Brewery Ommegang President is Keynote Speaker for Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference

The organizers of the event, Zephyr Conferences, has announced that Brewery Ommegang's president will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2nd annual Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference. Here is the release from Zephyr:

February 8, 2018 (Red Lodge, Montana) – Zephyr Conferences, organizers of the Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference, has announced Doug Campbell, President of Brewery Ommegang, will serve as keynote speaker.

“We know our attendees are eager to hear from Mr. Campbell,” says Ryan Newhouse, Marketing Director for Zephyr Conferences’ two annual craft beer conferences. “He is a 13-year beer and spirits industry veteran and is now in charge of a Belgian-style brewery that turns 21 years old this year. But also pertinent to our audience is the fact that Brewery Ommegang is a “beercation” destination, hosting everything from big-name concerts to an annual summer fest, Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, which draws over 3,000 attendees and 100-plus breweries from around the world.”

Additionally, Brewery Ommegang is one of six establishments of the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, New York State’s first official cuisine trail. Last year alone, the trail received more than 20,000 visitors.

“Beer tourism is important to the bottom line of many businesses, not just breweries.” Newhouse says, “Annually, the average craft beer drinker visits 3.5 breweries near their homes and 2.5 breweries within two hours’ drive, and 1.6 percent of craft beer drinkers take 10-plus trips each year to breweries that are over two hours’ drive. The impact increases when you start factoring in where those people eat, sleep, and if they likely hire tour companies to be shown around.” 

Other speakers at the Beer Marketing and Tourism Conference in Burlington, Vermont, include Julia Herz of the Brewers Association, Wendy Knight of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, and Christopher Shepard of Craft Brew News and Beer INSIGHTS.