TRIP REPORT

NABCA Board Members Chris Graham( Mississippi), Kathie Durbin( Montgomery County, MD), and Becky Schlauch( Montana) are with Maestro Roger Nierenberg and NABCA CEO Neal Insley during the recent Annual Conference.

by KYLE SWARTZ

short drive from Disney, in sun-soaked Orlando, control state staff and alcohol industry members converged upon the Gaylord Palms this past May for the 2025 NABCA Annual Conference.

The yearly event came as the industry remains in a period of transition. Everyone knows that sales, in general, were flat or down in 2023−24. The categories that do show growth are taking customers down some unusual aisles in stores: canned cocktails, THC drinks, top-shelf tequilas.

These trends were much on the mind of attendees and speakers alike, along with the ever-present, on-and-off again threat of tariffs.

And yet, despite a year defined by headwinds, NABCA Annual 2025 stood out for spicing up the agenda with entertaining sessions.

The third day, which memorably opened with a full orchestra, included a humorous, two-part presentation based on comments from attendees of past conferences.“ Every year we do a survey after the conference for feedback,” said NABCA President & CEO Neal Insley,“ and one thing we always get is,‘ Can we look at different ways to present the material?’”

The result was Lights, Camera, Listing: A series of sketches, scripted and improvisational, that skewered how the listing process occurs for new products looking to make the shelves in control state stores. NABCA members and friends played the parts of product founders, marketers, brokers, salespeople and executives, along with the decision-makers working for a mythical 19th control jurisdiction.

A pair of make-believe brands applied for listing: a prickly pear-flavored tequila whose unpronounceable name translated to either“ Gold of the Desert” or“ Dessert,” and a poorly planned moonshine straight out of the famous distilling hotspot of Connecticut.( For the record, as a Nutmegger myself, Connecticut actually boasts two successful moonshine producers, thank you very much.)

What followed was funny but illuminating. In scenes of deliberate parody, but also strangely realistic, like something out of“ Veep” or“ Parks and Recreation,” caricatures of industry personnel demonstrated why certain listings do and, in particular, do not succeed. Greenwich Moonshine suffered from a lack of planning, resources and realistic forecast, to say nothing of its comically inauthentic background.( Perfectly cast as its pitchman was NABCA COO David Jackson, whose Australian accent did not quite sound New England.) Also, apparently the spirit tasted terrible.“ If this is going to be successful, we don’ t want to sample it,” joked one executive.“ We’ ve got to keep this liquid away from lips,” quipped another.

The unsayable tequila did work, however, for all the reasons that the moonshine failed. Whereas Jackson’ s character launched his brand“ because he felt like it,” with funding from a brother-in-law who may or may not be incarcerated, the tequila came from a real company with real legwork put into trends, marketing support, financial backing and a potential rollout. Also, the salespeople bribed everybody with donuts.

“ The suppliers and brokers in these scenes are purposely depicted as being on opposite ends of the spectrum,” explained narrator Rick Przebieda, control state veteran.“ The point is there is plenty of space in between to create effective decisions.”

One more thing mentioned repeatedly, if not indiscreetly, during the performances: It always helps to use NABCA data when pitching to control states.

Later, incoming Chair Kathie Durbin opened day four with remarks.“ The alcohol industry is not just about products but also people,” she said.“ It’ s about building trust, building loyalty and creating moments. Together we can rise and continue to raise the bar

6 StateWays • Fall 2025 www. stateways. com