Pictured above: industry folks and public alike celebrate at a #BCBeerCon after-party. Photo: Brian K. Smith/WB
As #BCCraftBeer Month rolls on, there are two major annual events that loom on the horizon. This year, for the first time, both of them will be held in early November.
The first is BC Beer Awards, which is our province’s yearly gathering celebrating the best in BC brewing. #BCBA is slated to take place on Saturday, November 5th 2022 at Vancouver’s Croatian Cultural Centre. More info here ≫
The second will take place a few days later, when the annual BC Craft Brewers Conference (aka BCBeerCon) takes place on Tuesday November 8th and Wednesday the 9th. Like BCBA, it will be held in person for the first time since 2019. This time, however, it moves from previous locations like the Croatian Centre to a new home: right by the Skytrain at New Westminster’s classy new Anvil Centre.
Presented by the BC Craft Brewers Guild and widely attended by the province’s brewing community and members of other related industries, 2022’s BCBeerCon is also an event not to be missed by members of the public who are curious about all things craft beer and brewing.
Along with all the networking, trade show displays, industry minglers and educational seminars, this year’s conference will feature a distinctive keynote speaker on both days. On Tuesday November 8th, LeBaron Meyers of #NotMe will discuss workplace harassment in an address themed Reconnection & Redemption. Her presentation will outline the ways craft breweries can lead change in a way that protects both employees and owners.
Related to this, the BC Craft Brewers Guild has announced a partnership with #NotMe during the conference. The NotMe App enables attendees to safely, easily and anonymously report to the event host any form of misconduct (eg. harrassment, discrimination, intimidation, etc) that they experience or witness during BCBeerCon. This is an important step for safe beer events, and should be encouraged for other beer festivals going forward.
On Wednesday the 9th, well-known Daniel Frankel (founder and CEO of Tap & Barrel Group, and owner of Vancouver’s BREWHALL) will talk about how to empower others in order to succeed in a keynote entitled Let Go and Grow!
The many other seminars over the two days are divided into three “tracks” or categories. These tracks are Brewing, Sales & Marketing, and Operations & Finance. feature many industry leaders. The panel discussion on barrel aging will be very interesting but so will seminars on yeast hybrids, digital marketing and beverage diversification, to just name a few. View the full Program Schedule ≫
Join The Party
Tuesday’s events will conclude with an industry mingler on the tradeshow floor, followed by Neon Nights, a social gathering to be held at New Westminster’s Another Beer Co. from 6:00-10:00 PM. Then, on Wednesday the official Conference afterparty will be held at Steel and Oak Brewing from 4:00-9:30 PM. Tickets to each party are available online for $25.
Tickets are available for Guild members, non-members and students at the BCCBC website. Also check there for a full list of all the seminars and sponsors as well as accommodation discounts. We hope to see you there!
BC Craft Brewers Conference
November 8-9, 2022
Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St
New Westminster, BC V3M 1B6
Event Tickets
Admission to Full Conference & both After-Parties:
- BC Craft Brewers Guild members: $199 for
- Students: $159
- General Public: $259
After-Party Only: $25 each event
Tickets available online here ≫
Memories Gallery
What can we say. We have a LOT of photos of conferences over the years—including the presenters, attendees, trade show floor and afterparties—and these are just a few of the good ones. Most photos by our head photographer Brian K. Smith.
