The annual VIBE Conference has long been the top education program for on-premise beverage executives and their supplier partners. Each year, industry leaders gather to discuss key trends and developments for the months ahead.
This year, we welcomed Charlotte Voisey, Global Head of Brand Ambassador Advocacy for William Grant & Sons to join VIBE Conference as Emcee. Voisey has previously attended the event, mixing up drinks at our evening events with William Grant & Sons, but this was her first year joining us on the stage.
READ MORE: Charlotte Voisey on French 75s, Networking and VIBE Conference
Bar & Restaurant first spoke with Voisey ahead of the event, in June. Now we’re catching up with her again to find out her favorite moments from VIBE Conference 2021, and get some tips on networking effectively.
VIBE Conference 2022 will be held April 25-27 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. Join our guest list now and be the first to know when registration opens.
We loved having you join as Emcee this year! What was your favorite part of VIBE Conference 2021?
I loved being the VIBE Conference Emcee this year – what a great experience! I thought the whole conference was excellent and the best part was getting the industry back together to network and discuss the current state of play.
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This was your first year as Emcee, but you’ve been to our show as a guest and bartender before, with William Grant & Sons. How were the two experiences different?
This time at VIBE Conference I got to peek behind the curtain and get the best seat in the house! I had never been able to attend the conference presentations before, and I was impressed at the level of information, I learned so much from. I missed shaking cocktails, I will admit, but we were in such good hands with all the guest mixologists this year.
VIBE Conference always has such a packed agenda, but we make plenty of time for networking. Do you have advice for people who want to take advantage of the networking opportunities?
A long time ago I learned that the secret to effective networking is to research who will be in the crowd and make a short list of the three people you want to connect with. Make that your priority as soon as you arrive. Often, we assume we’ll just bump into people and have time for a long chat but it doesn’t always work out that way. Being organized and targeted gets results!
READ MORE: What You Missed at VIBE Conference 2021
You probably had the best seat in the house for the presentations. What were some of the most interesting things you took away from the two-day conference?
I literally had the best seat in the house for sure! I was very impressed at the level of detail in the presentations, particularly the data, as I never get exposed to that side of trends in our industry. The most interesting parts of the talks for me were the anecdotes and front-line observations from operators, sharing what they and their teams have been though. The pandemic altered everything so drastically for hospitality.
What were some of your favorite sessions, and why?
It was quite special to be part of the moment where Jim Flaherty was remembered and honored with the renaming of the ‘VIBE Legend Award’, now the ‘Jim Flaherty Award’. Same too for Laddie’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ presentation. I know that these types of things do not happen every year so it was great to experience them. I enjoyed all the sessions and in particular, I loved hearing what Kathy Casey and Maeve Webster had to share as well as Elizabeth DeConti’s legal session. Elizabeth did such a lovely job of breaking down what can often be such a confusing topic.
READ MORE: Save the Date for VIBE Conference 2022
What were you most surprised by at the event?
I was quite surprised to learn about all the new beverage innovations that Colleen McClellan shared in her presentation. Many were new to me, and the sheer number and variety was quite dizzying!
There were so many incredible booths and cocktails at our evening happy hour events, it was hard not to get inspired. Did you find anything that you were excited to experiment with after the show?
I never fail to be inspired by Kathy Casey’s creativity. Her cocktails were delicious, and I was most inspired to consider new and exciting bottle styles and other vessels to present cocktails in for events.
When we spoke ahead of the show, you said that it was so important for VIBE to keep up with, and ahead of, our industry’s most pressing challenges. How did we do?
Very well! Obviously, there was a ton of data to show what has been happening and how the industry is faring but the combination of that with hearing the intuition and perspectives on the near future picture from industry veterans in the thick of things is very powerful.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Keep checking barandrestaurant.com and vibeconference.com for show updates and all the latest news. Don't miss a moment of VIBE Conference, sign up for the exclusive newsletter today. We look forward to welcoming you to VIBE Conference 2022 this April 25-27 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. Join the guest list now to be the first to know when registration opens.
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