Another amazing ADA conference – completed! 

One thing is certain in this industry, you can’t take your foot off the pedal. To help you keep up the momentum post-conference, we wanted to capture our musings.

There are 700 distillers in Australia, approximately 200 attended the ADA conference. How many of those distillers will implement the learnings from this year's conference? How many will prioritise relationship building, innovation and brand building in 2025 and beyond? It's a lot of work to stay ahead in this game, but it's a lot easier if you prioritise these factors, and keep showing up, day after day.

It's undeniable – consumption habits are changing rapidly. Overall people are drinking less, caring more about quality, and as the cost of living intensifies they're prioritising essentials and grocery spend over alcohol spend. As a result, brands will have to adapt to stay relevant in order to keep the doors open. 

Spirits is a competitive category, plus with spend decreasing, we predict that producers will place more emphasis on their brand and packaging as they recognise the need to stand out in order to survive. Producers that thrive will be those who value the importance of playing the long game in brand building, investing in future proof strategies, increasing emotional appeal, storytelling, and long term brand investment. 

With political uncertainty and unpredictable tariffs, we predict there will be a gradual shift away from US brands. It's already happening. Consumers are becoming more aware of the origin of their products, and caring more about supporting local Australian brands. The opportunity for Aussie distilleries to capitalise on this, is huge. 

Reach out to Trish and the team to chat about how we can bolster your brand and packaging in these ever changing times. 

Also, rumour has it, that a speaker of notoriety (• • • •) mentioned – a word of advice, surround yourself with talented women. We were thinking the same ;) 

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