GABS returns for 2024 with pledged $100,000 cashback to help industry, BrewCon cancelled 

Australia’s leading craft beer festival, GABS, has committed up to $100,000 cashback to support the currently struggling craft beer industry. 

The cashback will apply on all GABS festival tickets purchased before 18 April and will be distributed in the form of $20 cashback drinks vouchers redeemable at any brewery bar during the festival day.

GABS is the largest beer festival in Australasia and presents an invaluable opportunity for independent breweries to present themselves to an engaged consumer crowd. 164,000 glasses of craft beer from over 150 craft breweries were poured at last year's events. This year's festivals will involve 120 individual breweries, each of which will produce a brand-new exclusive festival beer. The reduction in participating breweries is further evidence of the mounting industry pressures putting a strain on budgets.

GABS is calling on Australian craft beer consumers to show their support for the industry at this time.

“We would love consumers to come out, support their favourite breweries and raise a glass to the vibrant world of craft beer and as such we have cut back our marketing investments to make this happen,” said a GABS spokesperson.

In addition to the Drink Card cashback, attendees will also be provided with up to $250 in exclusive beer offers through partner venues following the conclusion of the festival. 

The 2024 Australian GABS festival calendar is as followed:

SYDNEY: ICC, Darling Harbour | Fri 31 May – Sat 1 June 2024
BRISBANE: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Bank | Fri 14 – Sat 15 June 2024
MELBOURNE: Melbourne Showgrounds, Flemington | Fri 21 – Sun 23 June 2024

Tickets are available for purchase here.

BrewCon 2024 cancelled

GABS’ cashback pledge follows on from the recently announced cancellation of the BrewCon 2024. Whereas GABS is predominately consumer based, the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) event is trade focused and seeks to help breweries thrive and develop within a competitive industry.

Kylie Lethbridge, CEO of the IBA, said the cancellation was a difficult decision to make.

“It was really hard… I don’t ever want to cancel anything,” she said.

“Thankfully, we were able to run it in 2023, and so I now have a better understanding of how to do it. I’ve got a better understanding of what the resources, both financial and human, that it takes to run that conference successfully: it is a risk that we just can’t take; having to spend that amount of money and time on developing something as large as BrewCon is.” 

At least eight independent breweries have entered into voluntary administration in Australia within the first quarter of this year, reflecting the widespread nature of craft beer’s current economic troubles.

“Our member surveys all reflected, you know, ‘we’re in trouble, we need help, we need help with doing business,’” said Lethbridge.

“We had [also] predicted quite a reduction on income for [this year’s] BrewCon, which made it even more of a financial risk; and really, at a time when our members are fighting for their survival, we couldn’t take that risk that the IBA, you know, potentially lost money.”

The IBA has made the decision to cancel BrewCon in order to concentrate its financial resources into industry campaigns, including its recently launched Save the Industry initiative. 

“We just couldn’t take the risk of BrewCon, so we’re just saying ‘we’re not going to do option A for you this year, we’re going to do option B’,” said Lethbridge. 

“I hope that that delivers just as much benefit.”

More information on craft beer's current economic crisis and on the Independent Brewers Association can be found in a recent Drinks Trade interview with Kylie Lethbridge.