Day one features Dr Anna Sulan Masing, Kevin Kos, Billy Wagner and Hanna Lanfear.

Day two features Stefanie Hanssen, Anistatia Miller, Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Christian Delpech.

The discussion revolved around setting up the food pairing occasion and heroing food and dining personalities to help bartenders better understand the role that bitter plays in the before and after dinner occasion.

The event was staged in three courses of discussion and degustation, with snacks and drinks curated by our chef talent and Campari Academy team.

The event was held at Shell House, running from 4pm until 6pm, the perfect Monday Aperitivo.

Trisha Greentree (Fratelli Paradiso) and Aaron Ward (Shellhouse) were joined by Jordan Kretchmer (Gourmet Traveller) and Alex Boon (Pearl Diver).

WHAT YOU DRANK

THE MEZZANINE
40mL Del Professore Rosso
20mL 1757 Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry
10mL Campari
Dash Grappa

Add all ingredients to mixing glass
Stir over good quality ice until chilled and diluted
Strain into chilled coupette
Garnish with two fizzy grapes*

*Fizzy Grapes
20 grapes
1 isi soda siphon
3 Co2 cartridges

Fill soda siphon with chilled grapes and seal
Charge with 1 x Co2, discharge, then charge with remaining 2, and leave in chilled for at least 4 hours
Slowly release gas when ready

THE VELVET REVOLVER – ALEX BOON
40mL Amaro Averna
20mL Oloroso Sherry
10mL Wild Turkey Rye
10mL Banana & Shio Koji Caramel*

Add all ingredients to mixing glass
Stir over good quality ice until chilled and diluted
Strain into chilled coupette
Garnish with layer of coffee & bay leaf cream**

*Banana & Shio Koji Caramel
1kg over ripe banana
1kg under ripe banana
.1gm pectin x ultra
500gm caster sugar
100mL shio koji
1gm banana oil

Blend banana and add pectin and sous vide at 40 degrees for an hour then strain off juice.
Skins of banana are chopped and placed in sugar overnight.
Juice and sugar and then mixed with shio koji and banana oil over low heat then finely strained.

**Coffee & Bay Leaf Cream
3l full cream
1l full cream milk
500g fresh coffee beans
500g fresh bay leaves/chopped/shredded

Sous vide at 45 degrees for 1 hour
Strain off then whip it, whip it good!

New Orleans is the world renowned capital of jazz music, so what’s better than a visit to one of the many underground clubs, to soak into local culture? Kermit Ruffins’ Mother in Law Lounge is the address to look for, if you’re searching for music, food and drinks – the authentic and unique tri-fecta that truly embodies this city’s sizzling vibe, immortalized in the legendary 2008 Faoubourg Tremè documentary.

Mexican vibes flooded the city right from lunch time, on until late night; Campari Group’s portfolio showcased its agave best at Rue Bourbon, on the iconic Bourbon Street, during the Sabores de Mexico event. Whether you fancied Espolón Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal or Ancho Reyes liqueur, New Orleans’ most famous avenue was the place to be, before heading for some unforgettable and diverse experiences.

Ago Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani, from world’s number one Connaught Bar in London, were stirring their legendary Martinis at Gallier Hall, to celebrate Grey Goose’s twentyfifth anniversary. Meanwhile at Vals, in Central Business District, a group of world class agave bars paid tribute to Mexican roots. Candelaria from Paris, Licoreria Limantour from Mexico City, Leyenda from Brooklyn and Side Hustle from London starred at the square bar bench, pouring delicious Del Maguey recipes under the moonlight. Tales of the Cocktail is entering halftime, stay tuned to follow all the action.

Carlo Carnevale

Tales of the Cocktail is happening live again, after two years of online activity, and will be focused on “Progress” as the main theme. All throughout the Big Easy’s venues and bars, a number of in-person education, tastings, networking, and awards programming are set to come alive, giving bar professionals from all over the world the chance to get in touch with the best that the drinking environment has to offer.

On Sunday, a full crowd saluted Jesse Pomerantz as the winner of the tenth edition of Speed Rack, surpassing the complete field of sixteen participants, coming from selections in each region during the last months. Brain-child of Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, the much anticipated speed competition crowned the best up-and-coming female bartender in the US, supporting a noble cause in the process: all proceeds of the event are donated to charity associations involved in the fight against breast cancer. More than one million dollars has been raised over the years, showcasing Speed Rack’s commitment to the community, once again.

