Charter

How we roll

GOOD BEER WEEK CHARTER

1. Purpose

The purpose of Good Beer Week is:

• to promote and encourage the appreciation of Good Beer to a wider audience;
• to educate the public about Good Beer;
• to increase the market for Good Beer; and
• to support local and regional producers of Good Beer and promote their products and venues to a wider audience.

2. Nature, Scope and Approach

Good Beer Week is a curated weeklong festival, coordinated and governed by the Good Beer Week committee. It is centred around:

• Events that showcase Good Beer in its many forms held at venues and breweries in Melbourne and Victoria.
• Consumer education events.
• An Industry Conference for brewers, trade and retail.

The festival seeks to attract both industry professionals and existing enthusiasts, but importantly also to engage the general public in becoming aware of and appreciating Good Beer and the cultural and social possibilities surrounding it. The festival shall be based in Melbourne, but strive to include representation from all of Australia as well as a proportion of overseas brewers, with a view to becoming the preeminent beer related festival in the Asia Pacific region.

3. Organisation

Good Beer Week shall:

• be an independent, not-for-profit organisation;
• endeavour to represent interests from the range of participants and sponsors for the benefit of the wider Good Beer industry; and
• require committee members to declare any professional conflicts of interest and to work solely for the benefit of Good Beer Week when on Good Beer Week business.

4. Policies

The Good Beer Week Committee shall:

• emphasise and support the responsible consumption and service of alcohol;
• promote the cultural value of beer – its artisanal and traditional aspects;
• promote the appreciation of beer quality, variety, flavour and tradition;
• invite expressions of interest from potential participants to be approved for inclusion in the Good Beer Week program;
• assess expressions of interest against the Good Beer Week criteria (see Item 5 below) and reserve the right to exercise its judgement as it sees fit regarding which products, events and sponsors shall be approved for participation, whilst seeking to be fair minded;
• operate an appeal process for those products, events and sponsors that are not granted approval; and
• create a program for Good Beer Week that features a varied range of events with broad appeal for existing enthusiasts and newcomers to Good Beer.

5. GBW Event Eligibility Criteria

Events shall be approved for inclusion if they support the purpose of Good Beer Week as outlined in Item 1 above. They must centrally feature the appreciation of Good Beer as defined below and ensure the responsible consumption and service of alcohol. 

Venues that participate must distinguish their operation during Good Beer Week activities from their usual business at other times of the year. Only venues running events as part of the approved Good Beer Week program can use the term Good Beer Week and any associated marketing materials. The Good Beer Week committee reserves the right to prevent use of its trademarked name for any unauthorised events and / or associated materials.

5.1 Definition of Good Beer:

It is acknowledged that the definition of “Good Beer” is ultimately a subjective one, and is analogous to the notion of “Fine Wine”. As with Fine Wine, Good Beer can originate from both small and large operations. To be considered Good Beer, at least three of the following descriptions must be associated with the product. These are:

• Artisanal.
• Innovative, for example creating a new style or using unusual ingredients or techniques.
• Creative, for example giving a traditional style a new twist.
• Celebrates beer’s tradition or history.
• Complements the Slow Food movement.

5.2 Eligibility for Participants

Prospective participants in Good Beer Week will reflect some and contradict none of the following:

• Commitment to the development of Good Beer as demonstrated by ongoing beer education activities, such as tastings, classes or informative packaging, or the production and presentation of diverse and innovative beers.
• Commitment to the development of Good Beer culture, in which beer is appreciated and treated with respect.
• Appreciation of Good Beer in a context of conviviality, social harmony and celebration.
• Respect for the integrity of Good Beer as demonstrated by appropriate beer-related advertising and marketing activities that align with the purpose of Good Beer Week.

The decision as to which events and participants will make up the Good Beer Week program will be taken by the Good Beer Week committee, based on curation of streams and the overall program. 

Any prospective participant who makes an unsuccessful submission has the right to one appeal. This must take the form of a written explanation as to why the committee should reconsider the original submission or the provision of an updated/improved /alternative submission that takes into account the feedback supplied by Good Beer Week when rejecting the original submission.