After four busy days the 34th edition of the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America® (CBC), America’s largest professional gathering in the craft brewing industry which was held this year in Washington, D.C., closed its doors. For the first time, the number of attendees decreased slightly from 13,600 last year in Philadelphia to 13,300 this year which can be attributed to the fact that there was no World Beer Cup (WBC) competition this year. The WBC is held every two years in conjunction with the CBC and took this year a break.
The frequent visitor could notice that the CBC together with the industry professionalizes more and more and evolved from a happening of long bearded hipsters with affection for beer to a gathering of brewing professionals.
The exhibition hit again new records. The number of exhibitors jumped from 835 last year to more than 900 in 2017. The exhibition was spread over two floors which complicated the overview for visitors. Some exhibitors complained about less attention of visitors compared to the years before but most of them will return to the show next year when it will come to Nashville, Tennessee, April 30 – May 3, 2018.
