Monthly archives: October 2014

MINT UMBRELLA RAISE A GLASS TO MANCHESTER BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL

 in Press Releases

Mint Umbrella is toasting its new media partnership with Manchester Beer and Cider Festival.

The North West marketing agency is excited to be supporting the annual festival which is organised by CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) volunteers.

The first festival, held in January this year, was an unprecedented success. More than 10,000 people attended the festival in The Velodrome at the National Cycling Centre with all 16 bars being drunk dry by the Saturday afternoon.

Now work is well underway on the second event which is set to be even bigger and better. The festival will take over the whole of the Velodrome in January 2015 adding at least three brand new bars including two mixed cask ale bars, a second cider and perry bar and a number of brewery bars.

Shortlisted in the Prolific North Awards 2014, Liverpool-based Mint Umbrella offers Manchester Beer Festival the perfect cocktail of marketing, PR, branding and design advice to ensure even more real ale and cider conoisseurs attend the event.

Organisers will also make sure there’s plenty to go round this year. Overall there will be almost half as much beer again as in 2014, so more choice with at least 500 beers, ciders and perries available.

Mint Umbrella Director, Nicky Rigby-Smith said:

“We’re delighted to be working with the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival 2015 as the official media partner! The festival was a huge success last year and will once again feature some of the very best cask conditioned craft beers available selected from hottest names in British beer.”

The Festival will take over the whole of the Velodrome from January 21st–24th 2015. The expanded festival bars will be spread across the Velodrome concourse and floor. The iconic National Cycling Centre is home to Team GB’s fantastically successful Olympic and Paralympics cyclists.

The Velodrome track remains in use throughout the festival by Team GB who train every day. As pints are enjoyed, there is every chance that medal winning cyclists such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott and Jason Kenny will be whizzing round as they train for the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

For more information about the festival, how to attend and what packages are available go to www.mancbeerfest.uk

For further information contact:

Clare Barber
07545 600 825
clare@mintumbrella.com

October 30th 2014

 

Three months to go

 in Festival News
It’s now just over three months until the return of the regions biggest and most spectacular beer event. The Manchester Beer & Cider Festival will return to the Velodrome at the National Cycling Centre from the 21st to the 25th January 2015 and is promising to be bigger & better than the sell out event in 2014.
The 2014 festival featured no fewer than 357 cask conditioned ales, but this number is set to increase to well over 400 for 2015. 200 of these beers will be on new bars located on the concourse around the track which will also host a second cider & perry bar and a brand new bar packed with the best craft beers from around the world. Visitors to these bars will have easy access to over 3000 seats overlooking the track from where they will again be able to watch Britain’s top cyclists training.
We have taken on board loads of feedback from the first event and made changes where needed. As well as locating half the beers on the concourse level, a new layout on the floor inside the track will allow additional seating and ‘poseur’ tables for your drinks. A new customer care team is being introduced to guide people to their beers and help those with mobility difficulties get under the track to floor level via the lift and ramp. They also expect to put a limited number of advance tickets on sale although have not yet confirmed when this will be.
Of course the festival is really all about the beer and you’ll be pleased to hear there will be more of that – around 40% more – to ensure that your thirsts are satisfied right through until Saturday evening. Once again the selection will feature some of the very best brewers from the North West – including the finalists in CAMRA’s Champion Beer Of The North West Competition alongside some of the top names from around the country. It is exciting that as well as established breweries, some of the freshest and most exciting new breweries in the area are already signed up to feature – names like Squawk, Seven Brothers & Deeply Vale. We will also be featuring the very best representatives of what is termed the craft beer movement from around the country.
The extremely popular Hawkshead Brewery will again be bringing their own bar to the festival, but they will have some new neighbours in what will be two brewery bar areas. The full line up of brewery bars will be revealed shortly but two which have been announced are very exciting – Manchester’s Blackjack Beers & Crewe’s Offbeat Brewery are two breweries who are very much at the cutting edge of British brewing and will be sure to bring some stunning beers to the festival.