One week before
It starts in the weeks leading up. That’s when to look at the schedule of exhibition events, and guests shift or parties around town.
“Make a list of things to do,” says Damien Guichard, the award-winning mixologist and creative director behind the popular Wax On bar in Berlin, who this year reprises his role as a BCB brand ambassador.
Don’t forget any local bars not hosting events too: “You want to check out the scene the way it usually is.”
To bars and brands staging events, he advises reaching out to the right target audience, be they party people or those wanting to chill. “It is not like the Athens Bar Show where everything is walking distance. Your parties are going to be more of a destination. No one is going to walk past.”
Trash Collective’s Kelsey Ramage is a bar show regular on guest shifts and panels. The week prior she lets herself “stress about the dumb things”, double-checking flights, schedules, and that her cocktail prep is prepped.
As for Camille Vidal, the founder of Maison Wellness thinks about the social side: “I ask who’s going, I connect with friends I want to see, look at the schedule for things I want to learn, taste, and the people I want to connect with.”
One day before
Now’s the time to re-check the timings, and plan your schedule. Otherwise, says Damien, it’s too easy to get side-tracked. “You say ‘hello’ to everyone and realise all you've done is check out the booths of brands you know already.”
Keïla Urzaiz de Calignon from Satan’s Whiskers likes taking a break, especially before a guest shift or panel. “If I have worked on a presentation, I won’t look at it or study it, and I will try to enjoy a day off.”
Camille meanwhile pre-loads on sleep. “These events are fantastic but also draining, so I rest before the race!”
One hour before
The four experts are unanimous, an hour before the show is the right time for a drink. For Damien and Camille that means water, and lots of it.
“It’s not that I overindulge these days,” says Camille, “but I often get carried away chatting with everyone, connecting with our wonderful industry, and before I know it the day is gone, and I haven’t had any water or food.”
Damien adds another important task to remember: “An hour before I would just, you know, get on the train and go to the show!”
Bar show watch-outs
“Take drinking with a pinch of salt, it’s an endurance not a sprint,” says Damien Guichard. “Otherwise, you max yourself out within an hour and can't enjoy anything.”
“Don’t waste time,” says Kelsey Ramage. “Find the folks that inspire you, meet them, ask them questions. They want to talk to you and they’re not too busy. Things can be overwhelming, so map out who and what you want to see, and just go do it.”
“Never do something you wouldn’t do at the place you work,” advises Keïla Urzaiz de Calignon. “You don’t know who might become your boss or colleague in the future.”
“Don’t just think it’s a party,” says Camille Vidal. “There’s so much opportunity to connect, learn and grow.”
