By Nicola Walker
There will certainly be something for UK bartenders to look forward to this year as international trade fair organiser RX are bringing BCB, the world’s largest bar and beverage trade show, to London.
It has already put on several successful events worldwide including events in Brooklyn, Sao Paulo and Singapore and, on the 30th of June until the 1st of July 2025, it will be introducing BCB London to their portfolio. This will be held at the Tobacco Dock in Wapping and will take over from what was formerly Imbibe Live.
I was invited to BCB in Berlin last October to discover for myself why this is one of the largest and most talked about bar industry trade shows the world has to offer. The three-day event at the Messe Berlin exhibition halls attracted a diverse range of industry professionals from 87 countries across the world.
Bartenders, brand owners and retailers attended making it the place to be, not just for networking, but for learning about product innovation and what the drinks trends are globally. There were six halls packed with over 500 exhibitors, brands and partners. You certainly couldn’t run out of things to see and explore!
There were also various bars where you could procure a cocktail and sip it leisurely while you browsed the stalls. One of the first I came across was the De Kuyper bar where I was informed by Global Brand Ambassador Max de Smit that they had served nearly 1000 cocktails in the first day alone.
The Main Stage offered a packed programme of interesting talks including subjects such as sustainability, winding down after shift and creating a community. My two favourites were the appropriately named ‘Freak in The Sheets’ (don’t worry, it was about Excel!) and ‘Femme-Forward Business Negotiation’ which featured Edinburgh resident and cofounder of the Ada Coleman Project, Kaitlin Wilkes-Back.
There is so much going on over the course of the event that it is impossible to attend every single thing. In fact, there was 79 sessions across 7 stages all on different subjects from a staggering 134 speakers.
More than 15,000 visitors attended and although the focus was mainly on continental brands, I was pleased to see a few Scottish brands exhibiting and their stands were amongst the busiest. They including Bruichladdich, The Botanist, Smugglers Spirits and Distilled Beverages. I’m sure the London event will showcase many more Scottish and British brands.
Other highlights within the event included a Low and No Bar hosted by Amaro Bar London, the Whisk(e)y Embassy with an educational programme curated by Becky Paskin of Our Whisky Foundation and the SIP area, an advocacy program by Pernod Ricard.
I was offered everything from oysters to charcuterie and cakes to tempt you to their stalls. A drink called Liquid Cocaine by the Monaco Cartel certainly had everyone talking about their coffee liqueur and had branding including slogans like ‘Please don’t snort liquid cocaine’ – I’m not sure if they would get away with this marketing in the UK!
One of the great things about these trips are the people you meet and I was lucky to be accompanied by American influencers Jordan Hughes (@highproofpreacher) and Chris Leavitt (@notjustabartender). Although I did spend some of my time managing queues of eager bartenders who wanted a selfie with them, their company was wonderful, and they definitely got me into all the best parties!
This event is not just about the conference itself as the entire city of Berlin became a hub for bartenders, guest shifts and some great brand parties. I went to the Jagermeister party at Le Jardin and bumped into Glasgow’s Johnny Morrison on a guest shift who was truly representing Scotland by slinging out cocktails whilst wearing a kilt!
On the last evening, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend The Grand Campari Hotel, a takeover by Campari of the entire Soho House Berlin which featured different bars showcasing the art of hospitality from all around the world. My new influencer friends had ensured that we were fortunate enough to be invited to the VIP area which was fully 1920s inspired and featured decadent décor, a wonderful Italian jazz singer and a martini trolley.
A nice touch was the presentation of a beautiful, signed book from The Connaught Bar in London, a wonderful memento of the event.
The whole experience was a memory to be treasured and after the spectacular event in Berlin, I will be counting down the days to see what BCB do in London. The knowledge you can gain here is phenomenal and there is a real focus on education as well as sampling all the great drinks. I recommend you consider checking it out and I will certainly be first in line!