Final report GLUG23 - A successful start for the first edition

The first GLUG got off to a successful start and experienced a high level of acceptance by visitors, exhibitors and partners. Around 575 visitors met 85 exhibitors and partners. The lectures and discussions in the Forum in the Stable were very well received. The event format and the appealing atmosphere were praised without exception. GLUG24 will go into the second round from 1 & 2 February 2024.

In addition to the 1:1 contacts between customers and suppliers, the forum in the barn offered plenty to talk about. Marcel Kreber, Director of the Swiss Brewery Association and the Association of Swiss Mineral Springs and Soft Drink Producers got involved in the panel discussion around sugar reduction in sweet drinks. "The new GLUG23 event provided an exciting platform for exchange in the beverage industry. We will make our contribution to this again in 2024."

Cantonal government councillor Dieter Egli welcomed the 200 participants to the networking evening on behalf of the Aargau government "As a location and beverage canton with many beverage producers from the beer, wine and soft drinks sectors, including major Swiss market players, we appreciate the new platform for networking and innovation."

Visitors were pleased
The first day of GLUG exceeded all expectations. From the time the doors opened at 10am, visitors flocked to the Alte Reithalle in Aarau. Besides many visitors from smaller producers, GLUG was visited by representatives of well-known companies such as the breweries Falken, Schützengarten, Chopfab Boxer, Feldschlösschen or HEINEKEN Switzerland. But also from the wine and spirits sectors from companies such as Bataillard or Diwisa. And the non-alcoholic beverages sector by exponents from Biotta, Coca-Cola, Emmi, Ramseier and Rivella or mineral springs such as Bad Knutwil and Adelboden. About half of the visitors had a brewery background, the second half of the visitors were divided between the wine / sparkling wine / spirits, fruit juice and soft drink / mineral water sectors and occasionally dairy products.

Innovative event format
Züger and Rudin drew on their many years of experience as exhibitors and organisers to create an innovative event format. Varied for the visitor and efficient for the exhibitor. The concept was appealing and offered many opportunities to exchange ideas.

GLUG24 from 1 & 2 February 2024
The successful start and the positive reactions from visitors and exhibitors show that GLUG meets a need to establish a national meeting place for the beverage industry. GLUG will be back in 2024 from 1 & 2 February. The concept of simple stand presentations will be retained and slight conceptual adjustments made. Continuously, the visitor target group will be expanded across the entire beverage industry.