Imbibe 2010 deemed runaway success by exhibitors and visitors

26th July 2010, 12:19pm

The publishers of Square Meal & Imbibe magazine have said they are delighted with the success of last week’s inaugural Imbibe 2010 exhibition, held at Earl’s Court Two.

With more than 4,700 visitors (ABC audit pending) attending over the two days, the exciting new drinks trade exhibition bought together premium drinks brands and key on-trade decision makers keen to improve their drinks offering and knowledge.

The aisles and stands were bustling with bartenders, sommeliers, restaurant managers, food and beverage managers plus all the top names in the drinks industry enjoying a variety of special features and sessions.

More than 40 tastings and seminars were held, les by some of the leading lights in the drinks industry, including Jake Burger, Peter McCombie MW, Dave Broom, JJ Goodman, Christine Parkinson, Wayne Collins, Richard Bampfield MW and many more.

Business-focused features proved a massive hit, with insightful talks from some of the leading names in the industry including Jonathan Downey, Si Ord, Mal Evans and others gave advice to an engrossed audience eager to learn about opening and expanding a chain. Talks on using social media to increase sales were some of the most popular, with attendees packing out the Liquid Profits zone, as well as the corridors nearby.

The atmosphere at Centre Stage was buzzing, drawing large audiences on both days. Cheers from the crowd were heard throughout Earls Court Two for the hotly contested "Superstars Challenge", as sommeliers took on bartenders in a series of precision tasks. Once again the bartenders re-instated their dominance, holding onto the title for a second year in a row.

Imbibe 2010 marketing manager Rachel Harty, commented on the success of the show saying: "We were thrilled to see so many on-trade drinks buyers at Imbibe 2010, as they're notoriously a difficult audience to attract. It's testament to Imbibe's influence as the market-leading drinks magazine that so many of the key players trusted us to put on a drinks exhibition worth attending. Feedback from both visitors and exhibitors has been incredibly positive, so we're now focusing on progressing onwards and upwards for 2011."

Click here to submit a comment!

Have your say!

To comment on this article, simply enter your name and email and send us your views. Please note that your comment will appear publicly below this article once it has been processed. For enquiries please email info@eatoutmagazine.co.uk.