By Annette Shailer, editor Beer & Brewer
Dave’s Travel and Events Group is the new owner of Sydney Craft Beer Week (SCBW), which will celebrate its seventh year in 2017.
Incoming festival director, Dave Phillips, is excited about the new venture and acknowledged the work of Joel Connolly and his SCBW team.
“I would like to recognise the efforts of Joel and his team and the hard work they have put in to get Sydney Craft Beer Week to where it is today. We started getting involved a few years ago and have loved being part of it. I am excited about the team we are putting together to take the festival forward,” said Phillips.
Connolly said he was proud of how the festival has grown over the years and how Sydney has embraced the craft beer community.
“The SCBW team and I have worked tirelessly to turn Sydney into a global craft beer city and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. When we started, there were only a handful of places selling great beer, now thanks to our work and that of the entire craft beer community, Sydney is flush with wonderful, tasty, beautiful craft beer,” Connolly said.
“It’s time now for me to hand the reins to Dave and his team for a refresh. They’ve got huge plans and I cannot think of anyone better suited to take on SCBW. His commitment to the craft community is absolute and his company already embodies many of the same values as SCBW.”
To build on the success of SCBW to date, Phillips has engaged a team with a broad range of expertise to help cement the festival’s presence on Sydney’s event calendar.
Liam Pereira will take on the responsibility of general manager and venue liaison, with Shonna Mulley festival producer and Ben Janeczko responsible for partnerships and communications. The core team are all owners and the entire festival team will be built upon over the coming months.
“There is an opportunity to continue the good work of making great beer accessible to more people, and we are absolutely looking to expand the footprint of SCBW across more of Sydney and surrounds,” added Phillips.
New experiences, collaborations and events will be developed; however, the priority is working with existing partners to shape the future of the festival. The SCBW team will work with the beer industry and venues over the coming weeks before announcing 2017 dates and releasing the festival prospectus next year.