柏林国际酒吧及用品展览会（BCB）是德国最专业的酒吧和烈酒社区国际和国际专业人士的高级贸易展览和会议，该展从2007年开始，一年一届，在柏林STATION举行，波茨坦广场（Potsdamer Platz）旁边。该展针对国际烈酒和烈酒生产商，经销商，调酒师，酒吧业主和品尝家或鉴赏家。该展经过多年的举办经验，现已发展成为酒吧和饮料业领先的国际贸易展览会之一。每年来自德国和欧洲的行业代表聚集在一起，进行新的联系，了解新产品创新，并参加研讨会来深化他们的专业知识。
BCB在柏林举行，这是城市中最时尚的活动场所之一，并与品牌演示一起，与顶级国际演讲者，培训课，研讨会和品酒会的一对一互动。Bar Convent Berlin是一个独一无二的活动，因为它成功地组合了所有区分一个很好的商品交易会的元素：品牌大小，并排展示他们的商品，丰富的来自世界各地的挑剔游客，娱乐和翔实的演示，来自顶尖行业专家的研讨会，所有这些都以德国专业的效率运行。
该展会主要面向调酒师，具有网络和教育特色，让酒吧工作人员了解行业中的新饮料和趋势。观众范围包括：调酒师，饮料与烈酒行业，酒吧业主，酒吧经理，餐饮与酒店，餐馆，餐饮，饮料批发商，媒体等，以及经典鸡尾酒酒吧，酒吧酒吧，餐厅酒吧，酒廊酒吧，场景和替代酒吧等。
柏林酒吧及饮料展是调酒师、食品饮料专家和咖啡等饮料行业专家可以开始期待创意思维，令人兴奋的新来者和主要品牌。主办方随着市场需求增长，BCB逐年扩大，总建筑面积达1.8万平方米，并为新的主题和灵感开辟了充足的空间。来自法国的新鲜想法：法国制造 - 用爱制造，它成为欧洲乃至全球业界最重要的优质事件之一。
展品范围(Show Products):
白酒：苦艾酒，白兰地，苦味和开胃酒，白兰地酒：雅文邑，卡尔瓦多斯、干邑、格拉巴酒，果酒，皮斯科，其他白兰地，甘蔗酒，杜松子酒，利口酒，朗姆酒，龙舌兰酒/梅斯卡尔，伏特加，苦艾酒/ 葡萄酒，威士忌/威士忌：美国威士忌、加拿大威士忌、爱尔兰威士忌、苏格兰威士忌、日本威士忌、GSA威士忌、其他威士忌、其他酒；
葡萄酒和烈酒：香槟，起泡酒，强化葡萄酒：马德拉岛、马沙拉，港口，雪利酒，清酒，酒；
填充料酒和软饮：苦柠檬水，姜汁啤酒/生姜啤酒，可乐，柠檬水，矿泉水，果汁，糖浆和浓缩液，滋补水，其他填料和软饮料；
啤酒/精酿啤酒与苹果酒：啤酒/工艺啤酒，如麦酒、非酒精啤酒、老啤酒、柏林本地酒、黑啤、淡啤酒、科隆啤酒、麦芽啤酒、比尔森啤酒、波特、烈性黑啤酒、小麦、其他啤酒/工艺啤酒，苹果酒；
咖啡、茶和热饮：热巧克力，咖啡杯，咖啡烘焙，咖啡/茶配件，咖啡和茶机，茶叶品种，其他热饮；
零食：便利产品，坚果，咸味饼干，糖果和甜饼干，其他小吃；
设备和条码用品：酒吧配件如条码机器、工具，餐具，娱乐，陶器，眼镜，内政，POS系统，冰柜，冰箱，清洁和卫生，软件，食品和饮料菜单，桌布/服装，促销产品，支付系统，成分，其他；
烟草制品：香烟和雪茄，电子烟；
酒吧文学与媒体；
酒吧服务与咨询。
展会报告(Show Reports):
For three days the German capital was again all about top-class drinks. From 9 to 11 October, Bar Convent Berlin again saw plenty of networking and exciting products being launched. Alongside great cocktail creations visitors were also served up pooled expert knowledge. The so far biggest Education Programme ever presented at BCB, catered to just about every wish.
BCB – also affectionately known in the industry as “Bartender's Christmas” – once again lived up to its nickname this year. For three days, a total of around 15,000 visitors from 91 countries tasted high-quality drinks, did business and took advantage of the varied education programme in the Berlin exhibition halls. Needless to say, exchange within the community did not fall by the wayside either. “Every year it’s incredibly nice to see how much our visitors enjoy coming to BCB time and again. You see happy faces everywhere and people from all over the world toasting with each other. BCB is a place where the industry focuses on itself and makes its community a better one – for itself and for the benefit of its guests,” enthuses Petra Lassahn, Director of BCB. A total of 544 exhibitors and partners participated in this year’s edition of BCB. In addition to the numerous visitors from Germany, many others travelled from the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland. The Netherlands and Denmark were also strongly represented.
Biggest BCB education range on seven areas
The most diverse continuing education programme BCB has ever seen inspired the inquisitive visitors. Whether exciting impulse lectures, panel talks, tastings or workshops – there was something for everyone. Like last year, the BCB Education Board, consisting of Director of Education Angus Winchester, bar expert Eleni Nikoloulia and BCB Brand Ambassador Damien Guichard, was in charge of the Main Stage programme.
