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: 

• Understanding today's mindful consumer: A look at how changing drinking habits and a focus on wellness are affecting the spirits category
• Balancing value and premiumisation: Maintaining premium positioning while adapting to tighter consumer budgets and selective spending habits
• Managing global uncertainty: Adapting supply chains and market strategies to navigate geopolitical shifts and trade challenges

• 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

• Overarching Framework: Understanding the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
• The Data Hurdle: Navigating DPP compliance by linking supply chain data to smart packaging
• Packaging Mandates: Critical updates on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
• Operational Impact: Integrating serialized QR codes and digital connectivity into primary packaging
  

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

• Instant Viral Engagement: Turns every cocktail foam into a highly shareable, user-generated social media asset
• Premium Brand Sponsorships: Unlocks new revenue streams by printing corporate logos and event branding directly onto drinks
• Elevated Guest Experience: Drives repeat visits and premium price points through personalized, interactive beverage theatre

• Engineering eco-designed luxury glass bottles that reduce carbon footprints
• Reducing weight to significantly lower transport emissions
• Partnering to increase recycled glass content

• 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

• Identifying key areas where sustainability can be achieved
• Balancing long-term decarbonisation targets with current supply chain, glass manufacturing, and agricultural realities
• Driving structural change, from low-carbon distillation technology to alternative packaging and circular distribution

• Designing highly distinctive bottle profiles and graphic layouts that command immediate consumer attention 
• Communicating heritage narratives and sustainability credentials that connect emotionally with modern drinkers
• Future-proofing visual identity through digital packaging and smart labels

• Defending brand integrity by implementing next-generation forensic and digital security markers 
• Gathering traceability data required by upcoming European mandates 
• Allowing shoppers to verify authenticity and trace origin stories with a quick smartphone scan

• Exploring innovation in premium non-carbonated mixers
• Analysing the drivers behind the recent growth in spirit-specific sodas
• Examining how mixer flavour profiles are advancing past simple sweet or bitter notes

Senior Representative, FeverTree

• Favouring premium, high-turnover brands that resonate with consumers
• Designing specialised in-store and online spaces for low-and-no alcohol alternatives
• Simplifying the purchasing experience for mindful drinkers

• 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
  

• 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
  

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

• 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