ACSA CONVENTION
Developed for the community of craft spirits producers, the ACSA Distillers’ Convention and Vendor Trade Show brings together distillers and suppliers to harness the energy of the industry. In the past years, ACSA has educated 1000s to strengthen the safety and prosperity of the trade and has provided a platform to network and explore products and services from our suppliers. See what convention is upcoming and take a peek at what you might have missed.
WHAT: ACSA’s 9th Annual Distillers’ Convention and Vendor Trade Show
WHEN: July 21-24
WHERE: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
HOST HOTEL: Hilton New Orleans Riverside
Quick Links
Convention Schedule
This year, we’ll have three concurrent education tracks (technical, sales/marketing, and business/finance) in three difficulty levels (advanced, intermediate, and suitable for all).
(Adv) – Advanced
(Int) – Intermediate
(All) – Suitable for All
| WEDNESDAY, JULY 20TH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Pre-Convention Master Class: New Distillery Start-Up 101* | |||
| 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Distillery Tour* | |||
| THURSDAY, JULY 21ST | ||||
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Vendor Set-Up | |||
| 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Pre-Convention Master Class: New Distillery Start-Up 101* (Continued) | |||
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | American Single Malt Whiskey Commission | |||
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | U.S. Gin Association | |||
| 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Women of the Vine and Spirits | |||
| 3:00 PM – 3:55 PM | Perspectives on the Art of Blending – Nora Ganley-Roper (Lost Lantern Whiskey), Nicole Austin (Cascade Hollow Distilling), Jared Himstedt (Balcones Distilling), Joe O’Sullivan (Clear Creek Distillery/Hood River Distillers), Dave Smith (St. George Spirits) (Int) | USBG Presentation | Selecting the Best – Christina Gee (Wine and Spirits Recruiting) and Kamilah Mahon (Distill Ventures) (All) | |
| 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | TTB Boot Camp | |||
| 4:00 PM – 4:55 PM | Making Flavor-Driven Production Decisions: Practical Sensory Methods for Distillers – Lindsay Barr (DraughtLab) (Int) | Tasting Room Panel –Jamie Hunt (Fast Penny Spirits), Ashton Johnson (Cedar Ridge Distillery), and Jennifer Sabatino (Manatawny Still Works), Moderated by Amber Pollock (Backwards Distilling Co.) (All) | Workplace Harassment in Distilleries (and Elsewhere) – Rob Pinson (Adams and Reese LLP) (All) | |
| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Keynote Address, Distilling Better Mental Health & Crafting Support in Volatile Times, Presented by Matt Vogel & Town Hall | |||
| TBA – 9:00 PM | Welcome Party at Mardi Gras World | |||
| FRIDAY, JULY 22ND | ||||
| 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Vendor Set-Up | |||
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Mix & Mingle: New Members/First Time Attendee Morning Coffee & Beignets Klatch | |||
| 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM | Responding to the Poor 2021 Malting Barley Harvest: Tying Analytical Observations to Impacts in the Distillery – Gabe Toth (The Family Jones), Harmonie Bettenhausen (Hartwick College for Craft Food and Beverage) (Adv) | Build the Brand Organically: Plowing Through the Drudgery of Sales – Robin Robinson (Author and Business Consultant) (All) | Category Drinking Trends for Craft Brands – Ryan Lake (Arlington Capital Advisors), Emily Pennington (Park Street), Dave Williams (Bump Williams Consulting) (Int) | |
| 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM | Coming to America: Sherry Cask Maturation in America – Rafael Cabello (Casknolia), Steve Hawley (American Single Malt Whiskey Commission), Britney Wimsatt (Kelvin Cooperage) (Adv) | Designing an Engaging & Profitable Club Program – Theresa Dorr (Vino Shipper) (All) | TTB Reporting 101 – Caroline Calhoun (FIVE x 5 Solutions) (All) | |
| 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch Inside Vendor Trade Show | |||
| 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Vendor Trade Show Open | |||
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Break | |||
