Bar Convent Berlin hails record visitor numbers

A record number of visitors and exhibitors attended Bar Convent Berlin this week following the trade show’s acquisition by Reed Exhibitions.

This year’s Bar Convent Berlin saw a significant uplift in visitor and exhibitor numbers

Taking place from Tuesday 6 October to Wednesday 7 October at Station Berlin, the show saw a 30% uplift in exhibitor numbers to 268, and a 20% growth of visitors to 11,280 – 9,621 of which were trade members.

According to a representative survey conducted by an independent market research company, a significant number of visitors came from Scandinavia, the UK and Eastern Europe.

This was the first BCB event since the company was acquired by Reed Exhibitions in February this year.

International bar and trade experts including Alex Kratena, Ryan Chetiyawardana, Gaz Regan, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Edgar Harden and Dave Broom hosted a range of seminars, demonstrations and tastings.

Trade bodies the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, Shokokai Japan and the Brazilian Institute of Cachaça also attended the event, which featured Brazil as its Country of Honour.

“Internationality begets quality,” said BCB director Petra Lassahn. “The BCB continues to elevate its international relevance as a central industry and business event.”

This year, the show also introduced the Brand Starter forum in collaboration with Distill Ventures – a start-up investment scheme launched by Diageo and Independents United – consisting of a number of seminars targeted towards budding drinks entrepreneurs.

This year, the exhibition was expanded to accommodate growing demand, while a new “Made in GSA” area was introduced in partnership with Mixology magazine to showcase products from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Dedicated beer-focused forum Brew Berlin was also staged in a dedicated space for the first time, featuring both large and small brands.

“BCB managed to further enhance its clear and unmistakable profile in the premium segment – which is something that’s increasingly being honoured by the market and making waves internationally”, said Jens Hasenbein, one of the three co-founders of the BCB and managing director of Bar Convent GmbH.

The next BCB will take place on 11 and 12 October 2016, again at Station Berlin.

BCB recently revealed to The Spirits Business its plans to launch additional shows around the world, starting with China in 2016 and later Latin America.