• Home
  • About PubClub.com Nightlife Pubs And Clubs
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

PubClub

Where The World Goes To Party! A Nightlife, Pop Culture & Travel Blog

It’s A Party At Las Vegas’ Nightclub & Bar Convention

February 24, 2012 by kevinwilkerson Leave a Comment

‘The Show’ For Bars and the Spirits And Beer Industry Is A Trade Show Like None Other

The drink samples are inviting enough but add pretty models and it's even bettter. Photo: PubClub.com

 

I won’t be at the Nightclub & Bar Convention in Las Vegas this year.

Feel no pity for me; I’ve been invited to the opening of a new Penthouse club in San Francisco at the same time.

In my place in Vegas, this March 12-14, getting stories and photos for PubClub.com, will be a suitable replacement who has covered the Phoenix Open, Scottsdale Culinary Festival and other fun events. PubClub’s coverage is in good hands.


Still, I’ll miss “The Show,” as it was once called by adoring attendees. It’s a convention for the bar, nightclub, beer and spirits industry.

But this is no boring convention with snooze-inducing speakers, objects of uninteresting items on the show floor pushed by over-enthusiastic sales or marketing people, followed by boring dinners to discuss the changing aspects of a tool bit or pieces of office furniture.

No, it’s about all about bars and nightlife! In fact, there are bars and nightlife in the Las Vegas Convention Center, blank floor spaces turned into sampling stations by liquor, beer and wine producers and distributors.

Some of the booths are modest while others are massive. You walk up, take a cup or glass, and get it filled up with beer. Vodka. Rum. Tequila. Wine. The shots are small, but the impact is huge, and so is the fun, for you do it all afternoon. For two days.

This is one trade show that is just plan FUN! Photo: PubClub.com
What, your trade show doesn't have dancers in booths!? Photo: PubClub.com

 

I first learned of this spectacular event from a friend. He had wondered into it while at another convention in Vegas. And stumbled out of it. Somewhere in between, he called to say, “you’ve GOT to come to this show!”

And so for the next few years, I did, even bringing along a PubClubette and photographer. They were equally impressed.

It's easy to see the attraction for the PubClub blogger. Photo: PubClub.com
It's not unusual for Vegas strip clubs to have booths, as the PubClub blogger pleasantly discovered. Photo: PubClub.com

 

It’s not a time or place for party wimps. That’s because what goes on during the show is just half the fun. When the show ends for the day, you’re hustling back to the room for a quick shower and change to make it to a cocktail reception. Then there’s some type of “mid-evening” event, followed by a huge bash at a hot Vegas Club.

You’re constantly on the go, day and night. That’s the way it should be in Vegas, right!?

One memorable year, we went to Pure in Caesars Palace for a Stella Artois pouring competition among Vegas bartenders. This enabled us to drink unlimited quantities of one my favorite beers as the competitors perfected their craft. We then hustled over to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville for a great event and eventually sprinted out of there to a Sammy Hagar concert, where we stood right by the stage.

Up close to Sammy Hagar at the Nightclub & Bar Show. Photo: PubClub.com

 

We’ve also seen Blues Traveler and this year, 50 Cent is part the final night bash at Tao.

The first of the big parties I went to was put on by Bacardi O. They had rented out the entire House of Blues – all levels – with Cirque du Soleil performing. You could have any mixed drink you wanted, as long as it contained Bacardi O. All comped. The thing must have cost $100,000. I don’t get to $100,000 parties very often.

Those mega budget-busting bashes have vanished, but there’s still fun to be had at their slightly less over-the-top replacements. I’ve put my arm around Carmen Electra’s surprisingly thin waist for a photo at a Malibu Rum party, enjoyed free drinks at cabana parties and had cocktails poured by expert mixologists who throw and twirl bottles. It’s all part of The Show. I suppose you could say it’s The Show showing off what its people and products do best.

The Stella Artois party provided plenty of samples of perfect pours. Photo: PubClub.com
This is not a Vegas nightclub, it's a booth at "The Show." Photo: PubClub.com

 

Sleep during the Nightclub & Bar convention is often an after-thought, a brief necessity so you can do it all again the next day. And night.

To try and get as much of this limited luxury as possible, we stayed at the Riviera hotel the first couple of years. We would awake and, hair sticking up and clothes disheveled, find nourishment with huge breakfasts next door at the Peppermill Lounge. We would then shower and make the short walk to the Convention Center. Thankfully, this is not an early-morning event; it opens at noon and most people arrive between 1-1:30.

Later, I found it more convenient to stay on the main part of the Strip so we could walk to the parties and use the monorail to come and go from the Convention Center.

I won’t be on that monorail this year, and will miss it. But “The Show” will go on, and it will be great.

LINKS:
• 2012 Nightclub & Bar Convention Preview

• Column from “The Bartender” on Surviving & Thriving At the Event

• Tickets for the Nightclub & Bar Convention

 

Filed Under: People Profiles, Spirits & Beer Industry

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

A Rundown Of The Top Christmas Events in Mexico City

The Road To Recovery _ 7 Key Benefits Of Residential Rehab

Capturing Radiance: Exploring The Timeless Allure Of Vibrant Gemstone Stud Earnings

Search

Today On PubClub.com

HOT NEWS HEADLINES
• Travel News: Alaska Airlines Acquires Hawaiian Airlines
• Beyoncé’s Renaissance Is USA’s Top Grossing Film
• Iowa Bar Gives Away Free Beer Because Hawkeyes Can’t Score In Big 10 Championship

LET’S BE SOCIAL!
 
PubClub.com is a member of the Travel & Tourism Marketing Association, Inc.​, and the Travel Massive chapters in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County (CA). It has been featured in USA Today, the LA Times and other top media outlets.

Contact Us

  • Home
  • About PubClub.com Nightlife Pubs And Clubs
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Destinations & Events

Subscribe To The Party Report

About PubClub.com

PubClub.com is a content-oriented nightlife tourist guide dedicated to social-minded travelers with articles on worldwide destinations such as Amsterdam, the Greek Islands, Prague, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Canada, and more. Top keywords for search are pubclub, pub club, party pubs, club pub, travel pub, pub club night, pubs and clubs and the pub club.
Read More...
Our Terms | Privacy

Legal

Ads

Powered by imFORZA