NBWA Attendees Have Something to Talk About

NBWA attendees visited the Mickey booth with many positive comments and new ideas.

The massive convention hall at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was abuzz with talk of the pending $104 billion mega merger of the world’s two largest brewers – Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller – as hundreds of beer wholesalers gathered there last week for NBWA?s 78th annual Convention & Trade Show. The attendees came to the meeting, which opened the day the beer behemoths announced their agreement, with 2 questions on their minds: How would the potential deal effect their businesses?; and What would it mean for the independent 3-tier beer distribution system?

But once the exhibit floor opened the throng of wholesalers and distributors had only one question on their minds: How can these suppliers help us deliver our beverages more profitably and productively. As usual, they found many good ideas at the Mickey Truck Bodies booth, where show-goers got a sneak peek at Mickey?s newest designs for over-the-road deliveries and event sampling, and driver-friendly features. One of the highlights in the Mickey space this year was the discussion of alternative fuel solutions. Joe Rudolph from Roush CleanTech co-manned the Mickey booth with Tom Arland, Gary Remley, Dane Meyer, Steve Mason and Todd Holm.

?Overall it was an excellent show for us,? says Tom. ?As always our customers had positive things to say about our existing products and were also open to sharing their ideas on what they may want to see down the road in terms of configurations and features. Roush also attracted a significant contingent of wholesalers interested in alternative fuel delivery solutions. In addition, many prospective customers came by our booth to talk about our wide variety of delivery solutions for any type of route, including route, on-premise and up-and-down-the-street.?

Captain Chesley ?Sully? Sullenberger, the airline pilot known for the ?Miracle on the Hudson,? struck a chord with both wholesalers and suppliers with his stirring general session presentation appropriately focusing on ?the value of planning, leadership and focus to help prepare for disruptions of any kind.?