BARCODE, the new trade expo for the North West hospitality industry, has declared its inagural event at the Camp & Furnace such a hit that it plans to move to an even bigger venue next year.
The North West's food and drink chain of command gathered in the Baltic zone on Tuesday to talk shop as well as restaurant, bar and all things to do with the business of food and booze.
Aimed at hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and everything in between, Barcode attracted leading brands from all over the UK such as Molson Coors, Costco, Fentimans, Beverages Direct, Tags Crisps and Meantime Brewing Company.
Organised by SK Events, it was a logical next step to their Liverpool Food and Drink Festival and brought all the suppliers that help hospitality ventures build their business under one roof. But now Liverpool's ACC exhibition centre is being eyed for Barcode II.
Denise Harris, SK Events' boss, said: “The event was a clear success, and we’re already looking forward to bringing it back on an even bigger scale next year.
“With new bars and restaurants opening all the time, hospitality businesses need to work hard in order to stay one step ahead of the competition and keep attracting customers. Our event assists them in doing this by making sure they’re aware of the latest technological and product innovations in the industry - helping them ensure they maintain that all important competitive edge."
Barcode visitors also enjoyed a programme of networking, demonstrations and sampling opportunities plus a series of seminars from the talent behind pioneering businesses such as Crowdcube, Orderella and Natwest.
The event, sponsored by Warrington’s DJ Drinks, also included a cocktail competition sponsored by Crabbie’s ginger beer, which saw some of the best mixologists in the region go head-to-head as they created bespoke cocktails with Crabbie’s Light as one of the key ingredients.
Here are some of the people who made it happen.
