TOTC announces 2024 dates and theme

New Orleans festival Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) has revealed the theme for this year’s conference, which will take place on 21-26 July.

The 22nd TOTC conference will be held once again at The Ritz-Carlton hotel, located in the heart of the city’s French Quarter.

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) has chosen ‘Inspire’ as this year’s theme, picked ‘as a call to action for the global drinks industry to embrace growth through collective sharing of ideas and energy’.

“While Tales of the Cocktail has evolved in many ways, the thread of ‘inspiration’ runs through the conference each year,” said Gary Solomon Jr, co-chair of the TOTCF board of directors.

“We are excited to draw this essence for the forefront of Tales 2024 to further connect and inspire the global cocktail community that unites in New Orleans each year.”

Attendees to this year’s conference can look forward to a range of events, including  educational programming, Beyond the Bar activations, tastings, networking opportunities and award programmes. 

More information on the agenda for the TOTC 2024 conference will be released closer to the date. Tickets will be available on 13 May.

The 2024 TOTCF Grant Application Period is also open until 16 February. The initiative focuses on implementing programmes to improve the lives of bartenders in areas such as equity, advocacy, healthcare, mental health, education, workplace inclusivity and safety.

Finalists will be invited to present their applications at the TOTC 2024 conference, and grant recipients will be announced in autumn 2024.

The theme for the 2023 festival was ‘Vitalise’. The conference generated a total economic impact of US$24 million last year, an 8.75% increase from US$21.9m in 2022. The number of attendees also rose by nearly 16.27% in 2023, compared with the year before.