Is it time for a National Home Brew Conference in NZ?

[Peter Smith]

I have been watching with interest the US and Australian HBC 

Is it time for a weekend conference here in NZ?

Brewing presentations?

Brewery Visits?

Would it be best to link this with the SOBA NHB Competition?

I think the support would be there , just need the organisational skills to make it happen....

[Samuel Loader]

Come to think of it Labor weekend would be the best weekend to hold this sort of event, one day event, 3 day weekend great for those traveling and its the weekend after the ANHC.  

[Dene McDonald]

If you look at the events that are run now there are plenty of people turning up to them. If I remember correctly there were 200 entries in the Dunedin Beer Festival Home Brew Contest. We are tiny down here and not many people had enough time to get anything ready. If we can get that response in Dunedin alone, the 3 bigger cities must have thousands of people doing it.

Combine it with the NHB contest and oiit's perfect. Maybe one day we will ene see Home Brewers split out of SOBA and havethe National Home Brewers Association (would that be called Hiutt Brewer????).

[Tom C]

Hi, Tom here from the SOBA Committee (under my no longer secret pseudonym).

I have to say my first thought as a pessimist was to agree with Barry's peeing on the fireworks, but perhaps this idea does have legs, perhaps there are enough of us in NZ and it'll certainly be on the agenda at our next meeting.

I think the viability of a conference, whether it's 50 attendees or 500, comes down to what homebrewers, who will wait 6 weeks for delivery from the US or build something themselves to save a buck, will pay for registration given that travel and accom will be on top of that for the majority.

So I'll put the question out there as a straw poll: What would you pay to attend such a conference, and what would you be willing to spend on your own logistics to be there?  And if you've any idea - how many of your mates would outlay the same?

Cheers

[Samuel Loader]

I'd be willing to $150ish on a day event plus accommodation for that night. If it's in the north Island I would get a couple of mates together and van it with a couple of cornys. Saying that I think a year by year switch between the north and south island is definitely the way to go held at a hotel with some sort of conference room that could accommodate a couple hundred people or something

[Barry]

My $0.02

I'd spend whatever it cost, depending on what you got for that, whether I thought it was value for money.

A rather obtuse answer, but what I mean is, if the conference is basically nothing more than a "meetup" and sharing of stories, maybe a couple of informal sessions with local speakers, with a great "club night" style party session then I'd probably spend up to $150.

If it was an organised and well run conference with 5-6 speakers per day giving properly organised presentations with slides and microphones, a "club night", product demos and presentations by homebrew retailers, maybe a sensory session similar to the beer faults class we had recently in Auckland, I'd be prepared to spend $3-400 for both days. I'd throw another $1-200 on top that for international speakers.

Conferences cost a lot to run, mainly because even if they are annual events, for the organisers they are basically full time jobs and as such they have to make a salary for the rest of the year. There's a LOT to organise to make sure everyone gets value for money and wants to come back. It would be bloody hard to organise something decent only part time as a volunteer.

My vote is definitely to have it in a smaller centre. I reckon getting people out of their locale into unfamiliar territory really helps with the social glue, levels the playing field so to speak. Somewhere like Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Taupo, Upper Hutt. Places easy enough to travel to, with big enough venues and places to stay/eat but where people would have to come together and share the experience. Auckland would suck because all the Aucklanders would bugger off back to their homes and families, or have other distractions going on. I say that as an Aucklander.

[paul m]

Definitely a Goer. My two peneth- I would be keen $60 for a day, with say spending $60 there. Plus accomodation and gettijng there. I'd do it in Auckland- bigger market plus there is currently nothing specifically on home brew. I've not been to beervana but i've read that it does presentations / talks and meet the brewer too type stuff. Definitely got legs i reckon. Start small and build it

[Crusader-Rob]

I get the whole "Do it in Auckland" thing, given the larger population and market etc.. but to quote every other southener "Auckland gets everything" But I'm a bit off track, sorry.

I like the idea of spreading the love around the country. i think this is what they do in the US, they do it in different places, although this could be a state conference rather than national?

I'd definitely be keen, and if outside of my area I'd have to factor in flights, accomodation, and of course food and drink.

It's definitely got legs.

[Dyl]

Wellington's in the middle :-)

[Peter Smith]

It should move around just like the US. It's up to organisers to find venue etc, hey what about a venue where people could stay at ? What about in summer? Mix of camping and other accommodation? Remember for any first event organisers would want to be very financially safe , also there is a lot of host responsibility these days around such an event .... To me it doesn't matter where it starts, it's more important to get it started.

[Samuel Loader]

Yeah I'm based in Auckland my self and I don't think it should be up here at the moment. It's too far for what I think is the majority of the home brewing community. I think if there is a suitable pace in the manawatu that would be the best opener

[Barry]

I should add that in the provinces the venue hire and cost of compliance would have to be way smaller than Auckland and it's crazy council fees at the moment.

[Peter Smith]

Was thinking solway park for a while, but have no idea of numbers it can handle, maybe too upmarket now...  but that type of location could be a goer