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BCB 2024 attracts 15,000 visitors
Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) 2024 drew 15,114 visitors from 87 countries during the three-day business networking and education event hosted earlier this month.
Networking between manufacturers, bar owners, bartenders and distributors took centre stage at the annual event hosted in Berlin, Germany, from 14-16 October.
More than 500 exhibitors and partners attended, with a total of 1,566 meetings confirmed over the three days of the trade show, thanks to an online ‘matchmaking’ tool that facilitated networking and appointment planning on site.
“Important business is conducted in the industry at BCB every year. This year, we were able to take this aspect of our trade show to the next level thanks to Matchmaking. We’re delighted it went down so well and that it made us even more able to help our exhibitors and visitors forge ideal business contacts on site”, said Petra Lassahn, director of BCB.
Education
The education programme at this year’s BCB was the largest in the history of the fair and was enhanced by numerous interactive workshops.
Experts offered keynote speeches, panel discussions, tastings and practical workshops in seven education areas.
The new stage concepts were well received, with the interactive sessions on the Workshop Stage proving to be ‘a magnet’ for visitors.
“We took a close look at the industry and saw what it needs,” explained Angus Winchester, BCB director of education. “Bartending isn’t just theory. And so the new Workshop Stage has delivered countless hands-on elements – from garnishing and carbonation to working flair. The education programme has once again cemented BCB’s role as the must-visit event of the year.”
New product showcase
Numerous exhibitors used BCB to showcase their new products and innovations at this year’s show, with agave spirits and no-and-low products featuring heavily.
Approximately 100 Tequila and mezcal products were available to sample throughout the fair, and the Low & No bar, which established itself as a ‘hotspot’ for innovative, low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks at its premiere last year, proved to be popular.
“This year, you could really see non-alc and low-ABV is in the play,” said Benedikt Fimpel, head of sales export at Thomas Henry. “The big winners, even on a small scale, are low-ABV and no-ABV. There’s a shift in consumption going more to day consumption, dinner consumption and lower-ABV. For us personally, we are under the same investor house as Undone, with a premium spirits and non-alcoholic spirits portfolio. It’s a very exciting turf, rapidly growing and getting a lot of attention also in the on-trade right now.”
In addition to no-and-low, vegan product alternatives were also a growing trend at the trade show.
Marijke Meijer, senior sales manager at Creamy Creation, noted: “Since the beginning of this year, we see more and more brands adding vegan products to their product line. At BCB, we see our customers and get confirmation from bartenders that our products for brands are on trend.”
The Whisky Embassy
With whisky named the official ‘spirit of honour’ at this year’s show, the programme of educational workshops, seminars and panel discussions run by BCB’s official education partner, OurWhisky Foundation, shone a light on the category’s breadth of diversity, in terms of geographical origins and flavour, as well as those who make and sell the spirit.
OurWhisky Foundation founder Becky Paskin hosted a number of educational talks over the three days of the show, flagging prejudice and misconceptions within the bar industry, and touching on the clichéd and outdated preconceptions surrounding women within the whisky sector.
Following one of the sessions, Maren Meyer, chairwoman of the Deutsche Barkeeper-Union (German Bartenders’ Union), said: “There’s definitely still a lot to do, but we’re already seeing positive developments for women in the industry. However, there needs to be better cooperation to address the existing problems. That’s why raising awareness on this topic is still extremely important.”
At the BCB Whisky Embassy pop-up bar, the Collab Bar team from Hamburg, led by Chloé Merz, demonstrated creative and modern cocktails that can be conjured up with the spirit.
BCB 2025
The trade show will return to the German capital next year from 6-8 October, and BCB said that anticipation is ‘already building’.
“BCB is just a massive collaboration of so many people from all around the world that come from everywhere to talk about the same thing – what they’re passionate about. This is what makes BCB so unique – the size but also the commitment of people coming,” said Martin Eisma, bartender at Diageo.
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