Stateways

StateWays Nov/Dec 2015

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/602469

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 9 of 51

StateWays ■ www.stateways.com ■ November/December 2015 10 NABCA WRAP UP NABCA Administrators Conference Control state offi cials gathered at this year's event in Des Moines. BY JEREMY NEDELKA I n October, control state administrators and staff from around the country gathered in Des Moines, IA for the 21st Annual NABCA Administrators Conference. Hosted in the home state of Chairman Steve Larson, also the Administrator of the Iowa ABD, the event brought together control system repre- sentatives for two days of committee meetings, educa- tional seminars and networking opportunities. I attended the second day of the conference as a media representative, taking in the event (which is markedly dif- ferent from the Annual Conference held in May) for the fi rst time. I was able to catch up with industry members I hadn't seen in years, meet some for the fi rst time and congratulate many of our Best Practices Award winners in person. SHARING INFORMATION AND LEARNING FROM PEERS Speaking about Modern Merchandising Practices, Marketing VP John Shiffer from the Virginia DABC (the Best Practices Awards Overall Winner) spoke about the agency's revamped in-store display program. "Mer- chandising was ad-hoc at best before our changes," he said. "There was no policy regarding displays and the fo- cus was on quantity, rather than quality. We changed to programmed displays in 2015 and we're focused now on promoting trade-up or multi-bottle purchase." Also on the panel was Tim Pellerin from the Nova Sco- tia Liquor Corporation (a government-owned business), who spoke about Canada's control system and his agency's experience creating "Discovery Guides." The discovery guides are multimedia consumer educational programs to introduce information about beer, wine and spirits, in- cluding pairing suggestions, taste profi les and brand back- ground. The guides are promoted in-store, online and through a multi-platform advertising campaign. A hot topic at any control state event is agency percep- tion among consumers, media members and legislators. The "Branding Your Agency" session addressed those concerns, with NABCA's Communications Director Maggie Barchine and Stacy Kriedeman from the PLCB offering tips on creating the right messaging to serve the agency's needs. "Think about what you want to be known for," Kri- edeman said. "Start there when rebranding your agency. Alcohol isn't a necessity – we're competing for discre- tionary income even if we control sales and distribution." The PLCB (a Best Practices Award winner for Respon- sible Consumption Program) began a rebranding process Agenda Highlights In addition to committee and industry meetings, an address from the governor and numerous receptions, attendees at the Administrators Conference chose from a number of educa- tional sessions over the two-day event. Among the offerings: Fake IDs: A Real Threat Distribution Center Modernization Improving Retailer Responsibility and Their Bottom Line Palcohol and Other Emerging Products Market Basket Analytics Warehouse Wins and Woes: Operating Effi ciently and Effectively The Public Nuisance Licensee: Bars Gone Wild Enhancing the Customer's Experience Branding Your Agency Responsibility, Regulation and Mobile Apps Modern Merchandising Practices Trade Practice Investigations Use of Mobile Technology Use of Force and the Alcohol Regulator Human Resources: Empowering Innovation and Collaboration

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Stateways - StateWays Nov/Dec 2015