The Southeast Asia Brewers Conference & Trade Fair (SEA Brew) has renamed to “Brew Asia”.
The move comes as the annual brewing industry gathering now draws attendees from across the greater Asian region.
The show’s original name reflected it’s origins in Southeast Asia (“SEA”), but with a growing audience demographic from as far afield as India, Japan and Australia the organizers have decided now is the time for a name change.
“Our roots will always be in Southeast Asia” says conference founder Charles Guerrier “but we are delighted to see how the show has grown over the years and how it now appeals to brewers across the region. We wanted to reflect this in our conferences’ name moving forward.”
Growing appeal
He continues “We like to view Brew Asia as a platform that brings the region’s craft brewing community together. A show they can call their own where they are able to catch up with peers from across the region, exchange ideas, meet suppliers and explore new techniques and innovations entering the industry.”
The annual conference started in 2015 in the event room of Singapore’s Brewerkz brewpub with 75 attendees and an afternoon of presentations and discussion groups. In 2016 a small trade fair element was added and then the following year the show hit the road with Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) as it’s first overseas stop.
Craft beer industry legend Charlie Papazian presents a Keynote address at SEA Brew 2022
Year on year SEA Brew has witnessed a solid growth in attendance and since 2017 the conference and adjoined trade fair has been held in a different city each year. Manila was selected as the host city in 2018, Bangkok in 2019 and then the organizers had to resort to hosting online during the pandemic years.
After two years without an in-person show a reboot in Bangkok this year saw a 20% increase in attendance on 2019 with almost 700 brewers, distributors and industry suppliers making the journey to the Thai capital. With the region’s premium beer market bouncing back strongly a sustained growth for the show in 2023 and beyond has been predicted by the organizers.
2023 dates announced
The dates for next year’s Brew Asia, the first under the new moniker, have just been announced with the show due to be held in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) on 19th & 20th October.
Brew Asia will once again offer an array of workshops, presentation sessions, discussion groups and the familiar trade fair with the ever popular conference bar featuring brews from all the local producers. They are also promising ample opportunities for attendees to visit the many craft beer bars and taprooms of Ho Chi Minh City with a comprehensive Social Calendar of evening events.
Next year’s show will also culminate with the awards presentation of the 2023 Asia Beer Championship, celebrating the best brews of the year and the region’s top breweries.
One thing’s for certain, the name may have changed but the community spirit that defined SEA Brew will live on under it’s new Brew Asia persona.
The Asia Beer Championship awards presentation were a highlight of SEA Brew 2022
