In our 16th episode, we speak with Kristen Bieler, Editor in Chief of SevenFifty Daily and Beverage Media. Kristen brings more than 20 years of beverage experience to her readers.
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Tune in to hear this expert on all things related to the business of spirits, cocktails, beer and wine share her thoughts on:
1) How SevenFifty Daily and Beverage Media’s merger has created a formidable audience of 140,000 trade members across all three tiers of the industry.
2) Why personality-driven pitches should be illustrative of broader, timely topics.
3) Why regionality, e-commerce, premiumization and a renewed interest in discovery will continue to be trends to watch.
4) How beverage science articles are popular with her readership.
5) How the bar pros in the “Bartenders to Watch” feature are chosen.
6) Why practical how-tos, like starting a spirits brand without a distillery or launching a line of canned cocktails, get her attention.
7) How the pandemic is creating an opportunity for the hospitality industry to reimagine itself in a more balanced and equitable way.
8) What lessons can be learned from South Africa to help create sustainable diversity in the U.S. wine scene.
9) Why large-scale trade events, like VinItaly, VinExpo and ProWein, are ultimately irreplaceable, even in the Zoom era.
Kristen also answers a listener question from Anthony Baker, cocktail professor at Momentum Mixology, who wants to know if she foresees a reversal of the tariffs that have been so damaging to the beverage trade.
Connect with Kristen via email at editor@sevenfifty.com and on Instagram at @bielerkristen.
In this week’s “HLC Innovation Report,” we feature:
#1: What We Are Reading This Week - Our agency celebrates book authors we admire through our #AskTheAuthor series. This week, we are reading “Wine Girl” by Victoria James. Check out @hlcbookmedia on Instagram for our interview on how Victoria and Ecco Books/HarperCollins brought her compelling book to life (https://bit.ly/3fz1ihJ ).
#2: Who We Are Honoring This Week - Conley Fitzpatrick, Chief Marketing Officer of 21 Seeds Tequila (https://www.21seeds.com/), whose motto is “Vision without action is a daydream.” Each week, we celebrate pioneering women via our digital channels, so check out www.hannaleecommunications.com for over 250 women’s words of wisdom.
#3: Who We Are Celebrating This Week - Kate Hudson. She inspires us as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program that provides assistance to more than 90 million people in more than 80 countries (https://www.wfpusa.org/).
#4: What Podcast We Are Listening to This Week - “Post Shift with Shawn Soole.” Shawn recently interviewed Charles Gibb, CEO of Fever-Tree North America. Listen to this 30-year beverage veteran on his globetrotting career, the importance of mixers and how he is leading Fever-Tree USA during the pandemic (https://apple.co/3l4iTiI).
#5: Who Is Inspiring Us - Tobin Ellis of Barmagic in Las Vegas. This star bartender launched the Hospitality Relief Dashboard, a portal of support for the hospitality industry with more than 700 helpful resource links via an interactive map (https://www.barmagic.com/relief).
Follow “Hospitality Forward” Podcast hosts Hanna Lee at @hannaleeny, Michael Anstendig at @michaelanstendig and our agency @hannaleepr on Instagram.