Communicate beverage and do business

BEVERAGE MARKETING Market ideas and products to be translated into reality Tips and ideas for innovative marketing and new business concepts: that´s what visitors to the Innovation Flow Lounge (IFL) at Drinktec 2013 can look forward to.

«In the beverage industry most flops happen because marketing, sales, production and logistics don´t talk to each other enough» (Jorge Grabmaier, Managing Director, Marketing & Sales, Beckers Bester); I am looking for OnPacks that are new, unique and that suit our brand… and they shouldn´t break our budget» (Helmut Mager, Managing Director, Asbach GmbH); «As a globally active company, it is important for us to know what new products and ideas there are in other countries» (Jochen Etter, General Manager, Heineken Deutschland)…
These are some of the declarations made by important operators in the beverage secure that in practice substantiate the reasons why at drintec 2013 Messe München will be setting up the Innovation Flow Lounge.
The Innovation Flow Lounge (IFL) is the networking platform which aims to get marketing experts and technology specialists engaging in closer dialog and to raise the profile of marketing themes in the beverages industry. It will help not only generate exciting new ideas for sales and products but also pave the way for their successful implementation.
Because herein lies the challenge: lack of communication is a common reason for the failure of product launches. Often the strategists with responsibility for marketing and technology within the company don´t find the right way to engage with each other.
The Innovation Flow Lounge sets out to encourage that
communication: In a range of "action modules" such as the IDEArena, the Talking Table and the 5-o´clock Theme (see also Press Release no. 28), the
focus will be on information, exchange and networking. On each of the four days of the Lounge a different theme is in the spotlight.  
 
Speaking of beer  (Monday, September 16). "Idea - Process - Success" is the motto on this first day of the Innovation Flow Lounge. And it´s all about beer. Krones AG, the IFL partner for this theme day, has put together an exciting program. Social media guru Charles Schmidt will be talking in the IDEArena about the power of social media, explaining "How the media makes brands human". The right ingredients for successful marketing is also in focus at a lecture by Peter Peschmann, Head of Production & Operations Technology at Veltins. According to Stephan J. Barth, Managing Director, Barth-Haas Group, the success of a beer is all down to the hops. The speakers on the day will be getting together at the "Talking Table" to discuss success strategies in the beer industry. Visitors can round off the day at IFL with Belgian beer icon Ben Vinken. Author and beer sommelier Vinken will be talking about trends for the future of the beer industry.

The point of sale  (Tuesday, September 17). POSitive Thinking - this is the motto taken by IFL partner Rastal for its theme day. The program kicks off with a lecture on the point of sale. The question asked is if giveaways can influence purchasing patterns, or even enhance the image of a product? "New interest in the art of brewing" is another theme on this day. Craft and special beers are very much in the trend at the moment. But, what marketing concepts work with these beers?
In a globalized world many consumers are turning back to the familiar and the tried and tested, including in the area of drinks. Rastal explores what opportunities this focus on regional origin can offer, and how they can be exploited. And of course on this day there is also a look at the glass, in terms of its role as the "last packaging before consumption". Just to what extent can an exclusive brand glass promote sales? Can a glass give an extra decisive "kick" to the content, i.e. the beverage.  

Packaging for success  (Wednesday, September 18). "Packaging Intelligence" - this is the motto chosen by IFL partner KHS. On this day, too, marketing ideas and innovative technologies will be presented as a symbiosis. Two examples from the IDEArena: the lecture on secondary packaging looks at how intelligent packaging systems can boost the marketing of products. And, there´s also a look at the way in which printing on packaging using innovative techniques is opening up all kinds of creative applications. "Simply realizing innovative ideas", is the title of this lecture on online printing. Next in line after this is a talk about the successful marketing campaigns of large-scale breweries and soft drinks manufacturers, using best practice examples. At the Talking Table the speakers from the day will be addressing the rhetorical question of "Is packaging an important sales argument?" The final word on this day goes to the CEO of KHS, Prof. Dr.-Ing Matthias Niemeyer, who will be summing up, in the 5-o´clock Theme, how the theme of packaging can be played out in the social media.

Marketing in its pure state (Thursday, September 19). "Beverage Innovation: creating a successful product”.  In four panel discussions and talk sessions British publishers Foodbev, a close partner of drinktec,  will be looking at how to successfully launch a new product. The theme for the first round of debate is "Identifying the perfect opportunity". Second theme: "Choosing the correct packaging". And in the third, attention focuses on the right ingredients. At the end of the day the discussion partners will be gathering round the table to talk about the right marketing tools for getting a product noticed and turning it into a brand. In other words: there will be plenty to interest and excite those with marketing responsibility on this day. Particularly as at the end of the day the Innovation Flow Lounge will be the location for a very special highlight: the presentation of the Beverage Innovation Awards.