South African Bar Show added to Good Food & Wine Show

It will also host the regional and national mixology championships and bring Gordon Ramsay to experience what the South African bar industry has to offer. It will be open to the public from 24 May.

The event organisers of the show say they have identified a gap in the market for an exclusive interactive liquor exhibition that focuses on bringing new consumers to market through experiential and educational interactions with liquor brands. Liquor categories at the show will be all spirits, liqueur, beer and craft beer and sparkling wine brands, with only table wines excluded.

Louise Cashmore, sales & marketing director of Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa explained, "Extensive research and meetings with key liquor industry players have made it clear that there is a need for a fresh outlook on how alcohol is exhibited and presented to existing and new consumers."

The show would provide a platform that would deliver the right number of quality, discerning visitors. There are 130 000 visitors annually to the Good Food & Wine Show, all of which are "lovers of good living" and potentially would be receptive to the ethos of the separate new show.

"It is a discerning platform for all liquor brands to present and market their products to both existing and new consumers through education, experiential marketing and controlled sampling. We subscribe to responsible drinking and enjoyment of alcohol products without the rogue element of excessive drinking. Therefore, there will be no free sampling; a couponing system will be in place in order to sample liquor. Exhibitors will be able to sell their brands at the show."

She further commented that one of the problems with liquor exhibitions is that the brands line up side in competition with each other, offering consumers copious free samples and little else in terms of total enjoyment of the product.

The show is seeking exhibitors who will actively give visitors a discerning, vibrant and informative experience into the wonderful world of enjoying the flavours, taste and smells of prestigious alcohol products. "We want our exhibitors to inform and enchant our visitors with a total lifestyle experience of their brands."

Themed exhibiting opportunities are being offered to exhibitors, with each spirit category being allocated once to each of the themed opportunities. Themes include cocktails (molecular, classic, inter-active); jazz lounge; pairing with food; after dinner drinks; connoisseurs' experience lounge; and party drinks.