This week DOTW was in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade show. And what a show it is! We were immediately greeted by pumping club music, hip modern booths and flowing samples of every kind of liquor, beer and mixer imaginable.
Our first stop was at PINK Vodka (pictured left), which is infused with caffeine & guarana, perfect for an early Vegas morning. OK, it was 11 O’Clock. They were mixing PINK with fresh fruit juices created by David, their talented mixologist.
Next it was on to the Red Bull booth—er Club (pictured right). Red Bull actually built a club on the trade show floor! We were greeted at the entrance to the booth by two girls in white vinyl outfits. Once inside, there was a full bar (complete with stools) couches and two DJ spinning in front of a huge video screen. There were also a bunch more girls in the same outfits, some serving drinks and dancing on the bar! It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.
We spent the next several hours wandering through the vast convention hall sampling all sorts of new products. There were also all sorts of vendors selling everything a bar would need. Hand blowers for the bathroom, sound systems, inventory control devices—you name it, it was here. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing in more detail some of the great new products that we discovered at the show.
Just as our feet were hurting, we happened upon the booth of our hosts the previous two evenings: Pernod-Ricard. The purveyors of Jameson, The Glenlivet, Stoli, Malibu and many others hosted some terrific parties during the show.
On Sunday, Malibu hosted a party at Polyesters, a 1970s themed club at the Stratosphere. The theme was tropical (duh!) complete with beach balls and flip-flops for all, and plenty of Malibu soaked cocktails. The night was topped of by a visit by Carmen Electra. See? I got a picture to prove it.
Monday night, it was off to the Palms and the Playboy Club. This party was to celebrate all of Pernod-Ricard’s Brands and they did it style. More on this one later. Back to the show.
We were greeted at the Pernod-Ricard booth by my favorite, a Jameson on the rocks. Perfect! They to had a full bar backed by a huge display of their brands bottles. We were invited into the VIP area where we could rest a bit sample some more Jameson, Stoli and were treated to a flight of the Glenlivet by Scotchmaster, Rick Edwards.
After chatting with the Pernod-Ricard folks and resting our weary feet, we were off to witness a round of “Shake It Up” battle of the Mixologist, where leading bartenders mixed and presented their original creations for a $5,000 prize. It was quite a show!
We continued on though the myriad of bar related vendors, buzzing from the huge amount of energy drinks (that’s a another post) we had sampled throughout the day. Yes, they do work! We wound down the day with a quick stop by to say hi to our friends at JetSet energy and then watched a bit of “Dunk A Monster Girl” at the Monster Energy booth next door. What a great way to finish the first day of the show.
