Questex’s 35th annual Nightclub & Bar Show returned to Las Vegas June 28-30 and celebrated the resiliency of the restaurant, bar, and nightlife industries at the Las Vegas Convention Center. 
North America’s premier bar and restaurant industry conference and expo featured over 315 exhibitors, 45 workshops and conference sessions, and 8,783 registered attendees combined to include Nightclub & Bar Show and World Tea Conference + Expo. This year’s show also included an interactive F&B Innovation Center, Sports Bar, experiential NxT area, offsite mixology trainings, keynote, an Employment Zone, Tea Bar, Food Festival, and co-location with World Tea Conference + Expo.
The Nightclub & Bar Show also announced that the annual convention will evolve to become the “Bar & Restaurant Expo” beginning March 2022. Significant changes will include interactive booths and improved customer engagement, product experiences with real time operator feedback, and an overall immersive environment. The evolution of the brand aligns with the fast-moving hospitality industry, which will broaden the breadth and depth of the audience of the expo to include food buyers, food & beverage directors, food distributors, chefs, as well as other key stakeholders within the food service sector.
“We are so thrilled that we were able to welcome guests back for this year’s Nightclub & Bar Show,” said Tim McLucas, Vice President of Bar & Restaurant Group. “These businesses were faced with many significant challenges this past year, and the enthusiasm and attendance we had at this year’s show demonstrates that the restaurant, bar, and nightlife industries are back; and have money to invest. We are also incredibly excited to bring a fully revamped experience to next year’s show, and we look forward to delivering an all-new enhanced interactive event in 2022.”
Day one of the highly anticipated show kicked off with multiple conference sessions, interactive workshops, and an exclusive mixology training and competition led by “The Modern Mixologist” himself, Tony Abou-Ganim.
Day two of the show was met with excited fanfare as the Expo Floor officially opened to attendees with a special ribbon cutting ceremony by American actress and model Jenny McCarthy and Bar & Restaurant Group Vice President Tim McLucas. Celebrities, honored guests, and chefs also in attendance included, Sammy Hagar, Rick Springfield, Morgan Heritage members Peter “Peetah” Morgan, Roy “Gramps” Morgan, and Memmalatel “Mr. Mojo” Morgan; E-40 and wife Tracy Stevens; Nightclub & Bar Show Advisory Board Members Mia Mastroianni and David Kaplan; Chef Pete Blohme aka “Panini Pete”; celebrity chef Brian Duffy; Food & Beverage Innovation Kitchen chefs Jennifer Behm-Lazzarni, Kayla Robison, Chad Rosenthal, Kevin Des Chenes, Monti Carlo, and Matt Varga; and Co-founder of The Spirits in Motion, Phil Wills. GRAMMY-Award winning rapper 50 Cent also made an appearance at his booth for Branson Cognac where he posed for photos and spoke with attendees. In true Vegas fashion, the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights’ Drumbots welcomed attendees to the Food Festival Welcome Party hosted on the Expo Floor.
Following Tuesday evening’s announcement that Nightclub & Bar Show will reemerge as Bar & Restaurant Expo in March 2022, day three of the show offered an exclusive preview of what is to come in future years. The F&B Innovation Center led by celebrity chef Brian Duffy featured live chef demos, tastings, and chef meet and greets, while the Sports Bar offered experiential and interactive sessions with esteemed mixologists and industry suppliers. Guests also attended the show’s final workshops and conference sessions.
The Bar & Restaurant Expo will return to Las Vegas March 21-23, 2022.