Surrounded by the two-story, wood and brick venue of Republic NOLA, Pomerantz, currently tending the bar at Smoked, in Columbia, bested Marina Holter from Blind Barber in Chicago, in the final round, serving four drinks in just over two minutes of adjusted time to the jury; Vance Henderson, Amanda Gunderson, Carina Soto Velàsquez and Campari Academy Creative Director Monica Berg were seated at the main table, challenging the competitors with hints and comments, and penalizing them with extra seconds in the event of mistakes.

Monday saw Campari Academy play the biggest role on stage: the third chapter of Perspectives docu-series was officially presented to the American community at Broussard’s, during an opportunity-packed afternoon. While the production was shown in a dedicated screening room, guests were offered tailor made drinks by Carly Rose Lacoste from Bar Marilou in New Orleans, Joy Figueroa and Zack Robinson from Herbs & Rye in Last Vegas, and Campari Academy Creative Director Monica Berg. And most importantly, they were introduced to the “Open Book”, a chance to dive into constructive conversation with eight esteemed mentors which Campari Academy selected through a variety of themes, from communication to spirit production. Seated at round tables and ready to discuss contemporary topics or geeky formulas, this was a precious occasion to learn how these past twenty years shaped the bar community, analyzed through a number of scopes and voices.

The afternoon moved then to Caffè Campari, at Curio, where Italian vibes started flowing in aperitivo style. Live jazz music, traditional snacks and classic bitter concoctions vibed all the way to the evening, when New Orleans’ porched alleys were eventually toured. It was time to “Bring the Band Back Together” at Latrobe’s; six of the most beloved bars of the United States, now permanently closed, gathered their teams for a special night. The iconic cocktails and bartenders from The NoMad (NYC & LA), Eastern Standard (Boston), Manifesto (KC), Nightcap (NYC), Existing Conditions (NYC) and Gladys (NYC) lived again for one more, spectacular, time only. Tales of the Cocktail is finally back, and we will be here to tell you all about it.

Five bars for almost infinite possibilities, to try and tackle the major issues the environment is suffering today: carbon emission, intensive production, plastic consumption, recycling, energy saving. Bar Rouge, which Campari Academy’s Creative Director Monica Berg spoke at in 2019, proved once again to be an unmissable experience for sharing and learning – as always, by bartenders, for bartenders. This time, with a good cause to be served, as the main topic of conversation.

Hampus Thunholm from Röda Huset, in Stockholm, kicked it off, taking the crowd on a journey through seasonal richness in Sweden. From removing lemon from his bar to the immense value of local suppliers, a sneak peek through the courage (talking about harvesting at -20°…) and vision it takes to bring the country on the international bar scene, in a virtuous way. He was followed by Florian Thireau, from Cheval Blanc in Paris, that discussed sustainable luxury in hospitality.

It was then time for Juan Yi Jun, from No Sleep Club in Singapore, to highlight the importance of human sustainability: with a funky and a tad controversial name, dry sense of humour and a work hard-play hard attitude, NSC demonstrates how uniqueness and experience created an identity. Respect and strength, to fight the stereotypes that hospitality workers and service are still affected by, harvesting talent every day. The four cornerstones of green philosophy took the stage, with Evan Stroeve from RE, Sydney: the brainchild of Matt Whiley, this 100% by-product bar (every piece of furniture comes from previously utilized material) pushes to reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink. Waste not, taste everything, as RE has quickly rose to a prominent, open education source position on sustainability.

It was Agung Prabowo from Penicillin Bar, in Hong Kong, that capped the bustling day with his energy and effort to bring alive both concept and volume, thanks to his second venue Dead&. In Penicillin, Prabowo also defends a cultural heritage, implementing neon lights that would otherwise go to be forgotten, together with one of the symbols of the country. Cocktails Spirits was a blast: keep following Campari Academy on our website and social media, to make sure you don’t miss a single activity, tip or content. The best is yet to come.

Carlo Carnevale

It’s the fourteenth edition of the main beverage fair in France, the first one since 2019: hosted at Palais de Tokyo, it focuses on french products and drinking heritage, from spirits to mixology, allowing visitors (projected numbers account for around seven thousands tickets sold) to have a taste of local sippings, as well as discovering the best labels in the country market. Campari Academy welcomed bartenders and enthusiasts at its trademark, sofa-featured stand, before hosting Perspectives’ presentation at Hotel Particulier, in Montmartre.

“We want the industry to fall in love with itself again”, explained Creative Director Monica Berg, about Campari Academy’s global platform’s goal. “During the last couple of years we had to reset everything, shake things up: now we want to think about the future, change what we have done before, teaching new generations of bartenders, how to pursue what they love”. Joined on stage by Paris’ hospitality staple Carina Soto Velàsquez, Berg highlighted the importance of “following our instincts, and learn from our mistakes”.

