American Beverage Licensees (ABL) will return to Washington, D.C. for the 2014 ABL Conference from June 8th through the10th. The 2014 conference will mark ABL’s 12th anniversary and brings together beer, wine and spirits retailers from across the country as well as representatives from all three tiers of the beverage alcohol industry.
ABL Executive Director John Bodnovich recently stated, “ABL members will have a great opportunity to flex the retail tier’s grassroots muscles on Capitol Hill while also learning about the issues affecting their businesses from a range of industry leaders, elected officials and policy experts.”
General session and seminar presentations will focus on some of the most pressing topics facing independent beverage alcohol licensees, such as the evolving regulatory landscape for alcohol; emerging policy initiatives on drunk driving (including proposals to lower the BAC from 0.08% to 0.05% or lower); the impact of new healthcare laws on small business; and the movement for legalized recreational marijuana.
“Unlike other retail trade shows, the ABL Conference is a unique opportunity for retail beverage licensees because in addition to exploring regulatory, legislative and legal aspects of their businesses and industry, the conference will give attendees a chance to act as citizen lobbyists by meeting with Members of Congress to discuss the issues that matter to them,” said Bodnovich.
The purpose of ABL is to:
l Initiate, promote, and support laws, regulations and rules that preserve and protect the right of responsible on and off premise retailers of beverage alcohol to operate legitimate and lawful businesses without burdensome intrusion.
l Encourage and promote closer relations among all entities engaged in the responsible sale of beverage alcohol through effective communications, innovative services, and education and training opportunities.
l Educate the public to a higher level of awareness regarding the scope of the licensed beverage alcohol industry.
For more information on the conference visit ABL’s home on the web,
ABLUSA.org.