Wednesday, March 20, Bar & Restaurant Expo, the nation’s largest and most influential gathering of bar and restaurant owners and operators, concluded its annual event, providing exclusive access to the latest trends, practical solutions and discussions led by bar and restaurant industry icons.
This year’s expo programming made distinct changes from previous years, lending a special focus to helping owners and operators unlock their profit potential. The highlight of today’s conference lineup was an interactive session entitled “Raise The Bar,” where top industry experts Art Sutley, Mia Mastroianni and Phil Wills explored the intersections of space design, mixology and operational excellence that together create a holistic and unforgettable guest experience, effectively boosting venue profitability. Attendees were invited to come with questions ready and share their own experience in this collaborative discussion.
To cap off this year’s event, Bar & Restaurant Expo recognized winners of various prestigious awards today on the Main Stage, including the Industry Excellence Awards, Industry Impact Award, and the first-ever Supplier Awards. These awards are designed to recognize excellence among professionals in the business, and honor those who have gone above and beyond to improve the industry as whole.
The national United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG) hosted its annual Shake It Up competition on the expo floor. The most talented bartenders in the nation demonstrated their creativity, speed and skill for an expert panel of judges. After many rounds of this competition, Yolanda Gregg was named the 2024 USBG National Champion and will go on to represent the USBG at the IBA World Cocktail Championship in Portugal this fall.
On the expo floor, exciting live demonstrations by popular chefs like Tim Witcher, Bobby Marcotte, Nick Liberato and more continued throughout the afternoon, with each chef making a delicious dish for guests to sample.
Bar & Restaurant Expo will return to Las Vegas March 24-26, 2025.
