StateWays Winter 2024 | Page 6

TRIP REPORT
NABCA president / CEO Neal Insley introduces chairman Becky Schlauch .
Celebrating the retirements of Michael Mosley , Tim Holden and Steve Larson .
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services won Best Enforcement Program during the StateWays ceremony at the end of the conference .
North Carolina ABC Commission won the 2024 award for Best Consumer Education Program . strategies , New Hampshire has built an immensely positive reputation among whiskey enthusiasts throughout the northeast . This includes the state ’ s single barrel program , which dates back to 2009 . Today , NHLC helps highlight their picks with special sections in some of their biggest stores .
“ Ten locations within New Hampshire have special barrel-buy sections now ,” Roy said . “ These include my tasting notes as shelf talkers .”
“ No offense to the master distillers , who do give great notes , but they can be a bit much sometimes ,” he added with a laugh . “ I don ’ t know what leather tastes like . I try to keep my notes a bit more basic and understandable .”
During the same panel , Jennifer Schultz , director of category management at Suntory , pointed out that tequila sales actually peak in December . “ Even more so than during Cinco de Mayo ,” she explained . “ So make sure you ’ re still marketing tequila then .”
Schultz also explained what makes for effective theft deterrent . She brought up a store that used multiple means simultaneously : bottle tops and placements behind glass . Consumers have grown accustomed to and don ’ t mind seeing these anti-theft methods , so long as the store “ makes [ customers ] feel valued and considered by letting them know how to overcome the theft deterrent ,” she said . In other words , is there signage that lets a paying customer know how they can easily buy a bottle that ’ s under some form of deterrent ?
“ It ’ s critical to have clear , consistent communication of how to overcome that ,” Schultz said .
Another panel delved into how the Covid−19 pandemic has left a legacy of change in the industry , with aftereffects felt strongly today and into the future . Multiple speakers recalled how recent compliance checks on Covid-era programs like cocktails to go and alcohol delivery resulted startling failure rates — including for ID checks . However , requiring reeducation for failing licensees significantly brought down subsequent failure rates .
“ Education works ,” said panelist Ben Williams , field operations lieutenant , NHLC .
Amy Sammon , chief of licensure , regulation and education at Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services , recalled a particularly troubling compliance failure that ’ s symbolic of how rushed some alcohol business decisions became during the pandemic . This business had a self-checkout and yet sold alcohol by the can . Customers simply picked up an alcoholic beverage , swiped , paid and then walked off . The only employee present at the time of the compliance check was in the kitchen , making food . Suffice to say , this licensee failed . “ Some businesses were so focused on ways to streamline during the Covid employee crunch ” that they did not quite think through some of the legal and public safety consequences , Sammon said . Hence why compliance checks in our post-Covid era remain critically important .
Employee turnover in the industry remains problematic . “ We hear from licensees that don ’ t want to pay to educate
6 StateWays • Winter 2024 www . stateways . com