- Brewing businesses from all over the world will head to the Gold Coast for independent brewing expo and conference BrewCon 21-23 August!
- More than 120 exhibitors on show to celebrate Australia's independent beer industry
- Australian Independent Beer Awards will recognise the most excellent craft brewers in Australia on 23 August
Making up for lost time, BrewCon 23 is back, bigger and better than ever as exhibitors from all over the world converge on the Gold Coast for their first conference in three years.
More than 120 exhibitors are showcasing their beer to celebrate the independent brewing industry which contributes approximately $2 billion to Australia's economy annually, and $256 million to the Queensland economy.
The sector provides good jobs to around 2000 Queenslanders, with more than 650 independent craft breweries operating across the country and more than 100 of those in the Sunshine State.
The conference, hosted by the Independent Brewers' Association, is highly anticipated after the Covid-19 pandemic caused the event to be cancelled for the last three years.
The Independent Beer Awards, known as the Indies, will recognise the very best beer from the Australia's independent brewers on 23 August.
Brewery tours are on offer and guest speakers include Australia's leading demographer Bernard Salt and President & CEO of the American Brewers Association Bob Pease.
The Palaszczuk Government is supporting the event with a funding allocation of $100,000.
The BrewCon conference began in 2014 and has grown significantly since then, now welcoming exhibitors from all over the world.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing, Glenn Butcher:
"This event is the highlight of the year for anyone who works in this industry and to finally be back after a few years shut down by COVID is wonderful.
"BrewCon is a place where leading global brewers showcase their new products and suppliers exhibit the latest technology developed for the industry.
"The Palaszczuk Government understands some of our brewers are among the best in the world and it's a point of pride that we have contributed to that success with a range of support measures.
"Our Craft Brewing Strategy, which has been a clear roadmap outlining our support and has been a big part of that success so far, is currently being revised and updated and will be ready for release soon."
Quotes attributable to IBA CEO, Kylie Lethbridge:
"Our sincere thanks goes to the Palaszczuk Government for their faith in our industry – not only because of their dedicated Craft Brewing Strategy but as major sponsors of BrewCon23.
"We are very proud to be holding our national industry conference in Queensland and hope that our exhibitors and delegates will take the opportunity to enjoy some of the states key visitor experiences pre and post the conference. It has been a particularly challenging few years for our industry so they well and truly deserve to let their hair down!
"We can't wait to catch up with our suppliers, be wowed with fabulous conference panels and presentations, see innovative solutions for equipment and services and be inspired with ingredients and tech.
And as the industry has grown over the years so has the demand so we look forward to welcoming our loyal Australian partners as well as exhibitors from America, Canada, China, Germany, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Puerto Rico!"
