Nightclub & Bar Show Floor
Think of your college years, your early twenty’s. Would you jump at the opportunity to go out to Vegas to learn, meet people, try fun products and party? YES, of course, you would!
Well that’s exactly what Tommy Seto, a 2014 graduate, did by applying for the 2014 Nightclub & Bar Fellowship through Johnson & Wales University Providence Campus. The Fellowship awards students the chance to head out to Las Vegas for the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show, the most important beverage and nightlife show of the year.
“To get so many talented industry professionals with such creative ideas to continuously attempt to improve our industry was a defining memory for me,” Seto tells Nightclub & Bar. “The Shake It Up! Competition was also one of my favorite aspects of the show. My dream is to one day participate in the competition.”
During the event, Seto was able to meet members of the United States Bartenders’ Guild who provided him with relevant information on the strategies behind mixology competitions. Seto is currently working on recipes to enter into local bartender competition and hopes these smaller events will be a stepping stone for him to accomplish his dream of competing in the Shake It Up! Competition at the Nightclub & Bar Show.
Nightclub & Bar Show Shake It Up! Cocktail Competition
“The nightlife was uncontrollably exciting and scary all at the same time,” Seto said with a smile. “I have never seen anything like Vegas before. The city literally does not sleep! The nightclubs were extravagant; I couldn’t help but feel like I was surrounded by celebrities. The most memorable night was at XS with my professors. I was enjoying a beautiful night out and the thought struck me ‘This is how my college career ends, at XS Nightclub in Las Vegas ,’ and that surpassed everything I could have imagined the end to be like,” Seto reminisces.
Currently, the manager for Longhorn’s Steakhouse Boston location, Seto – received this position two weeks after attending the Nightclub & Bar Show – continues to go on the Nightclub.com website and read new articles once a week to help him improve and to stay up to date with the latest industry news.
“Everything I learned at the Nightclub & Bar Show is being utilized in some way in my career. This opportunity to go to the Nightclub & Bar Show is a privilege that all students should apply for if they have the passion.”
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2015 Nightclub & Bar Fellowship Awards are now being accepted. For more information please contact Mary-Kate Dunphy.