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The Leading Beverage Industry Event Returns to Santa Monica on Dec. 5+6

For more than a decade, the CPG industry has turned to BevNET Live to discover the latest trends and network with the beverage community. Our signature two-day event for the beverage industry brings together thought leaders, trailblazers, and the next generation of brand founders to help beverage industry professionals thrive.

On December 5th and 6th, the beverage industry will gather in-person at the Santa Monica Beach Hotel to learn and take action.

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Winter 2022 Speakers

Brand founders and CEOs will be at the event to learn about the latest trends in the industry and connect with experts like service providers, investors, suppliers, distributors, and retail buyers. Bring your toughest questions and walk away with the answers you need to move your business forward. Expect high-profile speakers, informative panel discussions, networking opportunities, sampling, pitch competitions, Beverage School for startups, happy hours, and more.

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Winter 2022 Agenda

Print the agenda for Monday, December 05

Please note: All times US Pacific Time

  • 7:30 AM9:00 AM

    Breakfast, Presented by Cometeer & Registration

    Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 7:30 AM PT. 
  • 8:00 AM9:30 AM

    New Beverage Showdown Semifinal Round

    Feel the excitement and suspense as our 12 semifinalists offer rapid-fire pitches to our first panel of judges! 

    Watch Video

  • 10:00 AM10:15 AM

    Welcome Remarks

    • Jeff Klineman, Editor in Chief, BevNET
    • John Craven, CEO & Founder, BevNET.com
  • 9:30 AM10:00 AM

    Networking Break & Taste Radio Studio

  • 10:15 AM10:45 AM

    State of the Market: On the Ground, At the Store, In the Balance Sheet

    We scan the operating conditions for beverage entrepreneurs, looking through the eyes of financial, retail, and distribution gatekeepers to try to assess opportunities in the coming year.
    • Tim Dornfeld, Senior Category Manager, Shelf-Stable Beverage, KeHE

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  • 10:45 AM11:15 AM

    Building Brands in the Crowd

    In categories ranging from energy drinks to coffee to kombucha to all manner of sparkling drinks, competition is at an all-time high. Shiver, who has made a career out of leading teams in competitive categories, discusses the keys: company culture, brand authenticity, cash for growth and marketplace timing.

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  • 11:15 AM11:45 AM

    Cocktails Remixed: A Deep Dive Into RTD Cocktail Strategies

    Ready-to-Drink Cocktails are the fastest-growing category in the spirits space -- but the direction for the brands in that category is far from settled. Three brand founders discuss their strategies and viewpoints in a panel that speaks not just to spirit companies, but to competitors in all emerging beverage areas.

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  • 11:45 AM12:15 PM

    How Celsius Got Red Hot

    Celsius CEO John Fieldly will bring the story of Celsius’ long climb to the top to the BevNET Live Winter audience. Fieldly will go through the company’s search for effective brand positioning and retail efficiency, and the ways that he’s been able to make the product work for a growing set of consumers, retailers, and investors – all of whom are seeing their investment in the brand pay off.
    • John Fieldly, CEO, Celsius

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  • 12:15 PM12:30 PM

    Best of Awards + New Beverage Showdown Finalists Announced

    We’ll take a break from discussion to celebrate: BevNET’s Best of 2022 and New Beverage Showdown Finalists will be presented right before lunch.

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  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Breakout Sessions - Round I

  • 12:30 PM2:00 PM

    Lunch, Sampling & Taste Radio Studio

  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Supply Chain Pain Redux: Inflation and Self-Preservation

    Location: Arcadia - Main Ballroom, 5th Floor
    As with last year, beverage companies are STILL worried about raising prices, increasing costs, the potential margin impacts that will roll into fundraising valuations and more. Only now, they're also worried about inflation, sharing higher costs with partners, and inventory surpluses. But hey, the ports are cleared. An unmissable panel manufacturing consultant Will Madden, master strategist Neil Kimberley, and Encore Consumer Capital’s Kate Wallman returns for round two of Supply Chain Pain.

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  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Spirits Track: RTD Cocktail Data Share: The Numbers Behind the Growth

    Location: Palisades, 5th Floor
    IWSR's Brandy Rand offers a comprehensive data set on the growth, value, use cases and challenges facing the fast-growing RTD cocktail category. A must for brands, buyers, suppliers, and investors alike.

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  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Infusion Insights: How Cannabis Beverages are Evolving

    Location: Room 831 (8th floor)
    The prospects for cannabis-infused beverages continue to grow and the formats are improving, but what are the challenges that remain from a product and market fit standpoint? Our panel of experienced CPG development, spirits, and sales experts looks at the state of and long-term outlook for this special category.
  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Sponsored Talk: Functional Forecasting for Beverages

    Location: Catalina Ballroom, 4th Floor
    The conventional line between supplements and beverages blurring. Join us for an exclusive look at US-specific consumer insights including need states across dayparts and consumer-preferred formats and ingredients.

