RG Commercial: at the Bar Convent for you! We returned to Berlin three years after our first (and until this year last) visit, for the 12th edition of what is now one of the most important international trade fairs, and probably the number one in Europe, dedicated to the bar and beverage industry.
Born with a strictly business vocation, Bar Convent Berlin over the years has been able to gather around it an increasingly large audience, becoming a pole of attraction at three hundred and sixty degrees; a successful network that allows exchanges, contacts and innovation, within a system guaranteed by seminars and discussion tables, between 'laymen' and insiders from an ever-growing number of countries.
In the first edition of the Bar Convent to develop over three days - RG participated in the first one, themed on trade operators - the protagonist was always the cocktail, a content that goes beyond tasting and the duties of market demands, becoming a culture of drinking and living well, thus a moment of broader exploration; mixologists and bartenders increasingly take the lion's share, among tastings, demonstrations and study areas, each with a dedicated stage.
Italians do it better
The guest stars, in the 2018 edition, concretely put themselves to the test given the world final of World Class, the most coveted competition for professionals from all over the world, which saw the triumph of Salento-born (but Australian by adoption) Orlando Marzo; the award is sponsored by DIAGEO RESERVE, which had an entire pavilion dedicated to it in the fair, complete with a maxi sprouter at the entrance.
The sky was thus (once again...) blue over Berlin, not only thanks to Marzo's well-deserved and prestigious victory, but also to the role of host country, the honorary country of the event, played by Italy, with a number of exhibitors lower only than that of the German hosts; our bartenders, moreover, have an increasingly relevant space, even as ambassadors of the best-known brands, thanks to the right mix of friendliness, competence and professionalism. The Italian pavilion has thus been the nerve center of Bar Convent 2018: minor and territorial realities have been able to make themselves known to the general public, while the most well-known and renowned ones have strengthened their position and visibility.
Numbers and reflections
A few numbers to understand the event even more concretely: over 400 exhibitors; about 15 thousand visitors; 22 thousand square meters of exhibition space. Berlin's former train station has helped, and will help, to export the culture of the aperitif, the tradition of vermouth, and the ever-growing microbrewery movement.
BCB thus confirms itself as a must-attend event and an opportunity for discussion with friends, old and new, who have always been valuable contributors to our work.
Photo credit: Nicola Negri
