There really is no other way to say it – the 31st annual Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show was incredible! We want thank all of the outstanding attendees, speakers, exhibitors , celebrities, and networking venues that made the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Show as fabulous as our host city itself, Las Vegas. It was truly an honor to have had you all at the Big Show. There was so much to see and do that we decided to provide a recap of the highlights for those of you who were at #NCBShow2016 as well as those of you who couldn’t make it. To the latter, we hope to see you March 27 through 29 next year
The first day of the Big Show was loaded with education, from pro workshops to certification training to off-site training Commonwealth in downtown Las Vegas and Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub. Jimmy Bernstein of Howl at the Moon delivered an inspiring keynote and our 2015 Bartender of the Year, Steve Schneider of world-famous cocktail bar Employees Only, presented the winner of this year’s award to Nectaly Mendoza of Vegas cocktail destination Herbs & Rye. There was also a fantastic panel consisting of Bar Rescue experts Chef Duffy and Russell Davis (who have partnered for the RoadRash Podcast), Brad Bohannan of Spirits on Bourbon, and designer Nancy Hadley. Thom Greco moderated this “Ask the Experts” panel , during which we learned where the panelists think the industry is headed and attendees were given the opportunity to ask the experts for their advice on various operations topics. Comedians Ron White and Alex Reymundo made a surprise appearance on stage and introduced their entry into the industry with their product Number Juan Tequila. The evening was all about our Welcome Kickoff Party at Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay with ‘80s cover band Spazmatics, the Super Premium Networking Reception at Hyde inside Bellagio, and Marquee at The Cosmopolitan for a Juicy J performance.
It was no surprise that the opening day of our biggest Expo Floor yet was packed with attendees. Chef Duffy “duffified” the red carpet, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman declared March 8 Nightclub & Bar Show Day, and Chazz Palminteri, Academy Award winning actor, producer, and partner of BiVi Vodka, cut the ribbon to open the Expo Floor. And our celebrity appearances didn’t stop at the red carpet. Celebrity chef Cat Cora paired with Nightclub & Bar Show favorite Tobin Ellis of BarMagic for a question-and-answer structured keynote session. This marked the first time ever that an Iron Chef was featured at the Big Show and Chef Cora provided excellent insight into food pairing and cocktails. There was also great off-site training at Herbs & Rye, the Las Vegas cocktail lounge and restaurant owned by 2016 Bartender of the Year winner Nectaly Mendoza, and inside Light at Mandalay Bay. The second night was capped off by LAVO Casino Club inside Palazzo and a performance by Major Lazer inside XS at Encore.
The Expo Floor and education session rooms were packed until the end of the final day of the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Show. Connections were solidified on the Expo Floor and booths were jam packed. The Big Show put the exclamation point on the final night of networking events with our Downtown Backyard Bash at the Gold Spike with cover band Those Party Bros, and Baauer whipped attendees into a frenzy inside Light at Mandalay Bay with a guest appearance by Ludacris.
We hope all of our attendees enjoyed themselves and took advantage of our workshops, certification and off-site training opportunities, and education sessions. Each year we strive to provide the pinnacle of industry education while providing an environment in which professional relationships can flourish. Save the dates – March 27 to 29, 2017 – because we’re going to do it all again, bigger and better!