5 minute read
THE NIGHTCLUB & BAR SHOW
A Triumphed Return
Nightclub & Bar Show (now Bar & Restaurant Expo) showcases the best.
By Debbie Hall
The joy and anticipation filled the Las Vegas Convention Center when Questex’s 35th annual Nightclub & Bar Show returned and celebrated the resiliency of the restaurant, bar, and nightlife industries to Las Vegas June 28-30.
The first big news is that The Nightclub & Bar Show announced that the annual convention has evolved to become the Bar & Restaurant Expo beginning March 2022.
Celebrities, guests, and chefs walked the red carpet on the Expo Floor before being officially opened with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony by actress and model Jenny McCarthy and Bar & Restaurant Group Vice President Tim McLucas. Then, in true Vegas fashion, the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights’ Drumbots welcomed attendees to the Food Festival Welcome Party hosted on the Expo Floor.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar, on this issue’s cover with Guy Fieri for Santo Spirits, wowed attendees during his armchair conversation and Q&A, where he shared his spirits expertise and story behind his foray into the industry nearly two decades ago with the legendary creation of Cabo Wabo Tequila. Hagar showcased Santo Spirits, his wildly popular tequila and mezquila portfolio with Fieri, unveiled plans for Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co., and introduced his first ready-todrink product line. Hagar also spoke about his award-winning Beach Bar Rum, a partnership with Grammy Award winner Rick Springfield, who joined him at the event. Hagar shared samples of each of his spirits and took countless selfies with fans. Music remains Hagar’s passion, and during a press conference held at The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod (thestrat.com), he announced his first Las Vegas residency at the property, which sold out in under two hours.
GRAMMY Award-winning rapper 50 Cent, on the cover of the May/June issue of PR%F the Magazine, also made an appearance at his booth where he posed for photos and spoke with attendees for his brand, Sire Spirits and Branson Cognac.
Guests for the red carpet included Hagar; Springfield; Morgan Heritage members (Peter “Peetah” Morgan, Roy “Gramps” Morgan, and Memmalatel “Mr. Mojo” Morgan); E-40 and wife Tracy Stevens; Nightclub & Bar Show Advisory Board Members Mia Mastroianni and David Kaplan; Chef Pete Blohme aka “Panini Pete;” celebrity chef Brian Duffy; Food & Beverage Innovation Kitchen chefs Jennifer Behm-Lazzarini, Kayla Robison, Chad Rosenthal, Kevin Des Chenes, Monti Carlo, and Matt Varga; and Co-founder of The Spirits in Motion, Phil Wills.
The bar and restaurant industry conference and expo featured over 315 exhibitors, 45 workshops and conference sessions, and 8,783 registered attendees combined to include Nightclub & Bar Show and World Tea Conference + Expo. This year’s show also included an interactive F&B Innovation Center, Sports Bar, experiential NxT area, offsite mixology training, keynote, an Employment Zone, Tea Bar, Food Festival, and co-location with World Tea Conference + Expo. The F&B Innovation Center, led by celebrity chef Brian Duffy, featured live chef demos, tastings, and chef meet and greets, while the Sports Bar offered experiential and interactive sessions with esteemed mixologists and industry suppliers.
convention & trade show
For more information, visit barandrestaurantexpo.com/ ncbshowcom/evolution.
New WinCup Holdings, Inc. released a time-lapse video and an accompanying report showing the rapid biodegradation of its phade® straw in a controlled marine environment as the world’s first marine biodegradable drinking straw. The video and report are the result of a project conducted by Keypoint Intelligence, a product testing firm, that involved placing phade® in two unique saltwater tank environments and monitoring the biodegradation process. While petroleum-based plastic straws are estimated to take at least 200 years to biodegrade, this project showed that phade®, made with PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a substrate derived from the fermentation of canola oil, achieved complete biodegradation
in just 58 days.
The video & report can be viewed at: www.phadeproducts.com/ timelapse
“We all remember the viral video of a sea turtle found with a plastic straw in its nose. That image showed the world the impacts of plastic pollution, and it also marked a turning point for us at WinCup. We developed a mission to do our part and create viable sustainable products, by exploring ocean safe alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. Our straws are such a relevant innovation towards addressing the ocean plastics issue, our hope is that the phade® brand becomes a symbol for meaningful sustainable solutions for many years to come. This time-lapse video is evidence of that, and we are excited to share it with the world.”
Michael Winters - WinCup President and Chief Revenue Officer
The emergence of phade® straws comes as demand increases for a viable alternative to a traditional petroleum based products. Both paper straws and vegetable-based polylactic acid (PLA) straws present performance and sustainability challenges that phade® overcomes. “We remain focused on addressing the global plastics pollution crisis and this time-lapse video is a tremendous step in educating the world on what an alternative to petroleum-based plastic truly looks like,” said WinCup Chief Executive Officer Brad Laporte. “We feel strongly that the marketplace is a major driver in eliminating demand for petro plastics, and manufacturers have an obligation to alter business practices to contribute to the cause. We are incredibly proud of the innovation behind our product that allows for this rapid biodegradation process, and we remain committed to continuously improve the sustainable attributes of our products.”
WinCup, Inc. is headquartered in Stone Mountain, Georgia. WinCup is a leading manufacturer of traditional and sustainable disposable cups, bowls, containers, lids, and straws. To learn more, visit www.wincup.com and www.phadeproducts.com.
