19/05/2022

Future Drinks Expo, a one-of-a-kind event brought innovators, companies, and professionals from the drinks and tech industry together under one roof at the South San Francisco Conference Center on May 17, 2022. Happening for the first time, it recorded a footfall of approximately 1200 Visitors, 40 Exhibitors, and 16 Speakers at the event. The visitors at the event came from various industries closely related to the drinks and tech industry.

Houseful at the Conference

The conference that took place in the Grand Ballroom was the highlight of the Future Drinks Expo. Eminent leaders in the drinks and digital space that are heading some renowned companies shared great insights about the future of this growing space. 

Josh Jacobs, the Co-Founder and CEO of Speakeasy Co. spoke on How a brand can develop a digital presence to drive sales. He shared some solid points regarding innovating your products and increasing customer engagement.

Ashwin Ram, the Technical Director of AI at Google Cloud shared some interesting insights about how brands could innovate with the help of artificial intelligence. 

Connor Clarkes, the Enterprise Account Executive at Commerce7 talked about the scenario of the Direct-To-Consumers Sales in 2022 and beyond and how it is transforming the face of the wine and spirits industry.

We had significant discussions about how the drinks industry is moving forward digitally, we also had Karissa Kruse, The President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers talk about sustainability in the wine industry. She discussed the role of the Sonoma County Winegrowers in the Climate Movement. 

Nathan Mansperger, the VP of Ecommerce at Southern Glazer’s, shared insights about embracing the digital revolution and supporting beverage alcohol suppliers as they move along their eCommerce journey. He shared how this is being done by their home-grown digital agency called DRAM.

Aaron Sherman, the CEO and Co-Founder of SevenFifty, explained how efficiency could be improved by embracing the future of wholesale eCommerce. 

As the conversations became interesting, we had the CEO and Co-Founder of Wine Owners, Nick Martin, talk about how the global fine wine market is adapting to their operating model through the paths to growth and profitability in the global fine wine industry.

Lewis Perdue, the Founder, CEO, and Algorithm Inventor at Revolution Algorithms, gave us interesting insights about increasing customer retention, acquisition, and profits with the help of implicit artificial intelligence/machine-learning recommendations.

As we went into further discussions about everything digital, we had the Senior Director of DTC Marketing and Ecommerce at Treasury Wine Estates, Justin Noland, talk about DTC in the digital age of wine and Heath Willis, the Global Head of The Bar for Diageo, discussed how brands can leverage the digital channels and connect digitally with their customers.

As we dived deep into some great conversations about Marketing, we had Jennie Gilbert, the Founder of RedChirp, share effective and alcohol-industry compliant strategies for SMS text messaging, and Polly Hammond, the Founder and Managing Director of 5Forests, talked about how digital marketing is dead and how brands can ensure that the time, work, and investment they have put into the digital in the past two years is ready for the future and profitable for them.

While we got some fabulous insights about the digital and drinks industry, we had Maureen Downey, the Owner and Founder of Chai Vault, discuss the Global Wine and Spirits Fraud and how technology is helping to combat it.

The Buzz At The Expo Floor

While the conference room was brimming with great insights and discussions, our Expo floor was buzzing with some fantastic companies showcasing their products and services. With 40 companies exhibiting on the expo floor, some great products and services were showcased and their potential was discussed with the visitors, who were owners of some big companies in relevant industries.

Some of the exhibiting companies were Binary Beer, Precision Fermentation and Alpha Brew Operations which are changing the scene of brewing with their technology and products. Other exhibitors included LibDib, Pix, Via. Delivery and Speakeasy, have immensely changed the e-commerce scene in the drinks industry and have made buying wine, spirits, or beers, a seamless process.

Clinking Glasses and Wrapping It Up 

And last but not the least, the event ended with a great Cocktail Party where people could network and share all their great experiences from the event. The interesting conversations, sharing thoughtful ideas, connecting with new companies, and sharing some great banter, marked the end of the First Edition of the Future Drinks Expo 2022. Get ready to experience more such companies and experiences next year at the Future Drinks Expo 2023. 

See You Next Year!