Bar & Nightlife forum 2014 preview

Caterer Middle East gathers industry experts to discuss the most burning issues in the industry ahead of the annual Bar & Nightlife forum

The Caterer Middle East Bar & Nightlife Forum will return on October 7, 2014 at Grosvenor House Dubai and will bring together bar managers and F&B directors from hotel and nightlife venues across the region.

Ahead of the event, the advisory panel — which consists of Media One Hotel F&B director Felix Hartmann; Zuma Dubai and Abu Dhabi bar manager Jimmy Barrat; Mahiki Dubai general manager Richard Haddon; InterContinental Dubai Marina pre-opening F&B director Julien Coron; GQ Bar Dubai assistant general manager Sam Bailey; and 360° bar manager Motorga Heathcliff — came together at Mahiki Dubai to determine which issues will drive the conversation.

Among the challenges expressed was the industry’s struggle to promote the region as an international cocktail destination. Barrat highlighted how international competitions such as Best 50 Bars, and Tales of the Cocktail were still not present in the region.

“My concern and my interest is making the UAE a cocktail destination. For that, rather than only local awards, I’m looking at international ones. The more our outlets are represented internationally, the more sense our region makes for the international scene. To be honest, we should be at Tales now, we should be represented. The more you are internationally represented, the more you attract talent,” he asserted.

While there was a general consensus on the need for more international recognition, the panel also revealed the unique circumstances they face when operating in an Islamic country. Among the many issues is their need to be mindful of the local culture when promoting alcohol in the media, and on social media platforms, often having to use generic terms for “boutique” brands.

Coron explained: “We have challenges because we are in a Muslim country and we can’t talk about alcohol or wine so it’s difficult to promote it. How can the Burj Al Arab talk about the most expensive cocktail in the world?”
Haddon added that the lack of communication in the local market also made it difficult to attract international attention.

He explained: “First you need to be able to communicate to your local market before you start talking internationally. We mention alcohol on our social media and can get away with it because we are independent, but Jumeirah won’t even mention it on social media.

“And if we as an industry can’t speak about what we do to the local market, then it’s almost like we can never educate anyone about the developments in the industry unless they come down and try it for themselves. So it’s quite a difficult situation to be able to market a bar or a nightclub or anything where your main service is alcohol and you can’t mention what you sell.”

“It almost trivialises what we do — we are in an industry worth billions worldwide and we have to make up silly names for what we do. It’s almost insulting not being able to talk about what we do. So we need to have some kind of platform where we can talk about our trade. It’s an insult to talk about beer as a hop beverage or say sparkling grape beverage for an amazing champagne,” he added.

SLICE OF THE PIE

The panel also lamented the aggressive competition among peers in the industry, with Barrat calling it a “gold rush mentality”.

Haddon said: “We all know each other here, but it’s almost like we are sworn enemies. Particularly when it comes to the nightclub side, it goes tenfold.”

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Barrat agreed, explaining: “The first thing is the approach of the people who are entering the market. It seems like anyone who is opening something in the city is coming like a conqueror rather than being friendly.

Aggressiveness will breed aggressiveness. I personally believe that the more professional outlets there are, the more our whole scene makes sense.”

The solution, according to the panellists is more events and networking platforms for bartenders and bar managers to foster a sense of community.

“We are not a community — we get together when there are cocktail competitions or nightlife awards, and everyone gets together and has a great time but then we walk away and don’t see each other until the next time there is an industry event, and I don’t think there’s enough of them,” Haddon said.

Differentiating their outlets from the competition with USPs was also a method of staying ahead of the competition. However, to build a strong concept, operators need to recruit the right people for the job.

To this end, recruitment and fostering loyalty will be another key topic discussed at the event, with Hartmann explaining: “People move a lot from place to place and to build a brand, you have to be loyal to the brand. So loyalty of the industry is important. And with all the new openings, people are always moving around.”

Haddon said: “Loyalty comes when you treat people right, pay them well, give them a good place to live, and offer career development.”

Motorga Heathcliff, bar manager at 360° also highlighted the practice of poaching by new venues, who offer higher salaries. “They can afford to offer more money because they don’t have to spend on recruitment trips, relocation allowances, new visas, and all those costs,” he said.

Haddon also pointed to rising costs as a key hurdle operators face during the recruitment process. “It’s getting harder and harder to recruit people. The cost of living in Dubai is going crazy. Rental prices will literally destroy this industry in the run-up to 2020 because operators cannot afford the accommodation for people and cannot afford live-out allowances big enough for people to actually live on.”

However, the future is not entirely bleak. Operators are investing more money in training staff in a bid to raise standards as well as attract more international attention.

The industry is also working closely with African & Eastern and MMI through their bar academies and training schools to educate their teams in line with international standards, which is beginning to draw talent from around the world.

“More people want to come here — Dubai is getting more popular. The level of service and bars is getting better and better,” Coron sums up.

To attend or speak at the conference, please contact amanda.elisha@itp.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact stephen.price@itp.com.