We’re excited to brief you on Beverage Digest’s 2024 Future Smarts conference. The main event will take place on Dec. 16 in New York City, with a reception the evening of Dec. 15. The program features accomplished and knowledgeable experts in the world's most profitable beverage market.

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts will illuminate coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers will identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Our goal for Future Smarts is to curate a lineup of speakers who are on the cutting edge of the most interesting story lines of the year. Here’s what to expect this year:

Coca-Cola’s Fairlife business, led by protein shake brand Core Power, has been a resounding success for the company. John Murphy, Coke’s president and CFO, played a major role in the company’s 2020 acquisition and integration of Fairlife. We’ll discuss how this and other initiatives fit into Coke’s total beverage company strategy.

PepsiCo Global Foodservice President Anne Fink won a major victory this year by closing a 10-year beverage supply agreement with Subway in the US. Her team also is collaborating with partner Celsius on the energy drink company’s foodservice strategy. We’ll take a look at how this plays into PepsiCo’s long-term growth plans.

In beverage distribution, Keurig Dr Pepper has worked to optimize and bolster its company-owned distribution system. KDP’s US Refreshment Beverages President Andrew Archambault will join us to discuss his roadmap for that effort.
 
From retail, Stuart Aitken, who is Kroger’s chief merchant and marketing officer, joins us to discuss sector and consumer trends. The retail chain is in the midst of an almost two-year merger process with Albertsons that would create the country’s largest supermarket chain.

In the world of beverage distribution, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling CEO Bill O’Brien continues to develop one of the Coke system’s largest bottlers. Reyes' parent company also is the country’s largest beer distributor at a time of rapid non-alcohol and alcohol sector convergence. We’ll get his thoughts on how the industry is uncovering opportunity, and we’ll get his ground level perspective on product, consumer, and retail trends.
 
Speaking of blurred lines between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Dave Burwick has been at the epicenter of the trend. He recently retired from a stint as CEO of Sam Adams and Twisted Tea maker Boston Beer, which also produces and markets Hard Mtn Dew. Burwick has experience with non-alcoholic Mtn Dew, too, as a former PepsiCo North America CMO. We’ll discuss what he learned in the trenches.

Olipop Co-founder Ben Goodwin could be considered the father of “gut soda,” an emerging carbonated soft drink segment that has been responsible for much of the broader category’s growth in recent years. Olipop has been a changemaker in the segment, grabbing the attention of both consumers and major soft drink companies alike. We’ll explore where this product trend is heading next and what drives consumer demand in the world of alternative sodas.

And, finally, we’ll dive deep into the beverage industry with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi.
 
 Stay tuned for more announcements.

Remember also that the day will include an announcement of winners in our 2024 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

So, are you ready to get a jump on next year? If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
 Editor & Publisher

Ghost, the sports nutrition company that partnered with Anheuser-Busch for a canned energy drink, has now launched an expansion into bottled hydration. Ghost Hydration, launched officially on Monday, is intended to be...

During Beverage Digest’s recent Future Smarts conference in New York, Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford conducted on-stage interviews with two of the largest independent PepsiCo and Coca-Cola bottlers in the US, Matthew Dent and Dave Katz. Below are key takeaways from those discussions.

Matthew Dent
President & CEO
Buffalo Rock

PRICING GROWTH OUTLOOK. “There's going to have to be a study around the effect on elasticities during the pandemic and what that did for our products,” Dent said, adding that price elasticities are

The following is a transcript of "The Influencer Economy" -- A Panel Discussion at Future Smarts 2023. Please excuse any transcription errors.

Duane Stanford:

Brit Starr is senior vice president of marketing for CreatorIQ, an influencer marketing platform for more than 100 of the world's most valuable and innovative brands and agencies. Think of CreatorIQ as the Salesforce of the influencer economy. Clients include Nestle, AB InBev, Disney, and of course, poppi. Brit has a decade of leadership experience in marketing and consulting at consumer brands, including Shiner Beer, Verve Coffee Roasters, Lyft, and Guitar Center. In the pink is Allison Ellsworth, the co-founder and chief brand officer of health focus soda brand poppi. Allison created poppi after discovering ...

We’re excited to brief you on what to expect at Beverage Digest’s 2023 Future Smarts conference. The main event will take place on Dec. 11 in New York City, with a reception the evening of Dec. 10. The program features accomplished and knowledgeable experts in the world's most profitable beverage market.

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts illuminates coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Here’s a look at what to expect:

The day will begin with Jennifer Mann, who took the helm as president of Coca-Cola North America this past January. I’ll ask her how she will accelerate total beverage growth at Coke’s largest global operating unit at a time when rapidly fragmenting product categories, competitive sets, and market conditions demand both precision and agility.

Then we’ll shift to Karen Jordan. As Chief Supply Chain Officer for PepsiCo Beverage North America, she’ll discuss the evolving set of lessons learned from one of the worst global supply chain disruptions of the past century.

Rounding out the big three US beverage firms, Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Strategy Officer Justin Whitmore will shed light on how recent partnerships with brands including Electrolit, Nutrabolt, and Athletic Brewing will help maximize growth and value.  

Next, I’ll dive deep with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi. I’ll look forward to their views on how consumer sentiment in these volatile times will affect beverage company pricing and volume strategies.

Adams Berzins, senior manager for global stevia application and technical service at PureCircle by Ingredion, will join me for a discussion of the future of sugar reduction at a time when clean labels are an important driver for consumers. (FS23 Headline Sponsor)

Melody Richard, senior vice president for U.S. Pantry at Walmart, will illuminate both sides of the supplier-customer partnership in a discussion covering key consumer, retail, and beverage category trends. Her expertise includes two decades at Coca-Cola.

Then I’ll ask Coca-Cola Consolidated President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Katz about the critical role innovation plays for a major beverage bottler when it comes to products, customer relationships, and manufacturing efficiency.

Next, I’ll lead a discussion with Mobi by MFMsoft founder Nick Karapetian about the importance of using AI-driven technology to capture real-time product sales data in channels that traditionally haven’t had the kind of visibility and interactivity brands need. (FS23 Platinum Sponsor)

Then we’ll ask Buffalo Rock President & Chief Executive Officer Matthew Dent about the independent Pepsi bottler’s diversification strategy on its path to growth. We’ll also talk about the importance of efficiency in a modern manufacturing and distribution environment.

Paul Pisano, the senior vice president of industry affairs and general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, help make sense of the emerging crossover between two massive beverage sectors – alcohol and non-alcohol. We’ll explore questions of risk and opportunity through his independent beer distributor lens.

That’s not all. Look for more speaker announcements to come.

The day also will include an announcement of winners in our 2023 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

Future Smarts will be a great way for you to close 2023 with a strong finish and to begin 2024 with a head start.

If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
Editor & Publisher