AGENDA

Spirits led the premiumisation wave harder than any other alcohol category, but cracks are showing. Is “trading up” a durable consumer behaviour or a post-pandemic anomaly?

• Are spirits brands pricing themselves out of Gen Z's consideration set?
• Can premium spirit based RTDs expand the category or simply redistribute it (at a lower margin)?

Join this expert-led, peer-to-peer deep-dive session to hear from those in the know. Take back to your business an understanding of what it takes to succeed, and lessons learned from those who have been there, done that.

Delegates must pre-register interest prior to the day of the event.

HOSTED BY: 

• Navigating the structural shifts transforming the global spirits market and determining where the next growth opportunities will emerge
• Responding to changing consumer relationships with alcohol, from moderation and wellness to evolving occasions and expectations
• Protecting premium brand equity while demonstrating value in a more considered spending environment
• Balancing heritage with innovation: how established businesses can move at the speed increasingly demanded by consumers and competitors
• Leadership outlook: What should the spirits industry prioritise now to remain relevant, resilient and positioned for long-term growth?

• Crafting premium, eco-designed closures that reduce environmental footprint without compromising on luxury aesthetics
• Leveraging smart closure technologies and NFC elements to drive consumer engagement and brand authentication 
• Implementing advanced anti-counterfeiting solutions to secure product integrity and build consumer trust globally

Senior representative, Guala Closures

Each company will have the opportunity to deliver a one-minute pitch.

• Menu maximisation: The power of brand call-outs and placement in venues
• Navigating headwinds: Pinpointing current operational and financial challenges
• Unlocking growth: Identifying the biggest emerging opportunities for venue success

Senior representative, Fevertree

• Providing premium tailored and standard spirits bottles
• Re-engineered, lightweighted bottle designs that reduce raw material consumption
• Reducing carbon emissions and through closed-loop circularity

Senior representative, Beatson Clark 

• Identifying key business indicators (KBIs) that contribute to successful brand positioning
• Plan your go-to markets and expansion of your presence
• Define target e-market channels you want to address
• Implementing your strategy and generating revenue growth

• Analysing how bartenders are embracing spirits-based RTDs to streamline bar workflows
• Innovation in ready-to-drink (RTD) canned and bottled cocktails
• Premiumisation of the pour-and-serve format

• Outpacing the crowd with bold new flavours
• Identifying areas that large competitors are too slow to fill
• Winning the category by proving our product moves faster than legacy brands

• Using AI to identify occasions driving consumer preference and loyalty
• Exploring how major brands use AI and big data to predict flavour trends
• Accelerating NPD timelines from years to months

Senior representative, Ai Palette

• Leveraging AI and large-scale innovation meta-analysis to better predict in-market success
• Understanding the characteristics that differentiate winning and losing spirits concepts
• Combining consumer feedback, AI, and real-world sales data to reduce launch risk and improve innovation decisions
  

• Building innovative, on-trend flavour profiles
• Engineering premium taste experiences
• Designing customized extracts and label-friendly flavour solutions
  

• Analysing recent changes in the global low- and no-alcohol market
• Evaluating how retailers are responding to low- and no-alcohol spirits
• Prioritising zero-proof variants of iconic spirits
  

• Identifying what percentage of Gen Z consumers drink alcohol
• Abstinence rates are rising: How are brands pivoting from simple alcohol replacements to complex, botanical-forward formulations?
• Analysing dealcoholisation techniques and flavour engineering that mimic the exact mouthfeel, viscosity, and aromatics of traditional full-strength spirits