BMTC19: The Tale of Two Ale Trails

Marketing: The Tale of Two Ale Trails – Ken Beattie, Executive Director, BC Craft Brewers Guild & Monica Frost, BC Ale Trail Social Media and Community Manager: Ken and Monica will talk about how they made one of the most dynamic Ale Trails in North America, from the ground up. They will detail the partnerships that went into its creation, how they sourced funding from local and government entities, and how it is structured as a viable benefit to BC.

Transcript

1. Arrive Thirsty, Leave Inspired Parallel 49 Brewery – Vancouver Fernie Brewery – Kootenay Rockies East Cumberland Brewery –Vancouver Island 28 March 2019 | Presented by Monica Frost & Ken Beattie
2. BC Craft Brewers Guild: Who We Are • Currently over 170 independently owned and operated craft breweries/brewpubs in over 60 communities across B.C. • The Guild represents just under 150 members around the province • Craft beer sales in B.C. now exceed $295 Million (estimated), up from $110 million in 2010 • Provincial market share nears 30%, up from 9% in 2011; the largest market share in Canada • 22 new breweries opened in 2018 • 28 more breweries scheduled to open in 2019 Vancouver Craft Beer Week Collaboration –Port Moody Ale Trail
3. BC Craft Brewers Guild Members: • Hold a valid manufacturer’s license (bricks and mortar) • 100% independently owned and 51% BC owned • Less than 200,000 HL of beer produced annually • Contract manufacturing is not more than 50% of annual production Riot Brewing – Vancouver Island BC Craft Brewers Guild: Who We Are
4. BC Craft Brewers Guild: Who We Are 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2018 Future Craft breweries in BC
5. • 177 Breweries at the end of 2018 • Expected to surpass 200 by the end of 2019 • The biggest growth is happening in regional areas outside of Vancouver and Victoria where real estate costs are still more affordable and the population is steadily rising. • Breweries in the major cities are facing high property tax increases which may threaten their existence in the very near future. BC Craft Brewers Guild: Who We Are
6. Create jobs throughout B.C. by encouraging investment for craft brewers • Revised Wholesale Pricing and Tax remittance model • Growler exclusivity Support economic growth of B.C. craft breweries through increased visibility • Develop retail programing to increase Buy Local mentality • “The Locals Program” – promote better representation to Buy Local at GLS • Media and government relationships. Be seen as the industry expert Support increased craft beer related tourism to benefit communities throughout B.C. • World Class Beer Destination - BC Ale Trail • Identify and promote local festivals BC’s GDP Our Plan – Provincial Liquor Policy Reform
7. The Trail Begins
8. Sunshine Coast Ale Trail
9. How the program works
10. Collaboration is the key
11. The BC Ale Trail • offers the definitive online resource for B.C. craft beer. • showcases British Columbia as a global destination for tourists and craft beer enthusiasts. • targets travellers across B.C., Alberta, Washington, Oregon, California and beyond. • encourages visitors to venture off the grid and explore points of interest wherever they are. Sunshine Coast What we created
12. • 17 self-guided trails consisting of 100+ breweries, 20+ LRSs and 100+ ancillary businesses • Over 30 Destination Marketing Organizations • 2018 Project Budget Total $395,000 • Weekly blogs posts from 15 contributors around BC • Monthly podcasts featuring breweries • Influencer marketing campaigns • Weekly Brewery #guestgrammers • Robust social media presence • Other tactics include: traditional advertising, digital marketing, printed regional maps, activations at consumer shows, BC ale-trailer at beer festivals Marketing campaign
13. • June 2018 contract with 468 Communications signed • Population of App with 100+ breweries commenced • Preview phase launched October 2018 with one Ale Trail • Presently we have rolled out the App out to 6 of 17 Ale Trails and anticipate completion by the end of April. • 1,315 Users have signed up and numbers are growing quickly each time a new Ale Trail is added • Data show that most of our users are from the Pacific Northwest, but reach is growing The BC Ale Trail App
14. • 17 Ale Trails with 100 breweries plus Liquor Retail Stores and ancillary businesses across B.C. • Plan an ale-venture using the App’s maps and filter by Ale Trail. • Discover new regions, new breweries and new experiences. EXPLORE
15. • All breweries and ancillary businesses in the app offer 10 points per visit for collection. (10 points = approx $1) • Users collect points, BC Ale Trail collects DATA on the customers • Points collection is initiated by the User and doesn’t impact the business at this stage • Once a User has accumulated enough points they can redeem them for a reward at participating locations. Eg. Redeem 100 points for a free grass growler when you purchase a fill POINTS
16. • By being a reward location, breweries are giving App Users an extra incentive to visit. • In most cases the reward is tied to a purchase so even though the User may not have previously visited the location, at the time of redemption they are spending money to collect their reward. REWARDS
17. • Where are users from? • Which breweries did they visit? • How many visits to your brewery by users of the app? • How many app users did you attract to your event (by way of special event listing)? • How many rewards were redeemed at each location? DATA
18. Vancouver Ale Trail • Storytelling • Be who we are • Enhance the visitor experience • Engagement = Commerce Arrive thirsty, leave inspired
19. • Storytelling • Be who we are • Enhance Northern BC Ale Trail
20. • Create authentic stories • Equity partnerships motivate involvement • Metrics are essential to growth • Collaboration is key What we’ve learned Spinnakers Brew Pub – Victoria Ale Trail
21. Join us on the BC Ale Trail! BCAleTrail @BCAleTrail @BCAleTrail bcaletrail.ca