Bar Convent Brooklyn, an extension of Bar Convent Berlin, saw over 3,100 attendees from across the world and beverage industry come through the doors during June 12-13, 2018 at the Brooklyn Expo Center.
Attendees took advantage of seminars and tasting demonstrations from leading experts, sampled 250,000 drinks and spirits from 155 exhibitors, and saw 78 new products make their official debut. A whopping 6,000 bottles of mixers from Q Drinks, Thomas Henry, and Fever Tree were used to create 40,000 cocktails.
A number of trends from both the domestic and international markets emerged at Bar Convent Brooklyn, including a return to Tiki cocktails as well as pared down, simplistic but flavorful cocktails. There was also a strong demand for sustainability and environmentally friendly products and practices with larger brands beginning to address the demand for transparency.
The growth of craft spirits continues and has pushed larger brands to produce smaller batch productions and special limited editions. International spirits are also making a push into the US market, and American producers are even giving a nod to Italy with spirits made in the style of Italian aperitivo (vermouth, amari, etc).
Bookings for Bar Convent Brooklyn 2019 are underway, and the show wants to capitalize on this year’s success. “Our sights are set on 2019 and the expansion of this trade show,” said Paula November, Vice President of Reed Exhibitions, in a press release. “Our increased presence in 2019 at the Greenpoint Terminal will allow Bar Convent to incorporate additional exhibitors, more seminar panels and speakers, and new experiential spaces and lounges.”
BarConventBrooklyn.com