Workshop I: The Art of Navigating Change with Erik Wahl, Synthesizer of Art and Business
 

Join us for an engaging, expertly led discussion on the most pressing legislative developments affecting the alcohol industry. Moderated by Terrance Merriweather, the session will feature insights from Buddy Buckner, General Counsel for NABCA, and Harrison Martingayle, Associate General Counsel for NABCA, as they explore the evolving policy landscape and its implications for regulators, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.

Key Topics Include:
 

  • Updates on federal and state-level alcohol legislation.
  • Emerging regulatory challenges facing the alcohol industry.
  • How broader shifts in policy trends, including cannabis and hemp regulation, may influence alcohol markets.

  • Designed to provide attendees with timely, actionable insights, this session will equip you with a deeper understanding of the evolving legislative landscape and strategies for navigating its complexities. Don’t miss this chance to learn from industry experts and participate in an interactive discussion on the future of alcohol regulation.

Workshop II:  Modernization and Innovation that Deliver
 

NABCA is improving collaboration, accuracy, and speed through a structured innovation approach that can be tailored for use by states and suppliers. This session showcases faster cross‑stakeholder coordination through the NABCA Logistics Committee portal, measurable data processing enhancements from business process automation, and an overview of our product‑focused, customer value‑based framework to prioritize and measure innovation. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and a clear invitation to engage NABCA as a strategic partner in their modernization/innovation journey.

Seven Leadership & Life Lessons with Susan O’Malley, Former President of the Washington Sports and Entertainment & First Female President of a Professional Sports Franchise
 

In an engaging and upbeat presentation, Susan O’Malley outlines the seven seminal ‘rules’ for leadership and life and shares insider stories about entertainment, hockey, and basketball. Her message is influenced by her family and the management lessons she learned in her successful, unprecedented career. Many life lessons are learned early, from family and familial experience. Sitting around the kitchen table listening to parents and grandparents discuss the struggles and triumphs of life and work is one of the most vital learning experiences for any leader. By focusing on the lessons of her own childhood and then reinforcing them with her proven business expertise, O’Malley offers vital insights for leaders of all stripes. A trailblazer for herself and others, she is hilarious, brilliant, genuine, and inviting. Her warm sense of humor, self-described “folksy” style, entertaining stories, and sharp wit make her lessons memorable and an instant favorite among audiences. She leaves listeners thoroughly entertained and uplifted and with practical takeaways for their own lives and businesses.

Leading a Switch with Dan Heath, Author and Podcast Host
 

Why do some big changes happen easily while many small changes prove impossible? The answer hinges on some of the most fascinating findings in psychology. Our mind is divided into two different systems—an analytical mind and an emotional mind—that are often in conflict, particularly in situations of change. Building on this research, and based on the book, Switch, which spent 47 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, Dan will reveal a simple, three-part framework that will help you change things in tough times. All of us have things we want to change. Many organizational leaders are confronting economic headwinds and changes in consumer demand. New kinds of collaboration, across traditional silos, may be required for them to succeed. How does a wise leader begin a change effort? And what should they do when they face resistance? This session is a must for any change leader who is struggling to make progress. Dan’s talk will give leaders the specific tools—and the inspiration—they need to make change happen.

Killing Headwinds: Pivotal Challenges Facing the Alcohol Industry
 

This strategic workshop identifies and tackles the major headwinds confronting the beverage alcohol industry. Attendees will hear from leading experts in the areas of GLP-1, the economy and consumer spending, and low and no alcohol. These experts will interact with a panel of leaders from the beverage alcohol industry. This engaging session should provide a spirted discussion about these “headwinds” and how to better navigate them.

THC Perspectives – Getting Down in The Weeds
 

This interactive panel and workshop explores the many viewpoints shaping the legal cannabis ecosystem — regulation and compliance, distribution and sales, as well as health and safety. Participants will attend three 30-minute presentations with guided Q&A. These three smaller workgroups will rotate through each perspective from the spirits industry, the cannabis industry, and the public health sector. Attendees will gain a practical, multi-stakeholder understanding of how competing priorities, opportunities, and constraints influence business decisions and policy outcomes across the legal cannabis sectors.

Ready-to-Drink Cocktails: What’s Fueling one of the Only Growth Engines in Beverage Alcohol?
 

Ready-to-drink cocktails have defied broader alcohol slowdowns, emerging as one of the few categories delivering sustained growth. But what’s really driving that momentum—and how durable is it? In this candid, executive-level panel, four industry leaders unpack the real forces behind RTD’s rise, moving beyond the easy answers of “convenience” to examine shifting consumer mindsets, evolving occasions, and the strategic tradeoffs brands are making. The conversation will explore whether RTDs are attracting new drinkers or reshaping existing spirits occasions, how control factors like ABV, calories, and portion size are influencing demand, and where innovation matters most—liquid, packaging, or storytelling.  The session will also look ahead to what a “mature” RTD category could look like in five years—and what could cause growth to stall. This session is designed for anyone navigating strategy, innovation, or portfolio decisions in beverage alcohol who wants an unvarnished view of where RTDs are truly headed.