Nightclub & Bar Show capped off opening night with major news. After 35 years, North America’s premier industry event is evolving. Say goodbye to the Nightclub & Bar Show you knew, and hello to the brand-new Bar & Restaurant Expo.
Tim McLucas, Vice President of Bar & Restaurant Group, made the announcement tonight at the show’s first-ever Food Festival. McLucas revealed the new brand, Bar & Restaurant Expo, with a little help from Las Vegas’ own The Drumbots, the official Drum Line of the NHL Vegas Golden Nights. The Drumbots played the expo crowd into the Food Festival area, where McLucas surprised them with the news.
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“This rebrand will open the door to the vast food and restaurant segment of industry and allow us to explore new opportunities in the food and beverage industry,” said McLucas. “As the bar, nightlife and restaurant business authority, the repositioning to Bar & Restaurant Expo allows us to create new opportunities for important business growth tied to new customer expectations and an enhanced guest experience.”
As McLucas finished his announcement, the logo changed and thousands of balloons cascaded down from the ceiling to the beats of The Drumbots.
It was an emotional moment for the Bar & Restaurant team, who has been working hard to bring this evolution to life for so long. The new name goes beyond labels and logos, it’s a tangible sign of the show’s growth. No longer limited to nightlife, the expo and conference program now appeals to a wider audience of owners and operators, providing them the resources they need to thrive in a today’s ever-changing business environment.
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Bar & Restaurant has been anticipating the name change for months, and already started producing content to benefit restaurant operators on our website, in our Evolve digital series and more. Even before the new brand was announced, attendees were noticing the influx of food on the show floor, from our bustling Food & Beverage Innovation Center, to the Food Festival, and even the newly-launched Sports Bar was demonstrating accessible equipment (hello tabletop pizza ovens!) that help operators quickly bring revenue-boosting menu items to their venues.
Next year’s Bar & Restaurant Expo will welcome food buyers, food & beverage directors, food distributors, chefs and other key stakeholders within the food service sector. Want to find out more? Head to barandrestaurantexpo.com for more details, and sign up for early bird rates for the 2022 event – happening March 21 – 23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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