For some, the conference will kick-off with a golf tournament at 8:30 a.m. on March 22. For those not attending the golfing event, the conference will begin with a welcome reception slated from 6 to 8 p.m.

At 7:30 a.m. on March 23, the exhibit portion of the event will open, allowing attendees to see the latest solutions that support beverage warehouse and distribution operations. The education portion of the conference is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. with a State of the Industry panel discussion. Speakers on hand will be Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association; Gary Hemphill, managing director of research for Beverage Marketing Corporation; and Jeff Cioletti, editor-in-chief of Craft Spirits Magazine, The American Craft Spirits Association.

Following the panel at 9:30 a.m. will be a keynote address from Matthew Pechman, Head of Marketing, The Gambrinus Company (Shiner Beer). Pechman will talk about that journey for Shiner and the challenges and rewards of expanding the classic trademark into new and emerging segments.

The center stage presentations will continue at 11 a.m. with Bill Kraich, vice president of e-commerce, Encompass Technologies. Kraich will discuss the importance of protecting the supply from cyber attacks as more industries deal with ransomware and other attacks.

Attendees will later board the buses at noon to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to attend the coveted Ride and Drive.

The next day of the conference will feature a slate for targeted break-out sessions focused on the operations and distributing trends impacting beverage operations as well as a presentation of the Beverage Industry Awards for Wholesaler of the Year, Facility of the Year and Fleet of the Year.