and beverage industries, read industry news and technical articles, acquire knowledge using a digital conference program and exchange ideas with colleagues, partners and friends from the industry.

BrauBeviale@stage

What would a digital conference program be like? As of now, the concept of the BrauBeviale forum has been entirely overhauled, and the NürnbergMesse has incorporated quite a few more partners. The result is BrauBeviale@stage. From the 10th to the 12th of November 2020, six stages will be distributed throughout the Nuremberg exhibition center rather than only on a single stage in Hall 1. What happens on these stages will also be broadcast online as a live stream at mybeviale.com.

“We are aware that not everyone who would like to attend the trade fair can make it this year. With BrauBeviale@stage, we want to take what is happening live at the trade fair and move it into the digital world,” explained Andrea Kalrait at the press conference in July.

Center Stage

Fans of the classic BrauBeviale forum will still find what they are looking for on the Center Stage. There, world-class speakers will address current industry topics in the areas of marketing, innovation, packaging, logistics and technology.
For instance, Uwe Lebok of K&A Brand Research and his guests, scheduled to speak in the marketing time slot on Tuesday, will be creating possible scenarios around the topic they term Markenstaunen (in English, “to be in awe of a brand”) and how it is conceivable without gastronomy. Those who operate breweries and mineral water springs will share examples of best practices and how to consistently position a brand.

 “Hot” topics will be discussed on the Center Stage again this year as they were last year: e.g. Lessons from the Covid pandemic, returnable packaging, logistics and digitalization. At Hot Topics on Stage, key players from the industry will shape the current discussions and all will have their say. Viewers will be able to experience live how important organizations and companies are planning to position themselves on key issues in the future.

Furthermore, the Innovation Lab on Center Stage will present possible ideas and approaches for future product design with a focus on sustainability and material innovation, packaging, digitalization and storytelling.

In order to elucidate the topic of innovation from several different perspectives, the trade fair has brought partners on board. For instance, a special digital show is being designed on product innovation in cooperation with design experts from Bayern Design. The Bundesverband der Ernährungsindustrie (BVE – the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries) will offer practical examples from production and commerce. The VLB Berlin e.V. will contribute lectures by experts on digital innovations in logistics.

Thursday is dedicated to education and training. The program under the hashtag #myworkforbeverages is aimed specifically at graduates seeking career guidance and at industry specialists with an interest in continuing education. All providers of education and training in the beverage and food industries will have the opportunity to present information about their programs on the exhibition stage. A number of companies will also introduce successful employees and future-oriented workplace concepts in order to attract and encourage new talent.

Product Presentations, Craft Drinks and Awards

On the Exhibition Stage, trade fair exhibitors will have the opportunity to showcase their products, innovations and solutions. The audience will comprise not only the on-site attendees be but also many industry representatives on screens around the world thanks to the extra live streaming module. This represents an entirely new dimension in terms of coverage.

The craft beverage and homebrewing enthusiasts thrive on an intensive exchange of information. Therefore, a considerable number of speakers are slated to appear on the Craft Beverages Stage/brau@home Stage, bringing the participants up-to-date on raw materials, brewing practices and quality assurance.

Not to be missed is this year’s Home Brew Bayreuth champion, Christoph Wolfrum, from Nuremberg who will speak and will also be serving his American pale ale “Hoptimism”. He and the Maisel & Friends team in Bayreuth were given permission to brew the pale ale on Maisel’s 25 hl brewing system exclusively for the BrauBeviale.

On the Award Stage, attendees will have the privilege of seeing, among other things, the presentation of the World Beverage Innovation Awards by Foodbev Media, the Ludwig Narziss Prize, an award for innovative brewing scientists given by BrewingScience, and the award for the winners of the competition, the German Hop Champion.

Numerous brewers are currently looking forward to the announcement of the winners of the European Beer Star 2020 on the Award Stage. The renowned international beer competition has made the BrauBeviale its home since it was founded in 2004. And those in the audience will also be able to watch the final round of the German Beer Sommelier Championship live.

Special Interest Stage

Three days, three topics – the Special Interest Stage highlights a different topic each day of the trade fair.

The first step is a look at the bigger picture concerning international markets and trade organizations. Among them, the Brewers Association will deliver firsthand information about the current state of the US craft brewing industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. There will also be a discussion about the Independent Craft Brewer Seal. Current questions regarding the cooperation between the retail market and craft brewers in the USA will also be addressed.

On Wednesday, a special edition of the Export Forum German Beverages will take the stage. Usually, it is held one day prior to the trade fair, but this year, it has been directly integrated into the BrauBeviale supporting program.

The exchange of knowledge between two authentic brewing industry export professionals is eagerly awaited. They will report on their successes but also on their failures in recent years. One example includes the substantial negative impact that the export of low-priced beers had on the overall image of German beer in the countries receiving these exports. We look forward to hearing about their concepts for structural change.

On Thursday, the Special Interest Stage belongs to the Bier-Quer-Denker, the somewhat unconventional “beer thinkers”. The one-day seminar is aimed at brewers who are interested in trying out novel ideas and who like to exchange their thoughts with colleagues. This involves both the potential for optimization and the development of distinctive beers with a strong character.

Technology Stage

The sixth stage is thematically designed to address questions from beverage technologists. Experts from science, research and the industry will be describing new and current developments in beverage production in cooperation with the trade press and industry organizations. For the raw materials slot, BRAUWELT is scheduled to present the latest results from the field of raw materials, for instance, on hop research, among other topics.

The Technology Stage will also have time set aside for a conversation about sustainability and a workshop on energy efficiency in beverage production.

Another short seminar with scientists and beverage producers will concentrate on production as well as the technological and legal challenges presented by non-alcoholic beer.

Additional content for the supporting program is currently being developed. However, the wide range of topics make it exceedingly clear. In November, visitors will be spoiled for choice on the three days of the trade fair. Attendees can experience this content live on site or digitally online. In either case, if you want to stay up on current topics in the beverage industry, you should definitely clear your schedule from the 10th to the 12th of November 2020 so that you can take advantage of all BrauBeviale Special Edition has to offer.