There’s nothing more motivating to get through a business meeting than knowing there’s beer at the end. Making that a reality for many outside of the beer industry isn’t common, but your brewery could be that solution.
In Dallas, Lakewood Brewing saw this as a way to maximize profits for hours the brewery typically wouldn’t have been open and is using its indoor and outdoor spaces for team-building, corporate meetings, or gatherings for private events.
“We have such welcoming and fun spaces, even your TPS report training will seem like a good time,” said founder Wim Bens.
Other breweries find ways to make this happen as well.
During the week, Wolf’s Ridge will host quite a few business gatherings, as its space features a projection system and screen. Events Coordinator Alicia Herrmann said that guests can connect their own devices, and present slideshows and other media if they’d like.
“We generally ask for at least two weeks advance notice to plan and host an event, but we’ve thrown together a wedding in as little as seven days,” Herrmann said. “Recently, we’ve taken the initiative to get back to hosting small groups for happy hours in our public taproom, reserving standing room tables to provide a casual atmosphere for folks to gather without requiring them to agree to a minimum spend or pay a rental fee for use of a private space.”
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When thinking about how to put together packages for events, Private Events Manager Alyssa Kleespies said MadTree has to consider what would be attractive to the customer, first and foremost.
“We have to think about use-case scenarios for each space and ensure that what we are putting together is adaptable enough to fit many needs,” she said of both the main taproom location in Oakley, Ohio and the Alcove spot. “We try not to shy away from any specific type of event, it is always exciting to bring something new in the doors and see how we can accommodate.“
The spaces for Lakewood are available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. With four different spaces — the beer garden, the Lakewood Loft, the Founders Room, or the conference room — events can be as extravagant as planners want, even including beer canned with custom labels that can feature the company logo as well as company-branded glassware. In addition to free hang time in the spaces, private event programming can also include brewery tours and guided tastings. For a price, the brewery can be completely rented as well.
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Set against a giant Instagram-ready mural that covers almost the entire side of the brewery, Lakewood’s covered outdoor beer garden has attractions for adults like foosball, cornhole, dart boards, giant Jenga, and outside spaces with fire pits surrounded by Adirondack chairs. Inside, the taproom features booths, communal tables, and comfortable seating throughout with more murals. Overlooking the Taproom is the “Lakewood Loft,” a speakeasy-inspired private event space with a bird’s eye view of Lakewood’s massive tanks below. The Founder’s Taproom, Lakewood’s original 2012 taproom space, is another private event space with a bar, mural, and fixture upgrades.
Photo courtesy Lakewood Brewing
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