Photography by Rachel Baird
It was a big four days of Sydney Bar Week this year — there were parties, tastings, the annual Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards, and even some education, like that on display at The Business of Bars Conference held at The Whisky Room at The Clock Hotel in Darlinghurst.
Some 65 people turned up to the sold out event to listen to four great panels speaking about all aspects of the bar business. Each of the panels were hosted by Australian Bartender publisher and Bar Week founder, David Spanton, and featured a deep dive into some great topics.
Say It Right! Getting Results in the Media saw a panel that included Amy Cooper (Journalist, Sun Herald), Corinne Mossati (Founder, Gourmantic), Tash Conte (Owner, Black Pearl), and Sven Almenning (MD, The Speakeasy Group) discuss what it takes to make a mark for your bar in the media; From Bartender to Bar Owner saw Lewis Jaffrey (Owner, Big Poppas), Andy Freeman (MD, Two Bit Group), Pasan Wijesena (Owner, Earl’s Juke Joint), and Charlie Lehman (Owner, Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern) talk about their respective journeys from behind the bar to owning the bar; To Theme or not to Theme? talked about the pros and cons of picking a theme for your bar, with great insight provided by Mike Enright (Owner, Gin&It, The Barber Shop), Alex Dowd (Owner, Tio’s & The Cliff Dive), Jeremy Shipley (Group Bars Manager, Solotel Group), and Marcus Motteram (Owner, Hains & Co.); while the panel for Running In-House Events at your Bar saw Greg Sanderson (Owner, Eau de Vie, Melbourne), Brett Robinson (GM, Mechanics Institute & Dominion League), and Tim Philips (Owner, Icebank Hospitality) discuss how in-house events can bring more money through your doors.
The team from Australian Bartender and Bar Week want to say a big thank you to the folks of Solotel and The Whisky Room at The Clock for hosting us on the day — their assistance helped to make it the great event it was — and a big shout out to the bar professionals who gave up their time to inspire the next generation of bar owners coming through.
Get a look at some pics of the action below.
