News

National Restaurant Association Show rebrands wine, spirits and beer event

December 22, 2014

The International Wine, Spirts & Beer Event, a perennial feature of the National Restaurant Association Show in May, has been renamed as BAR, which stands for Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants.

The BAR branding will debut at the NRA Show in Chicago May 17-18. It will be the eighth year for the alcohol-centric "show within a show."  

Last year's beverage alcohol show was located in the bigger Lakeside Ballroom of McCormick Place. According to a news release, for 2015, a portion of the NRA Show will also move from North Hall Level 1 to Lakeside Center, becoming directly adjacent to BAR at NRA Show 2015. Attendees will now have the opportunity to experience the two events fully integrated.

"We wanted our attendees to have a direct word association with BAR at NRA Show and its purpose, which is to connect beverage alcohol to restaurant menus and brands and vice versa," Convention Chair John Metz said in the release. "Now, not only the name, but also the location will showcase the importance of beverage alcohol and foodservice working hand-in-hand to contribute to an operation’s bottom line."