Craft Beverages Unlimited 2016 moves to Asheville, North Carolina and the Midwest Grape & Wine +
Craft Brew Event Gets a New Name
Santa Rosa, Calif. –Vineyard & Winery Management (V&WM) will relocate its Craft Beverages Unlimited conference and trade show from Richmond, Virginia to Asheville, North Carolina. The event will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville from February 10-12, 2016.
Formerly known as Wineries Unlimited, this event enjoys the title of longest running annual B2B wine industry event in the eastern U.S. With the addition of spirits and craft brew to the conference, the event will now be called Craft Beverages Unlimited East.
V&WM has also officially changed the name of its Midwest conference and trade show to Craft Beverages Unlimited Midwest. Previously known as Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew, the new name will match its new identity and unify the brand with its sister show in Asheville. The annual B2B event will return to the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, Missouri February 3-5, 2016 with a structure and strategy similar to the Asheville event.
When asked about the move to Asheville, V&WM President and Publisher, Robert Merletti said, “After five years at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and the expansion into other adult beverages, it was apparent the event needed a venue in a location that better suited broader audience outreach.”
“Asheville was chosen for a number of reasons, not the least being known as ‘Beer City’,” added Merletti. According to romanticasheville.com, Asheville, per capita, has one of the highest rates of craft brew consumption in the Southeast. Accolades include being named Beer City USA for four years in a row, Forbes Travel Guide 5 Beer Cities To Hit This Summer and CNN’s 8 Best Beer Towns in the USA.
The city has been named as one of Frommer’s’ Best Places to Go in 2015 and notes that “Asheville’s national profile has risen to qualify it as the Austin of the East—accessible, youth-friendly, affordable, and the place to go for a sweet lifestyle.” Nestled in the Smokey Mountains, its offers outdoors activities, an artists’ community, and is home to the world famous Biltmore Estate.
In an unprecedented maneuver, a coalition of three leading beverage trade magazines are coming together to form an alliance and create three distinct conferences together under one roof: Craft Beer & Brewing, The American Distilling Institute of America, and Vineyard & Winery Management. These industry leaders will work to develop their own high level program within their own discipline under the general heading of Craft Beverages Unlimited in Asheville. All have distinct brands with niche magazines and established audiences. Their expertise and strategies will help create relevant content for their own specialized session tracks to ensure a healthy turnout.
“North Carolina has an active and growing wine industry. This move has sparked enthusiasm and support from the North Carolina Winegrowers Association,” according to Merletti.
“Asheville is hot spot for craft beer in the U.S. We couldn’t be more excited about helping bring this great event to the world-class craft beer community of Asheville, NC. The rapid growth of the craft beer industry in Asheville makes this location perfect.” according to John P. Bolton, CEO, CO-Founder of Unfiltered Media Group, LLC, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
“Asheville is also very close to both Kentucky and Tennessee, meccas for those making spirits in the U.S.” says Bill Owens, founder and president of the American Distilling Institute.
“Next year marks the event’s 40th Anniversary, and I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate than Asheville, North Carolina,” adds Merletti.
Each event will include a two-day trade show. Exhibit dates in St. Charles are February 4-5 and in Asheville on February 11-12, 2016. Booths will be available for purchase soon. Anyone interested in a trade show booth should contact Elizabeth Taggart at ExecutivEvents, (303) 530-0205 x16, etaggart@executivevents.com.
More information will be available online at CraftBeveragesUnlimitedMidwest.com and CraftBeveragesUnlimitedEast.com. Check back frequently for details as the program develops.
