Beverage Distribution News
CITY Beverage–Chicago Teams With Lollapalooza
150,000 music fans enjoy Bud products at annual festival
August 29, 2007, Chicago, IL — For three years, Chicago’s Grant Park has been the exclusive home of the annual music phenomenon, Lollapalooza. For those same three years, Anheuser—Busch has been the festival ’s exclusive beer vendor.
CITY Beverage–Chicago (CBC), Anheuser–Busch’s distributor for the region, supplied a 90-person team to man multiple beer stations within the oversized urban venue. The sprawling size was necessary to accommodate the more than 150,000 music fans who attended the three-day event. Beginning on August 3, 2007, Lollapalooza participants enjoyed 130 bands on eight different stages, including Iggy Pop & the Stooges, Pearl Jam, Patti Smith, Amy Winehouse and Modest Mouse.
"The significant advance preparation by the Sales and Operations Departments was evident throughout the smooth execution of this event," noted CBC General Manager Mike Flynn. "We applaud all the members of our team, as well as the support from Anheuser-Busch, for their dedication and constant on-site coordination. Their work added to the festival’s enjoyment for everyone attending. It was truly a team effort that resulted in record beer sales."
Over the course of the weekend-long event, CBC sold over 580,000 ice cold servings of Budweiser, Bud Light and the lighter-tasting, lower calorie Bud Select. To accomplish this feat, the team utilized nine refrigerated trailers, six "way–matics" or mobile draft distribution centers, and 150 cold plates. "Having the correct resources can make all the difference in the success of an event, particularly an event the size of Lollapalooza," explains Flynn.
Proceeds from Lollapalooza benefited the Parkways Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing Chicago’s public spaces.
CITY Beverage–Chicago is an affiliate of Soave Enterprises, L.L.C., www.soave.com. Soave Enterprises is a diversified management and investment company founded by Detroit businessman Anthony L. Soave that provides strategic planning, financial and other management resources to its affiliated business ventures in the real estate, automotive retailing, beer distribution, scrap metal, industrial services and transportation industries, among others. Recently, Forbes Magazine ranked Soave Enterprises as the 251st largest privately held company in the United States.
