Craft Brewers Conference | Seminar Proposal Submission Guidelines

The call for proposals for seminars at CBC 2020 is now closed. Selected speakers will be notified in November.

The Brewers Association welcomes proposals each year for educational seminars at the conference. Seminars are expected to provide actionable take-aways for attendees to help improve their businesses.

Before submitting a proposal, potential speakers are strongly encouraged to read the information below regarding submission guidelines and suggested topics.

For questions, please contact MacKenzie Staples.

Submission Guidelines & Suggestions

Important! Speakers should consider creative educational formats: Standard CBC seminars are hour-long lectures. However, the CBC 2020 Seminar Selection Committee would like to encourage potential speakers to submit proposals for seminars in creative formats where appropriate. Potential formats could include workshops, roundtable discussions, short lectures, long lectures, hands-on demonstrations, and more. You will have an opportunity in the submission form to describe your preferred seminar format.
Descriptions should accurately reflect the proposed seminar content. If selected, the text provided in the “Seminar Description” field will be used as the seminar description on the event website, and in the conference program and mobile application.
Be prepared to provide contact information, a short biography, and a headshot for all proposed speakers when you submit your proposal.
You can begin filling out the form and save at any point for completion at a later date, but you must submit the form on or before September 25, 2019 in order for your proposal to be considered for review.
Changes (including speaker additions or changes in company affiliations) after the seminar is selected will need to be approved by the CBC Seminar Selection Committee.
Titles and content of selected seminars are subject to revision after committee review and approval.
Brewers Association members have clearly expressed the sentiment that they prefer not to have supplier-generated presentations that only explore one specific product or solution in the educational tracks at the Craft Brewers Conference. Suppliers wishing to present specific information on their products should consider a sponsored demonstration. Proposals from suppliers are welcome when balanced approaches and solutions to industry issues are presented and they do not mention specific products by name.

It is also highly recommended that you keep a copy of your proposal content in a Word document or other external file in case of any errors during the submission process.

Suggested Seminar Topics by Educational Track

The CBC 2020 Seminar Selection Committee has prepared a list of suggested seminar topics for each educational track. These topics are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a guide to potential speakers to some of the top priority areas of focus that the committee would like to see presented on at this year’s event. Potential speakers are welcome to submit proposals beyond the scope of these suggestions but are encouraged to keep them in mind when planning their proposal content.

Download the full list of suggested topics

Beer Styles

The Brewers Association recognizes over 150 distinct beer styles in its Beer Style Guidelines. Each style has a unique history and characteristics, and is brewed using specific brewing processes and techniques. The seminars in this track will highlight individual beer styles and the techniques used to brew them.

Suggested topics for this track:

Ancient or historical brewing traditions and techniques
Brewing pale or American-style lagers, including ingredients, process, and packaging
Brewing craft Mexican-style lagers
Proper fermentation and handling of lager yeast
Managing carbohydrates in beer; brewing low-carb and low-calorie beers
Wood beers and wood aging
Predicting the next big thing in beer styles and ingredients
Entering beer into competitions with the appropriate style
Brewing to style with sensory in mind
Focusing on malt character in your beer
Finding terroir by choosing local ingredients
Getting back to traditional styles
Making hard seltzer in your brewery
See a style we missed that you’re passionate about? Propose it!

Brewing Operations

The Brewing Operations track covers all of the processes included in beer production – from brewhouse tasks, fermentation and filtration, to cellaring and packaging, and cleaning and sanitation. Attend these seminars to hear from experts on how to maximize quality and efficiency in your brewery from the smallest detail to a major expansion.

Suggested topics for this track:

Packaging line design for the small brewer
Best practices for dealing with contractors, including how to communicate with them and the liability of employing contractors in your brewery
Materials forecasting, production planning, and supply chain management
Understanding haze: the science, impact, and packaging of haze in beers
Brewery water treatment and modification processes
Avoiding Diastaticus and preventing over-attenuation in packaged beer
Best practices for yeast pitching and storage
Building or expanding your brewery with safety in mind
Practical heat transfer knowledge – basic education on heating and cooling systems
Does a centrifuge really reduce beer loss in your brewery?
Automation for smaller breweries
Brewery floor design, including drains, covering systems, and more
FSMA compliance, including tools to communicate lot code and traceability to wholesalers
Everything about mobile canning lines, including how to contract and maintain quality and safety in your brewery
How to make changes or expansions to your existing brewhouse setup

Business

Running a brewery is about more than just making good beer. Things like finance and accounting, human resources, staff training, and management are all just as important to keep your business healthy. Stay on top of the latest industry trends and learn best practices for dealing with the tough conversations in your business with the seminars in this track.

Suggested topics for this track:

Brewery finance and accounting workshop, including interactive and hands-on elements
Crisis management – strategies for handling negative PR
Facilitating conversations on mental health and healthy drinking habits with your staff
Sexual harassment prevention training, including bystander prevention
Staff training methods and important topics to cover
Tipping models and best practices
Getting your financial house back in order after a slowdown
Human resources for breweries who can’t or don’t have an HR staff
Diversity and inclusion in your brewery
“Do you have a plan for that?” – When is it time to implement a formal policy for incident management, emergency procedures, etc.?
Disaster preparedness
Alternatives to expanding – Ex: contract brewing and alternating proprietorships
Navigating the relationships between breweries (esp. taproom model) and retailers
Brewery industry data and trends, and what you can do with them
How to handle situations where the customer is wrong
Putting profitability first in your business
IT solutions for breweries

Export

Are you exporting your beer abroad or considering entering the global market? Expose yourself to the diverse industry and culture of craft beer around the world in the Export track, and be informed about opportunities for your products in international markets.