
background
event experience
Experience, perspective, and a grounded operational approach are essential to creating events. Creating the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival and growing with it over the course of 18 years, Laura is familiar with the ins and outs of larger and smaller events, and the growing pains that come with the territory. Coordinating the execution and featured brewers for the Craft Beer & Brewing Brewers Retreats and coordinating the beer judging for the Mesa State University Grand Valley Beer Festival take a completely different approach than an outdoor festival or destination group specialty dessert pairing. A veteran of a myriad of different styles of events, Laura will work with you to create a seamless, upscale experience for everyone.
restaurant experience
Dining events are much more easily facilitated when working with someone with fine dining experience on the floor, working with kitchen teams, creating support materials for staff and guests, and the many other aspects of the restaurant world. With ten years’ experience at Grouse Mountain Grill in the Pines Lodge in Beaver Creek, CO and additional years working with the staff and on the floor in Atwater on Gore Creek at the Vail Cascade Resort, Laura is familiar with the ins and outs of service, working with the staff both front and back of house, facilitating menu creation with the chefs, and executing events – small or large – with the team. Pairing restaurant and event experience is most certainly a winning combination.
program creation and staff training
Augmenting event and restaurant experience with staff training, vendor relations, and corporate business experience, a variety of different programs and approaches become possible. Laura created the craft beer program at the Vail Cascade Resort, trained the staff, created the beer list and rotation schedule, worked with the staff to create menu pairings, worked with the vendors and the purchasing team, maintained the lists as changes and rotations happen, and curated a cellar list. In addition, more than 15 staff members have earned their Cicerone Certified Beer Server credentials, and the programs at the Vail Cascade have included weekly brewery tastings, Brewmaster’s Weekends, and custom beer pairing dinners for various groups and guests at the resort.
Similarly, Beaver Run Resort and Gateway Canyons Resort have set up programs tailored to their specific environment and operational capacity geared toward growing their beverage business and creating a new niche for marketing and events at their properties. The food pairing aspect of craft beer is strong at all properties, focusing on educating both staff and guests about how craft beer and food work together. Customized Craft Beer Programs is pleased to consult with your team to provide ideas about how best to create or adapt a craft beer program to your specific property, understanding that each property is different and needs its own individual approach.
distribution experience
Another component that Customized Craft Beer Programs brings to the table is experience with the distribution tier of the craft beer industry. Working with a small, independent distribution company for many years, Laura has experience with everything from loading trucks and delivering beer to working with brewery contracts, handling inventory and depletion reports, and doing the overall accounting for the business. As her takeaway from her time with distribution, she published a book called Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer and offers her perspective and assistance to others on a consulting basis. Many breweries are not familiar with the distribution side of beer sales, and have found insight with regard to contracts, setting up, and troubleshooting the overall distribution partnership to be quite helpful.
