The great and good of Asia Pacific’s drinks community will gather on 6-7 November for Bar Convent Singapore

World-renowned trade show Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) has confirmed the launch of its latest international expansion: Bar Convent Singapore (BCB Singapore), joining the existing Bar Convent Berlin, BCB Brooklyn, and BCB Sao Paulo events and marking the brand’s first foray into the Asia Pacific region. 

Bar Convent Singapore, Asia’s first trade-only event dedicated to the bar, beverage, and cocktail industry, will take place at Pasir Panjang Power Station from 6-7 November. It will feature more than 150 premium and craft spirit brands, mixers, technology, and equipment from around the world, with more than 3,000 bar and beverage industry professionals from around the Asia Pacific region converging on Singapore. 

Trade visitors to BCB Singapore will sample the latest spirits and cocktails created by an all-star line-up of internationally acclaimed bartenders, with many of the major industry players taking a prominent role, including Campari Group, Brown-Forman, Remy Cointreau, Fever Tree, and Proof & Company, as well as a wealth of craft and premium brands from all corners of the globe. 

“With BCB Singapore, the international BCB family is growing by another valuable member,” said Petra Lassahn, Director of Bar Convent Berlin (BCB). “What began in 2007 with Bar Convent Berlin has become the largest bar show worldwide, and now we are expanding our reach to embrace an up-and-coming bar destination that houses globally renowned bars and exciting personalities from the international bar industry.” 

With a major emphasis on education, BCB Singapore is a unique opportunity for development whereby bartenders can hone their skills and industry knowledge whilst learning from some of the industry’s foremost figureheads, such as global industry icon Monica Berg who will be attending as Creative Director of Campari Academy, which is launching across multiple Asian markets.

An educational programme curated by Peter Chua, Director of Composed Concepts (Five Oars Coffee Roasters and Night Hawk) in Singapore, and Damien Guichard, Brand Ambassador of Bar Convent Berlin (BCB), will feature keynote addresses, discussion panels, seminars and tasting forums on critical areas including innovation, sustainability, wellness, leadership, skills, consumer trends and more.

Global industry icons confirmed to headline the official content programme so far include Alex Francis, Director of Bars at Little Red Door in Paris, France (World’s 50 Best Bars No. 5); Beckaly Franks, founder of The Pontiac (Asia’s 50 Best Bars No. 33) and Hungry Ghost in Hong Kong; Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn, owner of Manahiyom Cocktail Bar and Co-Founder of Find The Locker Room (Asia’s 50 Best Bars No. 78) in Bangkok, Thailand; and Vijay Mudaliar, Co-Founder of both Native and Analogue (World’s 50 Best Bars No. 65) in Singapore.

The event takes place in Pasir Panjang Power Station, a relative unknown when it comes to trade exhibitions in Singapore; built in the 1950s to supply the city’s power needs amid rapid urbanisation, the venue pays homage to the old railway station in central Berlin that became synonymous with BCB. The magic will continue outside the venue with an exciting array of guest shifts, bar takeovers and masterclasses illuminating the city’s flourishing bar scene. An all-star line-up of decorated local and international bar teams, including Flor de Cana in partnership with Smoke & Mirrors and Proof & Company at their very own flagship bar, 28 HongKong Street, will join forces to dazzle BCB guests long into the night.

Singapore has emerged as a global hub for the cocktail bar scene, with many of its bars featuring regularly in the industry’s most recognised bar awards and competitions. Its influence as a strategic commercial hub for the Asia region is also significantly rising, with imports of US$1.8billion and exports of US$2.2billion worth of spirits in 2021, placing it in the Top 4 countries for both import and export worldwide (Source: International Trade Centre).

BCB Singapore is delighted to be partnering with the International Beverage Competitions Group (IBC), which will host the 6th edition of its Asia International Spirits Competition (AISC), Asia International Wine Competition (AIWC), and Asia International Beer Competition (AIBC) in Singapore in September 2023, with the category winners being announced and showcased during a dedicated awards ceremony live at BCB Singapore.

Henry Stonham, Senior Project Manager of BCB Singapore, added, “We are thrilled to finally bring the BCB brand to Asia and provide the region with their own dedicated industry platform, in a city which is consistently achieving global recognition for its cocktail bar scene. We can’t wait to bring the region’s leading stakeholders and talent together and shine a spotlight on the endless passion and potential of this incredible community.”

Further announcements regarding programming, confirmed participants and visitor registration details for Bar Covent Singapore would be released in the coming months.

About BCB

BCB, owned and organised by RX, is one of the leading international trade shows for the bar and beverage industry. Every year, this is where a veritable who’s who of the German and European bar and beverage industry get together to make new contacts, find out about the latest product innovations and attend educational seminars. Since 2018, the BCB portfolio has also grown with launches in Brooklyn, USA, and Sao Paulo, Brazil adding to the wealth of opportunities for the global bar and beverage community to come together and do business.

About RX

RX strives to create business opportunities for individuals, communities and organisations. With its combination of data and digital products, RX increases the appeal of 400 events in 22 countries and 43 sectors. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytical and decision-making tools for professional and business clients. www.rxglobal.com