The new partnership will see the Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival, the Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival and the Gold Coast Beer and Cider Festival become part of the GABS series and Jerry Schwartz, head of the Schwartz Family Company, take up a board position and equity in Spectapular Enterprises, which owns and runs the three GABS events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Hunter Valley and Canberra events have been running for more than a decade each, while the Gold Coast event started up two years ago. GABS was founded in 2011.
“I am really delighted about incorporating our Canberra, Hunter Valley and Gold Coast events into the Spectapular calendar,” said Schwartz.
“It is a fantastic platform that will help take these events to new heights over the next ten years and beyond. We’re also looking to introduce some new premium events and products, the first being Finer Drop, as we continue to grow and provide consumers and exhibitors with more world-class experiences.”
Part of the new collaboration, Finer Drop will take place at the Winx Stand at Royal Randwick this November, offering a curation of beverages, gourmet cuisine, fashion and entertainment.
Managing director of GABS, Mike Bray, said the partnership was “a natural fit on all levels”.
“[Schwartz] brings a wealth of experience in providing local and international guests exceptional experiences every day. I see huge potential to build on the incredible work the SFC team have done with the Canberra Beer & Cider Festival and Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival over the years.
“We’re very proud to be playing our part to be providing platforms that celebrate the incredible breweries in our industry as we look to enhance consumers’ love of craft beer by providing exceptional event experiences and people’s choice campaigns,” said Bray.
More than 40,000 people attended the GABS beer festivals in Australia’s three largest cities. Organisers behind GABS also run their own “Hottest 100” of beer, as voted by beer enthusiasts and the GABS Can Design Awards.
The Schwartz Family Company owns a host of Australian hotels and resorts, including Fairmont Resort and Spa Blue Mountains, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour and Hilton Surfers Paradise, and Sydney Brewery.