coordination
Event Coordinator/Creator
Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival
Vail & Breckenridge, CO
2001 - 2018
Speaker Coordinator
New Brewery Accelerator Workshop: Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
Ft. Collins, CO, San Diego, CA, & Asheville, NC
2015, 2016, 2017, & 2018
Coordinator
Grand Valley Beer Festival Competition Judging
Grand Junction, CO
May 2016, 2017 & 2018
Presenter Coordinator
Rocky Mountain Microbrew Symposium,
UCCS, Colorado Springs, CO
February, 2016, 2017 & 2018
Event Coordinator/Creator
“Beers of Prey” at the World Cup Downhill
Beaver Creek, CO,
December 2016 & 2017
Event Coordinator
Colorado Brewers Retreat: Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
Devil’s Thumb Ranch & Spa, Tabernash, CO
2015, 2016, & 2017
Program Coordinator/Creator
Gateway Canyons Craft Beer Program
Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway, CO
2015, 2016 & 2017
Event Coordinator
Maine Brewers Retreat: Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa, Boothbay Harbor, Maine 2017
Event Coordinator/Creator
“From Grain to Glass” Weekend
Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway, CO
September 2017
Event Coordinator
Dessert & Craft Beer Pairing, Destination Services of Colorado
The Lodge at Vail, Vail, CO
August 2017
Event Coordinator
Brewery Tour + Cheese Pairing, Destination Services of Colorado
Crazy Mountain Brewing Co., Edwards, CO
July 2017
Event Coordinator/Creator
"Gateway to Craft Beer" Weekend
Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway, CO
May 2017
Program Coordinator
Beaver Run Craft Beer Program & Weekly Beer Tastings
Beaver Run Resort & Spa, Breckenridge, CO
2015 & 2016
Onsite Volunteer/Operations Coordinator
Paired/Farm to Table Pavilion with the Brewers Association
Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
2010 - 2016
Seminar Onsite Operations Coordinator
SAVOR: An American Craft Beer + Food Experience, with the Brewers Association
Washington DC
2009 – 2016
Event Coordinator
“Cheese and Chocolate Pairing Event”, Destination Services of Colorado for Nestle,
Vail Brewing Co. & Crazy Mountain Brewing Co.
August 2016
Event Coordinator
Craft Beer Pairing Dinner for Edwards Life Sciences,
Brush Creek Ranch & Spa, Saratoga, WY
July 2016
Program Coordinator/Creator
Craft Beer Program,
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa ,Vail, CO
2012 – 2015
Event Coordinator/Creator
Brewmasters’ Weekends
Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, Vail, CO
2012 - 2015
Collaborative Author
“Brewpub Server Training Manual”
Brewers Association,
January 2015
Event Coordinator/Creator
Craft Beer Pairing Dinner for Edwards Life Sciences, Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway, CO
June 2014
presentations
Speaker
“Contracts: Content, Strategy & Negotiation”
Co-presenter with Candace Moon, Esq., The Craft Beer Attorney, APC
Mid America Beverage Exposition & Conference
March, 2018
Panel Moderator/Creator
“Self-Distribution: Marvelous or Onerous”
Craft Beverage Expo, Portland, OR
November 2017
Panelist
“Distribution 101”
Pink Boots Society 10th Anniversary Conference,
San Diego, CA
June 2017
Panel Moderator/Creator
“Distribution: A Discussion From All Sides”
New England Craft Brew Summit, Portland, ME
March 2017
Speaker
“Brewpub Server Training Manual”
Co-presenter with Ginger Johnson, Women Enjoying Beer
New England Craft Brew Summit, Portland, ME
March 2017
Panel Moderator/Creator
“Growth & Distribution”,
New Brewery Accelerator Workshop with Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine
Ft. Collins, CO, San Diego, CA, Asheville, NC
2016, 2017, 2018
Speaker
"Distribution and Events"
Metropolitan State University - Denver, Denver, CO
2015, 2016, 2017
Panel Moderator/Creator
“Distribution: Navigating the Currents of Change”
Craft Beverage Expo
May 2016
Speaker
“Distribution Contracts: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly”,
Co-presenter with Candace Moon, Esq., The Craft Beer Attorney, APC
Craft Brewers Conference
April 2016
Speaker
“Contracts: Content, Strategy & Negotiation”
Co-presenter with Candace Moon, Esq., The Craft Beer Attorney, APC
Craft Beverage Expo
May 2015
Speaker
“Introducing Beer Server Training for Brewpubs, A Manual for Hiring, Training, and Retaining Great People”
Co-presenting with Brewers Association Sub-Committee
Craft Brewers Conference
April 2015
Speaker
“Preparing Your Company for Distribution”
Craft Beverage Expo
May 2014
Speaker
“Working with a Beer Distributor”
Co-presenter with Dave Duffy, Colorado Craft Advisors
Rocky Mountain Microbrew Symposium, Colorado Springs -UCCS, CO
February 2013