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  • 2:00 PM2:40 PM

    Sponsored Workshop: Breakthrough Flavor Technology for Authentic Tasting Beverages

    Location: Topanga (7th floor)
    Liquid flavors for beverages primarily rely “washing” the base citrus oils to make a water-soluble compound. Old school beverage emulsion flavors are out of favor because they are hard to use and contain objectionable additives. Learn about innovative beverage flavor technology that enables your beverage to use the taste and aroma that comes from complete citrus oils – in a clean, water-soluble, more sustainable delivery system.
  • 2:40 PM2:50 PM

    Networking Break

  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Breakout Sessions - Round II

  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Your Customer is the Retailer: A Selling Workshop

    Location: Arcadia - Main Ballroom, 5th Floor
    The path to true volume and scale lies in the very same chain stores and independent retailers who have fostered growth in the past. To grow, brands need to think of these stores as their true customers, as important to their growth equation as their finely tuned consumer plays. But thinking about the needs of the store can be very different from thinking about the needs of the consumer. Jones shares the key mistakes brands make when seeking to establish relationships with store buyers and the ways that beverage companies can learn to think like those buyers and create a mutually beneficial environment.

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  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Spirits Track: Selling Spirits DTC

    Location: Palisades, 5th Floor
    Of course sending that bottle through the mail is a great idea! But between varied state regulations, three-tier requirements, and operational obstacles, D2C sales of spirits to consumers is nowhere near the kind of market that it could be. Our speakers outline the playing field, offer tips on audience development, and explore the spirits market's relationship with online sales.
  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Adjusting to Omnichannel: Considerations for D2C Beverage Brands Scaling in Brick & Mortar

    Location: Room 831
    When brands open physical retail after launching D2C, things change: pricing and packaging structure, marketing, design, operations, and overall channel strategies are all on the table. Fortunately, our panel knows where the pain points are, and can have you smoothly arrive at the store, set up for growth.
  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Sponsored Talk: Crafting Better Beverages - A Sip of Tasty Nutrition

    Location: Catalina Ballroom, 4th Floor
    Health and wellness continue to be top of mind in this pandemic/post-pandemic time we find ourselves in. The elevated focus on health and wellness is sparking a shift in overall beverage categories. However, the taste experience is still key. In this session, our Ingredion beverage experts will guide you through key insights into the blurring of category lines and share how to deliver nutritious beverages without compromising taste and texture.

    Watch Video

  • 2:50 PM3:30 PM

    Sponsored Workshop: Breakthrough Flavor Technology for Authentic Tasting Beverages

    Location: Topanga (7th floor)
    Liquid flavors for beverages primarily rely “washing” the base citrus oils to make a water-soluble compound. Old school beverage emulsion flavors are out of favor because they are hard to use and contain objectionable additives. Learn about innovative beverage flavor technology that enables your beverage to use the taste and aroma that comes from complete citrus oils – in a clean, water-soluble, more sustainable delivery system.
  • 3:30 PM5:30 PM

    BevNET Live Happy Hour

    Location: Venice Ballroom, 4th Floor
    Join your fellow attendees at the conclusion of day 1 presentations for beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and light appetizers.
  • 6:00 PM8:00 PM

    BevNET Live Official Party, Presented by ForceBrands

    Location: Pacific Garden, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
    Join us for some outside fun and head to the lawn behind the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for beachside networking! Swing on the glow swings, sit by the fire pit, play some lawn games and listen to live music while enjoying signature cocktails, beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and light appetizers.

Gold Sponsors

SPONSOR

Sample the Latest Beverage Innovations

Pitching your product is great, but sometimes taste just speaks for itself. To move conversations forward and set you up for potential partnerships, beverages from attending brands are showcased in sampling fridges throughout the event. This makes it easier for brands and industry executives to connect and do business. Go beyond your pitch and form more meaningful relationships with industry investors, retailers, suppliers and service providers.

You must be a registered attendee of BevNET Live Winter 2022 to sample.

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Learn How to Grow Your RTD Spirits Company

Starting the Sunday prior to BevNET Live, and continuing through Monday, we will dive into the world of ready-to-drink spirits.

RTD volumes have been growing faster than any drinks category since 2018, according to drinks data company IWSR*. There are nearly 650 RTD brands on beverage retailer Drizly, up from 450 in 2021, which was a 45% increase over the previous year, and a whopping 170% increase over 2019.

At BevNET Live we’ll explore the category's explosive growth, and provide important information, resources and connections.

*IWSR includes hard seltzers in its definition of RTDs

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New Beverage Showdown: Put Your Brand in the Spotlight

Pitch your brand and your product to a panel of expert judges in front of our audience of retailers, investors, distributors, and other influential industry partners. New Beverage Showdown participants are the celebrities of BevNET Live. Be the center of attention among hundreds of industry executives and decision makers, receive instant feedback from an expert panel of judges, and compete for a prize valued at $10,000.

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Silver Sponsors

Beverage School: Education to Get You Started

The day before BevNET Live, industry newcomers can learn the basics of running a beverage business and jumpstart their networking at Beverage School. Experts will present on the 5 topics early-stage beverage brands need to know, including finance, sales, marketing, design, and operations.

Following the presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to sit down with the experts and ask them their toughest questions.

Beverage School helps lay the foundation for success. If you're just getting started in the natural packaged food industry, we recommend you attend the segment.

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Beverage Decision Makers Attend BevNET Live

Super CoffeeLa ColombeEssentia WaterPoppi
Vive
Brew Dr. KombuchaPepsiCo
Hella Cocktail Co.Coca-ColaZen Wtr

REBBLStarbucks
Humm Kombucha
Califia Farms


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Stay at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel

BevNET Live's winter event takes place at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Enjoy the SoCal weather, magnificent sunsets, views of the Santa Monica Pier, and superior accommodations at the famous beachfront hotel. From standard rooms to oceanfront suites, the discounted room block rates are half the standard rate. All rooms are available on a first come, first served basis for registered attendees. All past room blocks have sold out. Register today to have first access to the room block.

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