| 4:00 PM – 4:55 PM | Ester Overexpressing Yeast Offering Innovative Highly Flexible Use for New Trendy Spirits Distilled on Lees – Denise Jones (Fermentis) (Int) | How to Work With a Creative Team to Build Your Brand Universe and Tella Unified Story – Elana Effrat (One Eight Distilling) (All) | WTF DSS?: Leveraging Non-Traditional Spirits to Tell Your Brand Story andGain Market Share – Will Groves (Maggie’s Farm Rum) (Int) | |
| 5:00 PM – 5:55 PM | Developing a Cannabis Beverage Business Plan – Paul Hletko (FEW Spirits), Chris Anderson (BevZero), Ryan Malkin (Malkin Law), Austin Stevenson (Vertosa) (All) | Bar-ify Your Tasting Room – Jordan Cotton (Cotton & Reed Distillery) (All) | Valuing Your Craft Distillery – Donald Snyder (Time and Tasks) (Adv) | |
| 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM | Distillery Wastewater: How To Keep It Clean – (All) | Marketing on a Shoestring: How Local Engagement Can Save Your Business – Meagen Moreland-Taliancich/Ash Easterly (Happy Raptor) (All) | How To Survive an ABC Hearing – Ryan Malkin (Malkin Law), Teri Quimby (Quimby Consulting Group, LLC) (Adv) | |
| 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM | ACSA PAC Fundraiser at Happy Raptor Distilling | |||
| SATURDAY, JULY 23RD | ||||
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | State Guild Roundtable Discussing Important State Initiatives | |||
| 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM | A Look at Current and Future Sustainable Fermentations – Annick Mercier/Mitch Codd (Lallemand) (Int) | Distributor Management Practices – Andy Mansinne/Joe Karcz (Brand Elixir Partnership) (Adv) | Financial Implications of Energy Conservation –Patrick Kelty (VITOK Engineers) (Int) | |
| 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM | A Look at Current and Future Sustainable Fermentations (Cont.) – Annick Mercier/Mitch Codd (Lallemand) (Int) | Build Your Export Sales With Government Funding – Ron Tanner (Tanner Food Group/Food Export Midwest/Northeast) (Adv) | Interacting With Elected Representatives/Effective Legislation – P.T. Wood (Wood’s High Mountain Distillery) and Mark Shilling (Big Thirst) (All) | |
| 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch Inside Vendor Trade Show | |||
| 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Vendor Trade Show Open | |||
| 4:45 PM – 5:40 PM | How To Win Awards – Nicole Austin (Cascade Hollow Distilling) (All) | 5 Tips To Use Data To Get Better ROI for Marketing – Matt McGinnis (Big Thirst) (All) | Business Lessons From the M&A Process: How To Set Yourself Up for Continued Success (or a Successful Exit) – Corey Day/Craig Pacheco (Stoel Rives), Taylor Marsh (Bank of Montreal) (All) | |
| 4:45 PM – 8:00 PM | Vendor Break Down | |||
| 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Pre-Soiree Happy Hour | |||
| 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Spirits Soiree: Awards Dinner and Banquet | |||
| 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM | Sips of Award Winning Spirits | |||
| SUNDAY, JULY 24TH | ||||
| 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Vendor Break Down | |||
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Coffee + Breakfast | |||
| 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM | Developing a Strategy To Operate Your Distillery Safely – Gary Yurt (Industrial Safety and Training Services) (All) | Direct-to-Consumer Spirits Shipping: Key Compliance Considerations – Alex Koral (Sovos Shipcompliant) (All) | Leadership & Culture: Soft Skills for Strong Businesses – Courtney McKee (Headframe Spirits) (Int) | |
| 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM | Understanding Sprinkler Protection and Water Supply – Michael Reardon (Reardon Fire Consulting) (All) | Email Performance Marketing: The Cornerstone of Scaling Online – Kim Nguyen (Speakeasy) (All) | How To Train Your Distillery – Derek Sproveri (Wyoming Whiskey) (Int) | |
| 12:00 PM – 12:55 PM | Risk Mitigation and Uptime Solution: Lightning Protection 101 – Michael Boyd (Bonded Lighting Protection Systems, Ltd.) (All) | How to Design, Build and Open a Tasting Room – (All) | Managing the Finance & Accounting Function at a Craft Distillery – Tyee Carr (Westward Whiskey) (All) | |
| 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Hands-On Distilling Tour | |||
*Additional Fee
Convention schedule is subject to changes.