“The sessions were not only informative and entertaining but also addressed many important social themes in the industry and provided important impulses,” says a delighted BCB Director Petra Lassahn.
Female Empowerment: promoting equality in the bar sector
Women are still significantly underrepresented in the bar community. It is high time for a change – something made clear on Tuesday by the Female Panel Talk on the Main Stage, moderated by BCB Education Board member Eleni Nikoloulia. The internationally renowned bar experts Kaitlin Wilkes, Gina Barbachano and Margarita Sader openly shared their experiences as women in the industry, and pointed out the problems in the male-dominated bar scene – a panel discussion that delivered both inspiration and encouragement.
The DBU also provided a reality check with a German panel on the same day, which underlined this: “Unfortunately, feminism has still not arrived in the bar scene in 2023,” said Maren Meyer, CEO of the German Bartenders Union e.V. and the first woman in this position. She chaired the panel which also took a closer look at the realities and future prospects for women in the bar industry. The conclusion: “We still have a long way to go, but things are already happening. Communication is the most important thing here. We women may and must dare to openly address problems and occupy the space. The fact is, we can work just as well in the bar as men.” Moreover, the best example that a talent for good drinks does not depend on gender were this year’s BCB guest shifts. This year, the evening events had more top female bartenders on hand to showcase their bar craft and mix great drinks.
Agave Hotspot – a hands-on opportunity to witness the trend
Whether already agave lovers or newcomers: only few could escape the charm of the “BCB Agave Embassy”, hosted by Barro Negro Athens. This meant scarcely a visitor left the exhibition grounds without having learned at least one new characteristic of agave spirits or had a taste of what this year’s ‘Spirit of Honour’ has to offer in terms of taste. This was ensured not only by the famous Greek bar team but also by ‘Club Cantina’, which jointly put together an extensive education programme for the ‘Agave Camp’. Gernot Allnoch, co-founder of Mezcal San Cosme and Club Cantina, was very pleased with the results: “The response to the Agave Camp was excellent. The lectures were always extremely well attended, and we can see it’s a topic of interest. There are now over 100 agave spirits represented at BCB 2023. It’s clear the trend around mezcal and tequila has arrived on the bar scene.”
Great honor: Mexican ambassador at BCB
Mexico’s ambassador to Germany, Francisco Quiroga, also took a look at BCB in person: “Bar Convent Berlin has proven to be an exceptional platform for networking and showcasing the different nuances of the vibrant spirits industry. It was an invaluable opportunity for our Mexican exhibitors, and I could feel their pride in representing our country’s rich heritage in spirits. BCB is an ally of Mexican spirits, and for that I am very grateful.”
On the eve of BCB, there was already an official reception at the Mexican Embassy for all producers who presented agave spirits at BCB, some of whom had travelled especially from Mexico to Berlin for BCB.
Low & No-Alcohol trend set to rise further
The Low & No Bar was considerably less alcoholic, but by no means less exciting. The team from “The Cambridge Public House” in Paris conjured up delicious drinks for the visitors, both with little and no alcohol, and showed that taste highlights don’t always have to contain high-proof spirits. Thanks to the charming team and the pleasant cocktail pub atmosphere, the pop-up bar quickly developed into a meeting point for many visitors and showed once again why the low & no trend is becoming increasingly popular.
Product innovations and potential bar trends
As usual, many exhibitors also used the event this year to introduce their new products to the industry.
Furthermore, the winner of the Mixology Award in the category “New Spirit of the Year 2024” was available to taste: Discarded Banana Peel Rum from William Grant & Sons. The spirit made from Caribbean rum was awarded the prize in a ceremony in the presence of the German-speaking bar industry on Sunday evening and staged in the entrance area of BCB.
In addition to the many agave spirits that whisked visitors away on a journey to Mexico in terms of taste, products from the Asian region also attracted attention. For example, visitors were won over by the traditional Chinese drink baijiu as well as sake from Japan: “Sake has a real potential to be the next big thing in hospitality. As it’s very diverse, ranging from fruity and aromatic to dry and earthy, you can pair the different styles with different kinds of food, including French, Italian and other European cuisines. It’s a really fun new playground for everyone from the wine and spirits world,” says Liam Amilhastre-Yoshida, Business Developer Saké, La Maison Du Whisky / La Maison du Saké.
Those taking a closer look also noticed that the bottle designs are becoming increasingly elaborate and creative. Padre Azul, for example, had their artist directly at the exhibition stand as a testimonial: “We want to tell a story with our bottles because we are firmly convinced that the enjoyment of the spirit is an overall experience in which haptics and appearance play a major role in addition to taste. That’s why we also look for new artists from Mexico every year to create our new bottle designs,” says Hans-Peter Eder, co-founder of Padre Azul.
Three days that whet the appetite for more
“Wow, what a trade show! This year’s BCB was definitely a highlight for us, and we are thrilled that so many from the community visited us,” said Claudia Eichler, Trade Marketing Manager Fairs & Events at Beam Suntory. “We are very grateful we were able to share our passion for the art of Japanese hospitality and delighted at the many messages of positive feedback we received. A big thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand and to our great team and mentors. 5 stars, happy to do it again!”
The past few days at the trade show are already generating a buzz of anticipation for next year, when we will toast together again from October 14 to 16, 2024.
