SPREADING THE WORD

At the congress we had the idea that all participating organizations put something about the congress on their websites. Here's a link to THONHAUSER's website (delegates, you can also download all presentations there).

PHOTOS

CONGRESS REVIEW

IMPRESSIONS

Thanks to all participants for coming to Vienna!
Here is a summary of your feedbacks:

• Great organisation, very interesting presentations from very interesting lecturers and companies. Familiar flair during the whole congress. - Johannes Tippmann, TU Munich
• A good organised event with future. - Gerhard Langegger, Helmut Köglberger GmbH
• I believe all presentations were very interesting specially in contents, all focus in impoving sales in draught-beer and for that to improve the quality of the installations that has been proved is best way. - Juan José Santaolalla Milla, Tubing Food
• The idea is perfect, the location, your hopitality. - Ben Luyten, IMI CORNELIUS
• Open discussion and valuable information for the practice. - Karl Ullrich Heyse, Bierwelt
• My impression is that the great majority of the delegates felt that the time was well spent e.g. our company would like to attend if there is another congress in the future. I feel that the blance between company, promotion, technical information was about right.
• Organisation, participants, location, lectures, your hospitality, actually everything. - Thomas Hutschenreuter, Micro Matic S.A.
• The international forum was a different event and very interesting. Important were the lectures from the foreign participants. A good point was that we din´t only talk about "units for beer disspenser"but also about draft beer general. - Ludger Hoppelshäuser, Veltins
• Assist together the sesibilisation for drawn beer. - Ludger Hoppelshäuser, Veltins
• Interesting topics and presentations from competent lecturer. Thank you for participate this congress representative for our medium sized brewery. - Jean Marchetti, Bofferding
• Excellent organisation, hotel, service etc. - gratulation - topics are important to talk about even if the answeres are still open. - Walter Rieder, IMI CORNELIUS
• We are interested to participate at a second congress. Gratulations for the organisation. - Peret Segura, Tubing Food
• My thanks for such a good congress, and for your hospitality during the course of the conference, I gained a lot of knowledge and found it fantastic to compare opinions/practises across the industry in Europe, one thing I took is that we all face the same sorts of issues! - Christopher Deakin, Coors Brewers Ltd.
• Excellent idea, very interesting and different inputs. Please absolutely repeat. - Conrad Seidl
• Research of dispensing hyhiene test. -  ?
• The "family" athmosphere. Industry opinions Coors, Carlsberg, Bofferding. Good organisation, service excellent and professional. - Jens Voigt, TU Munich Weihenstephan
• It was a great conference, excellent exhibitors. Nothing to complain. Thank you Thonhauser, nice time. - Daniel Jorge, Cerveceria Polar C.A.

• It would be easier for preparation if the papers would be distributed before the congress, perhaps possible as pdf files. - Johannes Tippmann, TU Munich
• Room was at its capacity limit. - Thomas Hutschnreuter, Micro Matic
• We hope we can have more participants for the second congress. - Juan José Santaolalla Milla, Tubing Food
• Timing, hotel, organisation.
• Preparation of presentation.
• Need to get attention all bigger groups.
• From a personal point of view, I have learned a lot more regarding draught beer
• Problems from the "Trendsetter" were discussed but with regional dimension also medium sized enterprises could strenght the awareness for draft beer. - Gerhard Langegger, Helmut Köglberger GmbH
• The idea should be continued, a never ending process. - Walter Rieder, IMI CORNELIUS
• Clearer subject, preparation of presentation, need to get attention all bigger groups. - Ben Luyten, IMI CORNELIUS
• latest standard in beer dispensing. - ?

• The seating was a little bit unconfortable to look to the presentations. - Johannes Tippmann, TU Munich
• Sometimes the time intervals between sessions could have been longer.
• Room a bit too small. - Jens Voigt, TU Munich Weihenstephan
• For the future I whish more defined conclusions. - Walter Rieder, IMI CORNELIUS
• At such a congress also marketing experts should listen. -  Conrad Seidl

Servus! . . . and a warm welcome!

Representatives of the following companies have already registered:

• Brewery Forst www.forst.it
• Radeberger www.radeberger-gruppe.de
• Veltings www.veltins.de
• Bofferding www.bofferding.lu
• Cornelius www.cornelius.com
• Heineken International www.heineken.com
• Carlsberg www.carlsberg.com
• Coors Brewing Company www.millercoors.com
• Coors UK www.coorsbrewers.com
• Sam Adams www.bostonbeer.com
• Inbev www.inbev.com
• Micro Matic www.micromatic.com
• Tubing Food www.tubingfood.es
• Cerveceria Polar www.empresas-polar.com
• Ringnes AS www.ringnes.no
• Trumer www.trumer-international.com

Did you know that by posting a comment you can easily get in touch with your peers already prior to the congress start?
Share your views about the importance of quality management in your business, tell us what you expect from the Congress or organize your car pool. You don´t need to register to post something - just click on the orange `comment` link below and go!

