Following Hallway’s successful 2017 Craftwork podcast series, which has attracted well-known guests and listeners from the UK’s craft beer scene over the past 7 months, the first Craftwork event took place last week at The Trampery in London’s Old Street.
The event was a sell-out, with over 65 people from craft beer’s most well-known breweries and businesses flocking to listen to influential beer-buyers and marketing experts talk about how to differentiate beer in an increasingly competitive market.
Headline speakers included Ben Lockwood, Beer Buyer at Mitchells & Butlers, who revealed what goes into the M&B tender process with some great examples of how breweries can grab attention and educate buyers using video marketing.
Mitch Adams, Beer Buyer at Borough Wines, gave an equally interesting and enlightening talk on what influences buying decisions in the off-trade, with tips on how to get beer onto more shelves.
Both speakers touched on the increasing importance of digital marketing and social media in the buying process, which Matthew Hall, Founder at Hallway, expanded on when he shared findings from a recent Hallway-commissioned consumer survey with the crowd.
The event was the first of many scheduled for 2018 as part of the new Craftwork Growth Club, organised by Hallway.
“After running the podcast for almost a year and speaking to various businesses and associations, there was real interest from brewery owners, beer shops and pubs about getting together to share ideas on how to move the craft beer industry forward”, explained Matthew Hall.
Andy Thorburn, host of the podcast series and organiser of the Craftwork event added, “People in Craft Beer are very comfortable working together and supporting each other, which comes from a real passion and interest in what we’re all doing. We all love beer, and we want to see craft continue to grow.”
The Craftwork Growth Club offers members access to exclusive events led by insightful thought leaders, industry research, content and a virtual community via mobile and desktop app. It’s designed to give ambitious businesses the insights and industry support they need to grow to the next step, learning from others along the way with a good beer in hand.
“We’re just starting out with the club and expect it to evolve over the coming months, so we’re currently looking for founding members to help us shape it into a valuable place for craft beer members to meet, chat and learn,” added Andy.
Membership is now open: Apply and learn more about member benefits
Matthew Hall
Andy Thorburn
Nick Lancey
Julian Wills
James Perrett