Reed Exhibitions, which bought BCB in February, announced the figures at the close of the show yesterday (October 7).
Specifically aimed at bartenders, there were 11,280 attendees (9,400 the previous year) of which 9,621 were trade visitors. Exhibitors were: 268, compared to 170 the previous year.
Bar stars attending and presenting included: Gaz Regan, Alex Kratena, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Edgar Harden, Jörg Meyer and Felipe Januzzi.
Distributors and importers came from: US, this year’s ‘Country of Honour’ Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Japan, China, Singapore, India, Australia and South Africa.
Reed, which claims to be the world’s leading organiser of trade fairs and events, commissioned a visitor survey conducted by an independent market research company. It found that nearly half of all trade visitors were international trade show guests, with more than 5% of them coming from overseas. Particularly strong contingents this year came from Scandinavia, the UK and eastern Europe.
“The BCB managed to further enhance its clear and unmistakable profile in the premium segment – which is something that’s increasingly being honoured by the market and making waves internationally”, said Jens Hasenbein, one of the three co-founders of the BCB and the managing director of Bar Convent GmbH.
The exhibition area was expanded and one of this year’s new additions, the ‘Made in GSA’ forum hosted in cooperation with the founders’ magazine Mixology, spotlighted products from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Samples of more than 60 spirits, liqueurs and bitters, plus soft drinks, were on offer.
Brew Berlin, the beer event at BCB, was staged for the first time in a dedicated space in hall 3. Craft beer makers were joined by major beer brands, including Beck’s and Pilsner Urquell, speciality brewers such as Weisse Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn and BraufactuM, and smaller breweries.
More than one third of BCB visitors are taking advantage of Brew Berlin to catch up on beer-segment trends and product offerings. According to Hasenbein, this is a clear indicator that “beer has joined soft drinks and spirits as a pillar of our trade show concept, one that’s developing in a highly dynamic way.”
Exhibitors from 30 nations included global spirits makers such as Beam Global – Jim Beam, Borco Marken Import, Brown-Forman, Campari Germany, Diageo, Mast Jägermeister SE and Pernod Ricard, as well as DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
A survey on business trends conducted at BCB is said to underscore the sector’s optimism: 80% of polled companies expect their business to grow strongly, or at least slightly. Another 16% forecast business in the sector: to remain stable, while 4% expect business to decline.
“Many companies are seeking access to new markets – domestically as well as abroad. We aim at further driving the internationalisation of the BCB”, said Petra Lassahn at the end of Bar Convent 2015.
The next Bar Convent Berlin will take place on October 11/12, 2016, again at Station Berlin.
