Virginia Spirits BarPro Sessions
Opening Keynote
The Lost Spirits: The History of Distilling and Brewing in Virginia Focusing on the Legacy of African-American Brewers and Distillers and the Impact they have made in Virginia and Across the United States
Presented by Deb Freeman
Presented by Deb Freeman
General Sessions
Building a Profitable and Efficient Bar Program
Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to worry about profits and could just unleash your creativity and make the cocktails you want to make and then sell them at a price that everyone would order it? Unfortunately, we all need to make money and watch the bottom line. Roger Beaudoin is the founder of Restaurant Rockstars and is a nationally renowned speaker and consultant in the food and beverage industry, working with clients from Fortune 500 companies to small mom and pop watering holes. Roger is skilled in identifying the factors that can help increase profitability and will share his insights during our second general session. Topics will include things like hiring and retaining talent, how product and bar knowledge lead to better hospitality and salesmanship, identifying competitive advantages, the importance of “the basics”, building guest loyalty and much, much more!
Presented by Roger Beaudin
Burritos and Banter
An informal discussion of topics relevant to Virginia’s bartending community. Want to know more about the US Bartenders Guild or Virginia’s distilling industry? Looking for an opportunity to network with other professionals from around the state? Or maybe you have an issue that’s been plaguing you at work and would like to get feedback from colleagues? This is your opportunity for all of these things and more!
Breakout Sessions
Hike along the historic James River
With Sav and Jas from Richmond USBG
Morning stretch and meditation with a discussion on strategies for a post-shift wind down that don't involve a cocktail
Presented by Jim Morgan
Competitive Craft: Strategies for Entering (and Winning) Mixology Competitions
presented by Eric Kozlik
Cocktail competition judge and administrator Eric Kozlik shares insights that will prepare you to enter and succeed in cocktail competitions of all types–from digital cocktail glamor contests to live mixological showdowns. This seminar will help you to think clearly about why you might want to compete in cocktail competitions and then explore strategies for success at scale.
Infusion Workshop- Spirits, Syrups and Tinctures
presented by Beth Dixon
Say Cheese (and booze)!
presented by Joshua Franklin and Steve Yang
Learn about identifying flavor profiles and how to pair them with the perfect cocktail. Noted cheese monger, Justin Franklin, will explore a spectrum of food flavor profiles through the world of cheese and will be accompanied by Steve Yang to show you strategies to create the perfect pairing.