TRAVELLING TIPS: EVENTS AND SIGHTSEEING IN AUSTRIA

Here some tipps and infos about what's going on in Austria in October:


Bierfestival 2008
BierIG organizes the 6th "Festival der Biervielfalt" from Oct. 24th to Oct. 25th 2008 in Salzbourg, Austria. During this popular craft beer festival hundreds of unique draft beers are presented and tasted.




Experience Vienna
Vienna has a long tradition of culinary culture. The „Hotel Am Stephansplatz“ lies within a 2-minutes-walking distance to the historical city centre of Vienna. This proximity will give you the opportunity to discover the beauty of 1000 years of art, architecture and music. The agenda of the congress is designed to leave you at least 3 hours of spare time each day in order to explore the city and connect to the other participants.

Located in the heart of Europe, Vienna lies within a half-day-travelling time by car to some of the most beautiful historical cities of Europe (like e.g. Salzbourg, Munich, Prague or Budapest). On request we would be happy to assist you in planning your individual tours for the weekend following the congress.


Tipps for Vienna´s sightseeing:

The Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad)
Visitors to Vienna can look forward to a full schedule of arts and culture.
Schönbrunn, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Lipizzaner are just as much fixtures of the must-do list in Vienna as a ride on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel, a landmark visible from afar on the Vienna skyline.

Palace Schönbrunn (Schloß Schönbrunn)
Schönbrunn Palace together with its ancillary buildings and extensive park is by virtue of its long and colourful history one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. Scheduled as a listed monument, the whole ensemble, including the palace, the park with its numerous architectural features, fountains and statues and not least the zoo – the oldest of its kind in the world – was placed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1996.
www.schoenbrunn.at

Donauturm
Take the express elevator up to the observation platform - 150 m above ground and enjoy the fantastic few over cosmopolitan Vienna to its fullest. Day and night!
www.donauturm.at

Aqua Terra Zoo Vienna
More than 3.500 animals are shown on an area of 6.000 m².
In the section for terrarium animals you see crocodiles, poisonous snakes, constrictor and saurians.
The main attactions of the tropical seawater section are the huge fish tanks, the sharks, sea turtles, many different corals, as well as gorgeous fish. The center of the tropical freshwater is the aquarium containing piranhas.
A sensation is the new tropical house with free-flying birds and free-running monkeys and the new crocodile park.
The mediterranean sea section gives an overview over different life-forms of this ocean, starting with anemones to snakes, shells, crabs, sea urchins, starfishs and fish.
www.haus-des-meeres.at

GENERAL INFORMATION

In order to start the congress fresh and relaxed, we recommend to arrive on October 22nd. The congress will start on October 23rd, 10 am and finish on October 24th at approx. 5pm.

hotel transfer:
You have the following options to get to the congress at the "Hotel am Stepfansplatz" (please arrange individually for your transfer):

• Taxi: pick up at Vienna airport in front of the arrival hall; price approx. 45 EUR
• hotel shuttle service: The 'Hotel am Stephansplatz' offers a shuttle service to and from the airport for a fare of 40 EUR. Kindly forward your inquiry or reservation to reception@hotelamstepahnsplatz.at
• CAT (City Airport Train): non-stop service to Vienna city center (station "Wien Mitte"); ride approx. 16 minutes; train station is located near the arrival hall at Vienna airport; price 8 EUR
• Bus: non-stop service to various locations in Vienna (Schwedenplatz, UNO-City, Südbahnhof, Westbahnhof, Südtiroler Platz and the city of Baden); ride approx. 35 minutes; bus station is located in front of the arrival hall; price for ride to Vienna city center: 6 EUR.
  

hotel check-in & check-out
Check-In after 2 pm; Check-Out until 12pm. Please let us know, when you are planning to arrive. If you arrive on Oct. 22nd feel free to join us at the Welcome-Lounge near the reception area of the hotel for some drinks and snacks.

valet service:
The hotel offers a valet service for guests who arrive by car. This service includes pick-up and returning of the vehicle from and to the hotel (7:00 am until 11:00 pm).

money:
Shops and restaurant accept the most common creditcards (American Express, Mastercard, Visa etc). There are ATM machines on almost every corner in the city where you can get EUROs (Maestro card and other common ATM cards accepted). Money exchange is offered at the airport (near baggage claim) and on various locations in the city.

getting around in Vienna:

The fastest and greenest way to get around in Vienna is public transportation. One ride (anywhere within the city zone) is 1.70 EUR, 24-hour tickets are 5.70 EUR. Tickets have to be bought in advance (vending machines are in any metro station; you can pay cash or with ATM card) and must be punched in a blue ticket cancelling machine in the tram or bus or at the barrier before you board the underground train.

