Louisville Craft Beer Week 2012

Hi all-

John Wurth with LouisvilleBeer.com here. We are in charge of putting together this year's Louisville Craft Beer Week this year and we're trying to make it the best year yet. LCBW runs September 21-29, 2012.

LouisvilleBeer.com will be the online destination to find out what's going on during the week (as well as our Facebook/Twitter), but this year, we are also printing a Guide that will be distributed at all of the events, as well as all the Better Beer Spots™ around town. This guide will list the events by day, and have advertisements to help cover our costs. There will also be posters designed and hung in those same spots.

Since we have most of the restaurant people in these forums, I figured I'd start a thread to get everyone thinking of an event they can hold to further the appreciation of local and/or regional craft beer. The deadline to have your event listed in the guide (or for an ad) is August 31st. Coming up soon. Get your noggins thinking about how you'd like to participate. Even if you don't have an event, you can put your ad in front of just about every beer geek in the area.

We have already started advertising in LEO for LCBW and plan to keep running those up until the week (and then, have a large ad with the events listed).

We also have a mobile marketing company lined up so that attendees can get targeted text messages reminding them of events and other messages throughout the week.

Here’s a (penciled-in) list of the Brewery-sponsored events so far (it’s totally okay to have two events in one night!)

Sept. 21 – Casktoberfest @ BBC St. Matthews
Sept. 22 - Indiana Craft Beer Showcase @ New Albanian Brewing Company
Sept. 24 – Ladies Night with Ky Ale @ Butchertown Market
Sept. 26 – Meet the Brewers @ BBC Taproom (Clay & Main St.)
Sept. 28 – Yappy Hour @ Apocalypse Brew Works
Sept. 29 – A Taste of the Craft @ Against The Grain
Cumberland is planning to do a beer festival event as well, not sure of the date.

For more info on pricing and what you need to do to have an "official" event: http://louisvillebeer.com/louisville-craft-beer-week/

For a sample of the guide: http://louisvillebeer.com/wp-content/up ... Mockup.pdf

Have a look at what everyone did last year: http://louisvillebeer.com/louisville-cr ... bw-events/

Please contact me here (or at john@louisvillebeer.com) with any questions. This is going to be a great set of events!!!

(And yes, Robin OK'ed this message!) Thanks Robin!

I am glad that these events are popular, but I feel like a lot of them have become a bit too crowded for comfort. Have there been any efforts to combat this? i.e. higher ticket prices, limited admission, etc.

I am glad that these events are popular, but I feel like a lot of them have become a bit too crowded for comfort. Have there been any efforts to combat this? i.e. higher ticket prices, limited admission, etc.

Only the first two events on the list are reoccurring. Which was too crowded for you?

Here's a video recap of last years' events. None of them seemed overly crowded.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/kuTbNSduHsg

But, you know, the more events we have, the better, for crowd control, of course. Let's step it up, y'all! Time's a wastin'

LIBA Brewfest on the other hand...that's crowded.

Thanks for the clip John. Perhaps these won't be as overcrowded as I anticipated.

Only the first two events on the list are reoccurring. Which was too crowded for you?

I was speaking generally to area beer events. This year's LIBA at Slugger field was way too crowded for me. Highlands beer festival at Mid City Mall was also pretty packed. I've heard similar things about other events.

One strategy I think may work is to just show up early. Usually, they aren't quite as packed early on. Any idea which of these events may be more or less popular this year?

Any idea which of these events may be more or less popular this year?

The showcase on Saturday in downtown New Albany will take place within a special fest area devoted to a local celebration of independent small business. Admission is free to the grounds, which will occupy two parking lots and an entire block of Bank Street. I don't anticipate this being overly crowded, although I hope it is ...

Can't help but be reminded of the Yogi Berra quote, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

Hey restaurant/bar owners, package liquor stores:

If you were worried about distribution of the Louisville Craft Beer Week guide and how many people would see your ad and/or event listing, those problems have been solved:

From LouisvilleBeer.com:

My mom always told me to go big or to go home. I always listen to my mom.

That's why LouisvilleBeer.com has decided to use LEO Weekly as a vehicle for our 2012 Louisville Craft Beer Week Guide. The Reader's Choice issue (The biggest, most picked up LEO of the year) hits the stands on September 19, 2012. Conveniently the Wednesday before Louisville Craft Beer Week (LCBW) starts. We will be a special pull-out section in the center of the magazine. We have decided that your advertising dollar will go much further being a part of LEO's huge distribution (30,000 copies) vs. our 2,000 self-distributed guides. Since we are upping the amount of eyeballs that will be seeing your ad, that unfortunately means the pricing for advertising is going up.

The cost of being listed stays the same, $75 per location for listing an event in the LCBW Guide. We half slashed the prices of the normal LEO ad to help entice you to be a part of this years festivities. Some up to 1/2 price. To the left is a graphic showing the "Before LEO" prices and the "After LEO" prices and size differences of the ads. Click through to see how this benefits you and LCBW.

Let's recap, here's a list of benefits to you, the advertiser:

Higher Distribution (30x what we planned to print - Distribution: 30,000!)
The biggest, most picked up LEO of the year
Up to 1/2 the price of retail LEO ads - Cheaper across the board!
If you’re already interested in the old pricing/sizes, there’s one in your budget
Listings are the same price ($75)
If you win a Reader’s Choice award, brag about it in the LCBW Guide!
Not only are you in the LEO, your ads are targeted to Beer Geeks picking this up

So you too, should listen to my mom and help this years Craft Beer Week go big.

HI John!

I know Beckmann at Boom Bozz Taphouse Highlands is super excited!!