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Education and Networking

Events and Networking

DSA Conference 2024

Date: 12 & 13 September 2024
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Place: Rydges Hotel, Auckland

Photos … Click here

Presentations
Day 1:
11:30– 12:00 Issues & Challenges, Robert Brewer – Spirits NZ
13:00 – 13:20 Reuse is the New Recycle, Neil Pollett – Green Bottle NZ
13:20 – 15:00 IBD – Technical Knowledge and Techniques You Can Use, Anne Gigney & Ian Thorn – Tasmanian Whisky Academy
15:30 – 16:00 The Cardrona Story, Desiree Reid – Cardrona Distillery
16:00 – 16:30 The Australian Story, Paul McLeay – Australian Distillers Association

Presentations
Day 2:

09:00 – 09:30 How to Activate a Brand Story, Tash McGill – More Good Drinks. Tash can be contacted for further questions.
09:30 – 10:00 Sustainability Panel, Facilitator: Tim Jones, BCORP, Panelists: Conrad Morley, Kakapo Distilling, Mike Sutherland, Sawmill Brewery

  • BCorp Website
  • BCorp ebook – give a great overview of the business case
  • BCorp podcast – Deep Down Wine

10:00 – 10:30 Liquorland – The Lay of the land, Brendon Lawry & Angela Hurst – Liquorland
11:00 – 11:30 Industry Sales Trends, Larissa Watson – NielsenIQ
11:30 – 12:00 Making Sure You’re Covered When Things Go Wrong, Nigel Jones & Andrea Selway – Employsure
13:00 – 13:30 MPI Exporter Regulatory Advice Service: Tips to Exporting, Emma Proucelle – MPI
13:30 – 14:00 Opening New Markets, Dan Wright – Lactanol. Dan can be contacted for further questions.
14:00 – 14:30 Accessing Capital & Funding Growth, Matt Carnell – BNZ
15:00 – 15:30 Distillers Round Table – Gin: An open industry discussion on technical choices, processes, and definitions, Facilitator: Ben Legget, Elemental Distillery, Panellists: Matt Bridge, Lunatic & Lover; Mikey Ball, Scapegrace; Blair Nicoll, National Distillery
15:30 – 16:00 Yeast and Unlocking its Potential, Lisa Macrae, AB Biotek
16:00 – 16:30 What is Whiskey Panel, Facilitator: Soren Crabb, 1919 Distillery
Panellists: Rachel Thomson, Thomson Whisky’, Gareth Morgan Reefton Distilling Co.; Patrick Newton, Waiheke Whiskey

Education Series 2024 – Webinars

Exporting

Event Date: Wednesday 15 May, 9am – 10am
View the recording here
NZTE Resource: MyNZTE. You will need to sign up for these free resources.

For more information...

DSA were joined by Ami Mitchel from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise who provided an overview of the resources and support available to us through NZTE.  We also heard from Sarah Bonoma from Dancing Sands Distillery, who talked about how they’ve worked with NZTE and share some of their export journey so far.  We finished with a Q&A session.

Ami Mitchell – NZTE, Customer Capability Programme Manager

I love a good story, most people do. Businesses that tell an engaging and thoughtful story are the ones that you remember. I’m passionate about growing innovative companies within New Zealand and globally by helping them build and deliver impactful strategies that shape and tell their stories to as many people as possible.

Sarah Bonoma – Founder / Managing Director, Dancing Sands Distillery

Sarah oversees the nuts and bolts of how Dancing Sands works – leading their team and making sure the wheels of our distillery machine continue to turn. Dancing Sands exports to the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Digital Marketing

Event Date: Wednesday 19 June, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
View the recording here
View the presentation here

For more information...

DSA Member and co-founder of Papaiti Distillery, Nikki Oesterle is also a digital marketing expert and consultant and we’re delighted she will join us to help us upskill in this vitally important marketing medium.

Nikki Oesterle – Co-Founder Papaiti Distillery and Apista Consulting’s Principal Brand & Marketing Consultant

Nikki has over 17 years experience across a wide range of industries in New Zealand and overseas. Nikki is particularly passionate about sharing her skills with small business owners, enabling them to grow their business without wasting time on the wrong platform and targeting the wrong audience. She is an expert when it comes to:

  • Digital Brand Building
  • Social Media Strategy
  • Social Media Management
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
  • Content Strategy & Development
  • Digital Communications & Direct Marketing

You will need to register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Safety & Compliance

Event Date: Wednesday 17 July, 9.00am – 10.00am
View the recording here
View the presentation here

For more information...

