Oct 9, 2026

Get direct, personalized advice from industry leaders to help scale and protect your business.

At this year’s convention, we are excited to host the Human Library, a dedicated advisory space. Instead of traditional books, you can "borrow" an industry expert for a private, 1-on-1 consultation session tailored to your specific operational or legal questions.

How It Works

  • Advance Booking: Email your preferred time slot to chris@albertabrewers.ca. Slots are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • On-Site Sign-Up: Knowing how last-minute our industry can be, any remaining open slots can be claimed on-site at the Registration Desk.

Featured Consultants & Schedules

Morning Sessions

Deirdre Lanigan | Partner at McLeod Law LLP & Brewery Owner

Meet one-on-one with Deirdre Lanigan, Partner at McLeod Law LLP and business owner, to discuss the legal issues affecting your business.

These informal sessions are geared toward brewery owners, founders, operators, and other industry professionals looking for guidance on topics such as commercial agreements, supplier and customer relationships, leasing and real estate matters, business structuring, shareholder issues, financing, acquisitions and sales, contract brewing arrangements, succession planning, risk management, and other challenges.

Whether you are considering an expansion, navigating a dispute with a business partner, negotiating a key contract, purchasing property, or simply looking for a sounding board on a business issue, these conversations provide an opportunity to discuss practical solutions and next steps.

Drawing on both her legal practice and firsthand experience as a brewery owner, Deirdre can provide business-focused insights tailored to the realities of running and growing a brewery.

  • Morning Session Slots:

    • Slot 3: 9:40 AM – 10:05 AM

    • Slot 4: 10:15 AM – 10:40 AM

    • Slot 5: 10:50 AM – 11:15 AM

    • Slot 6: 11:25 AM – 11:50 AM

Matt Bauman & Ashley Clark | The Beverage Doc

These days, great beer isn't enough to differentiate your brewery. So, what makes someone pick your taproom, what brings them back, and what gets them telling other people about their experience?

Sit down with Dr. Matthew Bauman and Ashley Clark of The Beverage Doc and bring real questions from your brewery: how to tap the drinkers you're not reaching yet, how to get your team delivering a higher level of hospitality experience, or how to integrate research and data into your operations.

Matt is a business professor at Purdue University Northwest who teaches hospitality, beverage sales, and beer appreciation. His research is focused on the beverage industry, which includes uncovering the science of why people choose the places they drink. Ashley brings a background in executive leadership, hospitality operations, and events management.

It's a working conversation about your business, and you'll leave with a couple of things to try on your first day back to the brewery.

  • Morning Session Slots:

    • Slot 3: 11:20 AM – 11:50 AM 

    • Slot 4: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Afternoon Sessions

Amanda Charron, B.Com, CPHR | Recruitment Specialist, Salopek Consulting

Recruitment & Retention

Attracting the right people is only part of the challenge; building a workplace where they want to stay is just as important. This session focuses on practical strategies to strengthen recruitment and retention based on your organization’s unique needs, workforce, and challenges.

Topics of discussion may include attracting qualified candidates, developing effective job postings, improving recruitment and selection practices, strengthening onboarding, addressing recurring turnover, and identifying factors that may be affecting employee engagement and retention.

Whether you are actively hiring, experiencing difficulty filling positions, seeing increased turnover, or looking to strengthen your overall people practices, this session will help identify opportunities and practical next steps to attract, engage, and retain the right people.

  • Afternoon Session Slots:

    • Slot 1: 1:40 PM – 2:10 PM

    • Slot 2: 2:20 PM – 2:50 PM

    • Slot 3: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Craig Paisley | Federated insurance

Developer of the Federated Insurance Craft Brewers Program

Running a brewery involves unique risks, from expensive equipment and cellar loss to liquor liability and distribution channels. Sit down with Craig Paisley from Federated Insurance, the industry expert who developed their specialized insurance program specifically for craft brewers.

Whether you want to review your current coverage gaps, understand how to protect your assets as you expand, or learn how specialized brewery policies can safeguard your business, Craig brings deep, tailored industry expertise to help keep your operations secure.

  • Afternoon Session Slots:

    • Slot 1: 1:00 PM – 1:25 PM

    • Slot 2: 1:35 PM – 2:00 PM

    • Slot 3: 2:10 PM – 2:35 PM

    • Slot 4: 2:45 PM – 3:10 PM