>> interactive underground map of Vienna city center
>> maps of public transportation in greater Vienna

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

THURSDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2008

Philip Thonhauser, Dipl. Ing. THONHAUSER Ges.m.b.H.
Managing Director & CEO

10 - 11 am: Welcome & Industry OverviewPhilip Thonhauser, CEO of THONHAUSER will give an overview of todays international draft beer industry and give foresight about what’s in thepipeline of THONHAUSER’s Future Lab

. THONHAUSER has been involved with hygiene for the food and beverage industry for 30 years.

Gregor Blaser, director technical services, Carlsberg 

11 am - 12.30 pm: "Methods of Quality Management in Draft Beer Cleaning"

Gregor Blaser, director of technical services with Carlsberg will present results of a benchmark study about cleaning companies and quality management.

12.30 - 2.00 pm: Lunch at Hotel

Ben Luyten, IMI CORNELIUS

2.00 - 3.30 pm: LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR DRAFT BEER DISPENSING

Ben Luyten will give an overview about the latest product novelties and share his profound experience and knowledge of the market. IMI Cornelius 

manufactures and markets a broad line of beverage dispensing systems, ice makers and a complete line of accessories. It has nearly 70 years of experience in the beverage dispensing industry and employs more than 4500 employees worldwide.

Juan Santoalalla, Tubing Food

4.00 - 5.00 pm: FOOD GRADE TUBING

Juan Santaolalla will give hands-on-demonstration of the influance of different tubing on flow speed and temperature of the beverage. TUBING FOOD is a manufacturer of food grade tubing and works only with 100% virgin raw materials.

7.00 - 10.00 pm: Visit to and Dinner at PLUTZTERBRAU (brewpub in Vienna)

FRIDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2008

Dr. Ing. Voigt and Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Tippmann, Technical University Munich Weihenstephan
9.00 - 10.15 am: PRINCIPAL REQUIREMENTS (WITH FOCUS ON HYGIENE) IN DRAFT DISPENSE SYSTEMS ACCORDING TO DIN 6650 andLATEST INVESTIGATIONS AND RESULTS IN DRAFT DISPENSE SYSTEMS

Prof. Dr. Jens Voigt, Professor of the Technical University of Munich and the Weihenstephan Institute of Technology will be sharing his insights about the German DIN-standard 6650 and the respective tests the institute conducted.

Christian Thonhauser, Dipl. Ing. THONHAUSER Ges.m.b.H.Director of Research & Development

10.15 - 11.30 am: "A look behind the scenes of THONHAUSER's test-dispensing installation - setup, methods, results"

THONHAUSER has been operating a test installation which is designed to simulate the worst case in terms of beverage dispensing hygiene. Methods of organic deposit formation and results from cleanig test are presented.

Chris Deakin, Contract and Trade Quality Manager, COORS International

11.30 am - 12.30 pm: "Size of the prize - how rate of sale is affected by beer quality"
Chris Deakin, quality manager at Coors will share some insight into Coor's work on how rate of sale is affected by beer quality, and what the biggest factors affecting beer quality are.

12.30 - 2.00 pm: Lunch at Hotel

Michael Putz, Lead Innovation Management

3.00 - 5.00 pm: PANEL DISCUSSION / WHAT CAN THE PLAYERS OF THE INDUSTRY DO IN ORDER TO DEVELOP POPULARIY OF DRAFT BEER?

Michael Putz is the director of LEAD INNOVATION MANAGEMENT and will be moderating this "creative session" where everybody is invited to participate.

HOTEL INFO

Enjoy the weekend in beautiful Vienna!

Your invitation to the congress includes 4 nights at the 4-Star-Hotel
"Hotel am Stephansplatz" (www.hotelamstephansplatz.at).

Of course, your spouse is welcome!


Sign up now!

ABOUT

WELCOME to the official blog of the first international DRAFTBEER CONGRESS!
Here, you will find all necessary information about the congress:

• congress location and hotel accommodation
• general information (hotel transfer, money exchange, logistics,...)
  
• introduction to keynote speakers
• tips, events and sightseeing in Austria
  

You are welcome to comment our entries, share your ideas or post what ever you consider interesting in regard tobrewingquality beer

• draft beer equipment
• draft beer trends & innovations
• draft beer cleaning

I am looking forward to meeting you in Vienna!
Yours,Philip

Philip Thonhauser
CEO of THONHAUSER in Vienna, host of the Draftbeer Congress