Club Soda has announced that it will be launching its first European drinks summit, set to take place in Amsterdam this year. 

Happening on 21 April, the No, Low & Mid-Strength Drinks Summit marks the first of its kind in Europe. 

With sponsorship from PB Creative, Club Soda said that ticket prices have been kept intentionally affordable to accelerate the growth of the low & no alcohol industry in Europe and position the event as community led. 

There will be more than 300 pre-booked buyer and distributor meetings, said the organiser, alongside sessions tackling funding, retail ranging, on-trade strategy, mid-strength growth, functional drinks, investor confidence and the realities of scaling in a tightening capital market. 

The event will open with a speech from Dan Gasper on the state of the sector and include a dinner the evening before, where delegates will gather for networking. 

UK updates 

Elsewhere, in the UK, Club Soda said that it would be relaunching its Brand Membership scheme with the specific aim of funding its lobbying arm, which aims to push the low & no alcohol category forward. 

It said that its priorities are fixing alcohol descriptors, challenging outdated gateway theory and pushing back on unhelpful narratives around alibi marketing. 

Laura Willoughby, founder of Club Soda, said: “This is a golden opportunity we simply can’t afford to miss. If we get it wrong, the consequences for brands will last decades. If we get it right, we unlock the true potential of no and low, freed from outdated legislation and properly supported by Government.”