Member Attendee Registration
General Pricing Now Until July 8
Member Attendee: $650
Additional Member Attendees (from same distillery): $450 per person
Day Pass*: $225 per person
*does not include education sessions. Spirits Soiree: Dinner & Awards Banquet is an additional fee
ACSA members must be logged into ACSA’s website to receive discounted attendee pricing. If you have trouble logging into your ACSA account please contact Carason Lehmann at carason@americancraftspirits.org.
Non-Member Attendee Registration
General Pricing Now Until July 8
Non-Member Attendee: $875
Additional Member Attendees (from same distillery): $525 per person
Day Pass*: $275 per person
*does not include education sessions. Spirits Soiree: Dinner & Awards Banquet is an additional fee
Exhibitor Registration — SOLD OUT
Click Here to View Exhibit Hall Click Here for Exhibitor KitSponsorship Opportunities
These sponsorship opportunities were designed to amplify your business presence, enhance your brand image, expand business opportunities and more. Connect, inspire, and create lasting relationships. All packages will be customized to meet your specific marketing objectives and offer unparalleled convention exposure and return on your investment.
Health & Safety Protocols
As a commitment to everyone’s health and safety, we strongly encourage attendees to wear masks when in close proximity with others. However, the decision to mask is at the discretion of each individual. We will have stickers available at the registration desk for name badges in order to highlight each individual’s comfort level.
New Distillery Start-Up 101 Pre-Convention Class
Join seasoned members of the craft spirits community as they highlight technical/distilling, business/finance, and sales/marketing content geared toward those just starting out. This two-day class will address topics including basic distillery safety; equipment selection; oak extraction and aging; material selection; flavor chemistry and biochemistry; pros and cons of tasting rooms; working with distributors; building a sales team; general business management; and MUCH MORE!
Member Rate: $399
Non-Member Rate: $799
When: Wednesday, July 20 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm & Thursday, July 21 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
ACSA members must be logged into ACSA’s website to receive discounted attendee pricing. If you have trouble logging into your ACSA account please contact Carason Lehmann at carason@americancraftspirits.org.
Pre-Convention Distillery Tour
On Wednesday, July 20, you’ll get a taste of the Bayou State on ACSA’s pre-convention distillery tour as we spend a full day exploring some of the area’s best distilleries. The distilleries include Three Roll Estate + Alma General Store, Sugarfield Spirits, and Porchjam Distillery.
ACSA members must be logged into ACSA’s website to receive discounted attendee pricing. If you have trouble logging into your ACSA account please contact Carason Lehmann at carason@americancraftspirits.org.
Hands-On Distilling Tour
On Sunday, July 24, we’re offering a hands-on distilling tour called, “A Foray into Flavor”, where we’ll be discussing how distillers approach creating flavorful spirits; touching on barrel aging, vapor distillation, and maceration/infusions. The distilleries include Roulaison Distilling Co., Porchjam Distillery, and Happy Raptor Distilling.
ACSA members must be logged into ACSA’s website to receive discounted attendee pricing. If you have trouble logging into your ACSA account please contact Carason Lehmann at carason@americancraftspirits.org.
Hotel Room Block
The room block has officially closed.
Download ACSA's Convention Mobile App
In an effort to be more eco-friendly, we are no longer printing our convention program which outlines the convention schedule. We will be relying solely on the convention mobile app. Plan your day with a personalized schedule; read session descriptions and presenter bios; browse vendors; check out recommended restaurants; and find your way around using maps of convention venues and hotel floor plans.
Download ACSA’s New Orleans app by scanning the QR code or clicking the link below. If you’ve already downloaded the app, click the icon in the upper lefthand corner and click ‘yes’ to switch events. From the homepage, click ACSA Annual Convention 2022.
Please note, we will be constantly updating the app.
PAST ACSA CONVENTIONS
2021 Convention
2019 Convention
Distillers’ Convention & Vendor Trade Show
February 10-12, 2019
The Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, MN
2018 Convention
Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show
March 5–6, 2018
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
2017 Convention
Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show
February 16–17, 2017
Renaissance Nashville Hotel, Nashville TN
2016 Convention
Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show
February 29–March 2, 2016
Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago, IL
2015 Convention
Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show
February 14–16, 2015
Austin, TX
2014 Convention
Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show
March 14, 2014
Denver, CO
