Back to the Beach - Currents

Cheers, Jan-Feb, 2002

Miami Beach, that is. The 2002 Cheers Beverage Conference heads to the land of la vida loca next year, and will take place April 17-18 at the Eden Roc Hotel. Previous Cheers Beverage Conferences have been sell-outs, so don't wait too long before registering for the event. More info about the conference location and details about registration can be found on pages 26-27. This year's keynoter: Tom Russo, head honcho at American Hospitality Concepts.

For the first time, the conference will offer smaller, break-out sessions to focus on more topics. While the final details of the conference are being firmed up as Cheers goes to press, we can tell you that among the possible sessions topics are drink development, category management, bar design, marketing (featuring beverage maven Steve Olson), and beverage alcohol responsibility issues. We'll also feature a research presentation from conference diamond sponsor Brown-Forman, and an overview of consumer attitudes, behaviors and trends regarding wine consumption by the Wine Market Council's John Gillespie.

This year's conference promises to be the best ever, and as the economy falters, operators will need to look at their businesses in new ways. Don't miss it!