BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live will feature an intense set of main stage conversations and presentations covering issues that deal with both crisis-oriented leadership for growing brands and the tools and techniques to adapt within changing times — and it will end up with an exclusive interview with world-famous “Citizen Chef” Tom Colicchio. The event is available to subscribers of BevNET and NOSH and takes place on June 23 and 24 starting at 8 a.m., with main stage conversations beginning at 11:00 a.m. EST.

The main stage will begin with a look at the food and beverage business from the perspective of Black entrepreneurs and employees. Designed as both a listening session and a way to point toward possible solutions to systemic racism within the industry, the panel — which includes Jomaree Pinkard, the co-founder and CEO of Hella Cocktail Co., Denise Woodard, founder and CEO of Partake Foods, Edzra Gibson, VP of Brand Marketing at good2grow and Austin Stevenson, Chief Innovation Officer of Vertosa — will draw from the participants’ varied professional backgrounds for a frank conversation intended to provoke thought, identify race-based challenges within the business environment, and begin the hard work of changing it for the better. This session will be open for streaming to all, including unregistered attendees.

Following breakouts, the next main stage session will turn to strategy, as brand consultancy Black Bamboo’s CEO, Eric Zeritoun, reveals a series of findings that will govern marketing and sales strategies for the medium- and long-term. The result of interviews with key investors, retailers, consultants and brand leadership, Black Bamboo’s look at Now, New, and Next will offer frameworks for both the rapid shifts in the retail and consumer environment that will govern the next two years, as well as key brand characteristics for consumer outreach that follows that period.

The final main stage session of the day brings together three dynamic leaders of fast-growing brands to discuss company culture and management tactics during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced massive change in the everyday work environment. NUUN’s CEO, Kevin Rutherford, Katlin Smith, the founder and CEO of Simple Mills, and Chris Hunter, CEO of Koia, will talk about the ways they have kept their teams productive, motivated, and sane throughout the pandemic, as well as the ways they looked at hard choices like shifts in workforce allocation and the potential for layoffs; they’ll also look to the future of their companies and offer guidelines for management as the environment continues to remain uncertain.

On Wednesday, David Lemley of Retail Voodoo will start off on the main stage by demonstrating the key shift in marketing that has taken place within the food and beverage industry in recent years and has only accelerated in recent months: the need to provide consumer education and dialogue online to build a base of true believers in a brand. The talk will be followed by a breakout session in which Lemley puts a real life example before the crowd, revealing a just-completed audit of one fortunate brand’s marketing approach and taking questions from attendees on their own challenges with regard to adapting to the new online branding environment.

Moving again to leadership, attendees will be inspired by a panel featuring three highly-respected CPG figures who have battled and won existential threats to their companies. American Flatbread Founder Brad Sterl will explain how he was able to lead the brand out of the ashes of a fire that destroyed his manufacturing facility while keeping his staff and mission intact; former Nestle Waters North America CEO Kim Jeffery will analyze how he was able to reverse negative publicity surrounding the bottled water business through evolving both the company’s package and its messaging, while grocery chain owner Stew Leonard Jr., the CEO of Stew Leonard’s, will offer a current example — showing how he has led his team during the ongoing challenges of adapting the store’s legendary customer experience under the highly adverse circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. These leaders will offer tactical advice on formulating crisis responses and finding a path forward.

Finally, to close out BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live, NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg will sit down for a fireside chat with Tom Colicchio. The Chef & Owner of Crafted Hospitality, The Jersey Tomato Co Ambassador and Food Activist has been the owner of several award winning restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Colicchio became an advocate for solving issues of hunger and food insecurity after serving as a producer on the documentary “A Place at the Table.” Now known as the “Citizen Chef,” Colicchio is a mainstay in Washington D.C. advocating for a food system that offers all Americans access to affordable, healthy food.

Colicchio will discuss his own path of becoming aware of the issues facing some Americans in their own food access, and where he sees the problems in our current food system. He’ll offer attendees advice on how to marry running a business with being an advocate and suggestions as to how to move the industry forward towards a more equitable place.

As a virtual event, there are unlimited seats left for BevNET & NOSH Virtually Live — and a broad set of breakout offerings to enhance the featured Main Stage discussions. Subscribers of BevNET and NOSH receive complimentary access to Virtually Live — plus all the benefits and knowledge that comes with belonging to the leading news and learning platform for CPG entrepreneurs. Subscribe today and claim your registration.