IBA postpones convention and cuts staff
Australia | The Independent Brewers Association (IBA), which represents the country’s 600 craft brewers, has decided to postpone its convention, BrewCon, which was scheduled for 9 to 11 November 2020 on the Sunshine Coast.
The IBA said on 5 August that the current situation with border lockdowns and virus outbreaks means that it had to be realistic about the ability for everyone to attend. Therefore, it made the decision to move the convention to August/September 2021 with the hope that the virus will be somewhat under control and its members will have recovered enough to be able to attend.
Like its members, the IBA has been affected by the pandemic and subsequent recession. At first, it tried to weather the storm through cost-saving measures. However, this wasn’t enough. The IBA had to resort to cost-cutting like staff reductions in order to ensure the survival of the association.
These cost reductions mean that two of its six-strong staff, Event Manager Jason Sommers and the Head of Marketing Maryann Separovic, have been made redundant, with the remaining Executive Team continuing to work reduced hours until the IBA’s situation changes for the better.
