Editor: Following is a news release for the 35th annual “Canvention” of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America that will be held at the Westin Charlotte Hotel and the Charlotte Convention Center from August 31 through September 3. Your consideration of the use of this information and coverage of our unique event will be most appreciative. If you have any questions, I can be reached at the cell phone number listed in the news release or I can be reached at my room in the Westin on August 30. Thank you for any coverage you can provide. Rich La SusaBCCA media director
NEWS RELEASE
If you’re a beer can or beer advertising collector and always wanted to attend a big national show, downtown Charlotte is the place to be this summer. The Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA) will hold its 35th annual “Canvention” from August 31 through September 3, 2005, at The Westin Charlotte Hotel and the Charlotte Convention Center. This is the largest beer can and brewery advertising show in the world and hundreds of thousands of items will be on display. Nearly 750 members and guests, some from North Carolina and South Carolina, will display and trade brewery- and beer-related items, including cans that date from the 1930s and U.S. and foreign “breweriana,” from as early as the late 19th century. There also will be current items-from glassware to colorful coasters-issued by hundreds of U.S. microbreweries and brewpubs. Something for every beer can and brewery advertising collector will be available. The BCCA was founded more than 35 years ago by a small group of beer can collectors, but now has about 4,000 members from 50 states and 18 foreign countries, including Canada. More than 100 chapters hold local and regional shows each year. The BCCA Canvention in Charlotte is the first ever for the Carolinas. Events scheduled for Wednesday through Friday are open only to BCCA members who have registered for the Canvention. On Saturday afternoon, the large exhibition floor at the Convention Center will be open to the public for a modest admission fee. In addition to three days of activities on the center’s trade floor, there will be a microbrewery night at which many of the region’s craft beers will be available to registered members and guests, special displays, a formal business meeting Saturday morning and a banquet and awards ceremony, with entertainment, to conclude the Convention on Saturday night. There also will be seminars on how to detect fake and reproduced breweriana and how to write books about brewery history. Membership in the BCCA is open to anyone with an interest in brewery history or in collecting beer-related items. And those include beer cans, bottles, neon signs, glasses, mirrors, bottle labels and bottle crowns. If the item advertises a beer brand or brewery, someone in the BCCA collects it. At least 15 BCCA members will travel to Charlotte to attend their 35th consecutive Canvention and another 10 for their 34th straight! For many, it will be their first. The BCCA welcomes your advance and on-site coverage of this unique event. For additional information or to set up interviews during the Canvention, please contact Rich La Susa, media director for the BCCA Canvention, at 480-452-7186 or 704-375-2600 at the Charlotte Westin starting on August 30. Or E-mail him at rlasusa@aol.com. Ron Jones, BCCA security director, will be your contact person in the Convention Center. Please go to the BCCA registration desk and a volunteer will direct you to him. Rich La Susa, media directorBrewery Collectibles Club of America747 Merus CourtFenton, MO 63026-2092636-343-6486August 23, 2005
