Questex’s Vibe Conference, the only event exclusively dedicated to the on-premise national account beverage industry across restaurants, hotels, casinos, cruise lines, airlines and concessionaires, had its highest sponsor engagement and attendance since its inception 17 years ago.
Held February 23–25 at the Town & Country Resort in San Diego, the 2026 conference welcomed a record number of attendees including national and regional chain restaurants, hotels, cruise lines, airlines, casinos, and concessionaire with operator attendance up year over year and 30% of attendees experiencing Vibe for the first time — a strong indicator of the event’s continued expansion and relevance across the beverage ecosystem.
This year’s strategic focus centered on engaging new national and regional on-premise operators with 10+ units — a segment that saw notable growth. Attending companies included industry powerhouses such as Applebee’s, Red Lobster, AMC Theatres, American Airlines, Carnival, Sodexo, Marriott, Darden, Hyatt, Delaware North, IHG, United Airlines, Texas Roadhouse, Auberge Resorts, Live Nation, P.F. Chang’s, Royal Caribbean, and Vail Resorts, among many others.
Guided by the theme “Future Forward,” Vibe delivered a highly curated agenda designed to equip beverage leaders with actionable insights across AI, customer loyalty, beverage programming, flavor trends, menu strategy and consumer behavior to drive profitability and innovation.
“This year’s Vibe Conference demonstrated the strength and resilience of the on-premise beverage community,” said Brandy Rand, Vice President/Market Leader, Hospitality Group, Questex. “With record operator growth, an influx of new companies, and a powerful lineup of C-suite leaders, Vibe continues to be the industry’s most important platform for beverage strategy, connection and growth.”
Elevated Programming with Industry-Defining Voices
A renewed focus on fresh perspectives and top-of-mind content resulted in one of the strongest speaker lineups in Vibe history, featuring influential executives and thought leaders including:
- Sam Bakshandehpour, CEO, President of Bilt and former CEO of José Andrés Group
- Alex Boerger, Chief Sales Officer, Athletic Brewing Company
- David Kaplan, CEO, Death & Co
- Michael Montagano, CEO, Dog Haus
- Alex Monahan, CEO, Ruby Tuesday
- Ari Opsahl, CEO, Outlaw Light Beer
- Jake Bullock, Co-Founder & CEO, Cann
- Jencey Keeton, Chief Marketing Officer, Punch Bowl Social
- Kimberly McKinnish, Chief Operating Officer, National Beer Wholesalers Association
- Sarah DaVanzo, Global Chief Innovation Officer & Head of Foresight, Porter Novelli
- Anthony Giglio, Contributing Editor, Food & Wine
- David Ludica, Head of Global Measurement & Insights Analytics, Uber
- Devin Burns, Vice President of Hospitality, JSX Airlines
- Marco Bustamante, Vice President of Food & Beverage, Auberge Collection
- Nels Storm, Vice President, Food & Beverage Product Strategy, AMC Theatres
- Bill Koning, Vice President of Hospitality, Chicken N Pickle
Throughout the three-day program, attendees participated in education workshops, research sessions, curated tastings and high-level networking experiences designed to foster deal-making and collaboration.
Giving Back to the Industry
CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE), the 501(c)(3) national nonprofit founded by members of the beverage community and the official charity partner of the Vibe Conference, once again played an important role onsite. Through activations, auctions, and attendee generosity, the Vibe community came together to support families in the food and beverage industry facing terminal illness or sudden loss — reinforcing the industry’s deep commitment to taking care of its own.
Contact us now to secure your program for the 2027 Vibe Conference:
Elliot Howell, Sales Director, ehowell@questex.com
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