This July, London Cocktail Week will welcome the teams behind the festival’s 200-strong bar line-up to participate in its new Futureproofing London Bars event. This full-day programme of discussion and listening sessions is organised in partnership with Diageo and City Hall. On Monday 8th July, the event, hosted in Diageo’s headquarters in Soho, will run a series of free-to-attend conversations – including a keynote presentation by Night Czar, Amy Lamé – and one-on-one sessions with the newly launched GROW London, designed to help develop the future of London hospitality and its world-leading bar scene.
The community day aims to bring together operators and owners from London Cocktail Week’s bar partners, putting those working in London’s bars at the forefront of the dialogue with City Hall about the hospitality scene and its future. The community-focused sessions will address the evolving needs of the London bar scene, with topics including diversity, business development, brand education sessions, and the position of London Cocktail Week as a force for supporting the community. The aim of the events is to build out actionable steps towards creating a more positive industry society by 2030, underpinned by the ethos that hospitality is fundamentally a force for good.
The day will create a space for two-way conversations. Events will include a listening session with Amy Lamé, contributing towards a ‘landscape’ report by City Hall; a talk on how bar partners can make the most of London Cocktail Week commercially; and listening sessions exploring how the festival can develop to better support its community. Wider discussions on London’s hospitality scene will include GROW London offering one-to-one business guidance sessions and a workshop from Equal Measures on equality, diversity, and inclusion in the industry. Managing Director of Diageo GB, Nuno Teles, will also deliver a keynote speech, and the Diageo team will offer education sessions on its portfolio of drinks brands. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to receive complimentary headshots by industry photographer Addie Chinn, which will become part of London Cocktail Week’s advertising campaign, celebrating the people behind the bars.
Amy Lamé, London’s Night Czar, said: “I am delighted to be supporting London Cocktail Week’s Futureproofing London Bars event – celebrating our fantastic hospitality industry. London boasts some of the best bars in the world thanks to our dedicated hospitality staff delivering top service and fabulous drinks, but the industry is facing an incredibly challenging time. The Mayor and I are committed to doing all we can to provide support and champion our city at night as we build a better London for everyone.”
Night Czar
Claire Warner, Head of Brand Advocacy at Diageo GB, said: “We are thrilled to host the inaugural Futureproofing London Bars event, in collaboration with London Cocktail Week and The Mayor’s Office. This partnership underscores our collective dedication to supporting the UK’s vibrant hospitality sector, acknowledging the pivotal role London’s bar community plays in helping us celebrate life every day, everywhere.”
Having begun its transition to a not-for-profit model in 2023, London Cocktail Week has rewritten its mission for 2024, strengthening its commitment to supporting and championing the bartending community and hospitality industry. As the first activation of the year, London Cocktail Week’s Futureproofing London Bars event will set the tone for 2024’s programme with this reinforced mission in mind.
London Cocktail Week’s Futureproofing London Bars event will take place on Monday 8th July (11:30am – 5:00pm).
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