Check out the following regulations

This is a critical area that we need to constantly keep upskilling on.  The team at BECA who gave a wonderful presentation at last year’s conference will be back to continue the discussion on improving distillery safety and compliance.  This will be especially important for new and established distilleries alike.

Investment For Growth

Event Date: 21 August, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
View the recording here
View the presentation here

For more information...

This will be a very interesting ad highly relevant session from industry growth expert, Troy Trewin.

Since 2011 Troy has been managing and growing whisky businesses in Australia and New Zealand, as CEO of three separate and well-respected brands. In recent years he has been advising other up-and-coming distilleries, or those already in a fast-growth phase.

Troy’s passion is helping distillery founders grasp the true economics and realities of growing a spirit business from nothing, or with limited capital, to something of meaning in the industry and great value. Since early 2017 Troy has been the Chairperson of fast-growing craft brewery, Hobart Brewing Co – the second largest craft brewer in Tasmania.

In late 2019 Troy started hosting a weekly podcast, interviewing small business owners with 5 to 30 team members, who grew their business to something bigger.

With over 500 episodes, the Grow A Small Business is one of the best small business podcasts in Australia – they are now ranked in the top 50,000 (1.5%) of all 3.1m podcasts in the world.

You can listen to the podcasts Troy has done with distillery owners.

Events and Networking

2023 New Zealand Distillers’ Conference

Date: 8-9 June 2023
Time: 8 June, 11:00am – 9 June 4:45pm
Place: Hilton Hotel, Princes Wharf 147 Quay Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Presented by DSA, supported by Spirits NZ
New Zealand Distillers Conference (eventsair.com)

2023 New Zealand Spirits Awards Gala Dinner

Date: 9 June 2023
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Hilton Hotel, Princes Wharf 147 Quay Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Presented by DSA and Spirits NZ
New Zealand Spirits Awards (spiritsawardsnz.nz)

Photos from the Spirits Awards are available here: https://client.wearesmoke.co.nz/spiritawards2023/
You can use and share any photo, as long as you acknowledge Smoke Photographer.
Note: Link may not be active long-term

Webinars

What’s Gold Got to Do With It?

Date: 11 September 2023

Presented by Tash McGill, a respected spirits writer, consultant and judge at spirits and food & beverage competitions here in New Zealand and offshore.

Tash will discuss the different types of awards, how different styles of judging work, what they’re trying to achieve and how to leverage an awards and competition strategy for your own business. This webinar format will allow plenty of time for questions, interaction and opinion.

Link: Here

Passcode: tw2=4=X3

Compliance & Safety Overview Webinar

Date: 14 August 2023

Presented by Ben Leggett, Elemental Distillery

This is an overview of compliance and safety considerations in your distillery. If you feel like you don’t know what you don’t know about compliance, Ben will be going through all some of the universal truths and some of the ways he tackled compliance at Elemental Distillery.

Link: Here

Passcode: $mX2D&Nh

NPD: A Guide to Ideation, Sales Marketing and Sustainable Growth

Date: 27 February 2023

Presented by East Imperial’s Mikey Ball (Global Brand Ambassador) & Gwilym Breese (Business Development)

New product development is the key to consistent growth and consumer interest in terms of growing brand sales and identity. In this panel discussion we will be discussing how we come up with NPD, take it to market and then continue to sustain the uptake of the product while supporting uplift of key existing skus.
Link: Here
Passcode: vL2dBvf@

Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol workshop

Date: 16 November 2022

Presented by Hilary Souter, Chief Executive; Catherine Maclean, Complaints Manager, Advertising Standards Authority

Do you advertise, promote or provide content for articles, newspapers, newsletters? If you do, this not to be missed education event will help you do it right.
This important webinar will highlight the key rules in the Alcohol Advertising and Promotion Code, show plenty of examples of ads and provide tips on how to get it right.
Also worth reviewing is the recently launched quick guides available https://www.asa.co.nz/…/asa-releases-new-quick-guides…/

Link: Here
Passcode: no passcode