Facilitating the Beer Distribution Game

Learn how to facilitate our free beer distribution game, for small and large groups.

The Beer Game was invented at MIT in the 1950s to illustrate how difficult it is to manage dynamic systems - in this case, a supply chain that delivers beer from a brewery to consumers.

It was originally designed as a board game. We digitized the game in 2014, and since 2021 it can also be played in a multigame mode with large groups - last year it was played nearly 40,000 times.

The game can be explained and played in a short time - 60 minutes is enough for a simple session.

It is ideal as an ice breaker for workshops on topics such as dealing with complexity, agile organisation and data as an introduction to the topic of data and analytics to illustrate supply chains, in particular the bull whip effect.

Who this event is for:

Trainers, facilitators and change agents who want to expand their ‘game portfolio’. Anyone involved in supply chain management and logistics: students, lecturers and supply chain professionals.

The event will take place online, free of charge.