“It’s a constantly evolving environment”, described Velàsquez, whose enlightened enterpreneurship is showcased around Paris with iconic hangouts such as Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste, Hero, plus Bar Marilou in New Orleans. “As mentors, we have to focus on making bartenders enjoy themselves and have a fulfilling quality of life. Empathy with the team is more important than ever”, citing past experiences and lessons taught by her business past.

A universe where hosts can be satisfied, thus providing guests with memorable, in some cases life changing experiences (as you’ll find in the second chapter, “bartenders can save souls”); the bar movement is growing and developing, led by Campari Academy’s and Berg’s vision and strive for innovation and dedication: “We have to focus on making the industry better than what it was when we entered it. We didn’t become bartenders because we had no other career path to follow, despite what many observers still might think. We became bartenders because we chose to. Now it’s our time to allow the future bar professionals, to live the dream they wanted”. Day two of Cocktails and Spirits is coming up: stay tuned to read about the exciting Bar Rouge and much more.

Carlo Carnevale

Bartenders from all over the world joined us on the stand, sharing their thoughts, talent and ideas – and most importantly – their (often unexpected) insights. The nearby Campari stand served up impeccable classics while answers were given, new aquaintances made and cameras rolling. Make sure to stay tuned and do not miss the final cut, for a look into the mind of our bartenders.

We caught up with Leonardo Leuci, co-founder of The Jerry Thomas Project and Rome Bar Show, and Alex Frezza, owner and manager at L’Antiquario in Naples (ranked 82nd in last year’s World 50 Best) – to see what makes them excited (and not) as they shared ideas and thoughts, and reflected on their contribution to contemporary bartending in the country.

To finish off the bar show, a vermouth focused masterclass by Giorgio Bargiani (World’s 50 Best Bars number one Connaught Bar in London, and Vermouth 1757 Global Advocate), showcaseing the wonderful world of aromatics. Then it was time to hit the streets of Rome!

In what seemed like an limitless line up of guestshifts and take overs, Frezza and L’Antiquario took over Drink Kong’s Little Kong: located in the pulsing heart of the Roman nightlife, Patrick Pistolesi’s psychelic parlour is a must visit addition to any bar crawl. Check back here very soon for a guide on Rome’s most iconic cocktail bars.

Questions, but most importantly answers; Rome Bar Show has been a blast of fresh energy opening new doors to the bartending universe: excitingly just the first step of many more to come, as we continue to search for new perspectives.

Carlo Carnevale

It is the first dimension of the new universe Campari Academy has created for bartenders, applying a 360 degree approach to education, and giving the industry a unique chance to control it’s own narrative. This bartending reality, will be a place where the industry can gather and discuss important topics, such as bar culture, functional design, hospitality and flavour – but also as a first of its kind platform – looking beyond the drinks industry to educate, connect and inspire bartenders of all levels, from all areas of the industry.

Highly anticipated and deservedly ranked as the number one industry event in the country, Roma Bar Show returned for it’s second edition in a grand fashion. With more than 10.000 tickets sold, it is establishing itself as a major player – connecting both the Italian and wider global bar community. The “Perspectives” launch, framed in a subsequent rooftop cocktail party hosted by the Tayēr+Elementary team, was the opening day main event, enriching a schedule that ticked every curiosity box: from Chetiyawardana’s futuristic “poop” Sazerac, to the improbable italian responsibility in Tiki Culture, described by Ian Burrell and powered by Appletone Estate, with a stroll around the Mexican Village in between, where the Espolón Tequila kiosk kept high volume of music and Palomas.

Campari Academy will be involving bartenders and experts all throughout Tuesday as well: the white-and-blue stand will return as the hub for serious deepening and lighter conversation, as bartenders will be caught sharing their secrets, dreams and tips, answering questions and communicating their passion (look for the cameras!). A can’t miss seminar by Giorgio Bargiani and Vermouth 1757 will wrap up the convention with a boom, before proceeding to toast the future in one of the many guest shifts forecasted around the Eternal City. Day one in the books, day two at Roma Bar Show is about to begin.

Carlo Carnevale

What has this to do with 21st century bartending? Everything. Structure 10 shows that the people of the Neolithic valued hospitality so highly that they had buildings dedicated to it. This was large hall, constructed from sandstone flags of different shades, decorated with pigments, with patterns etched into their surfaces. It is a grand statement, made by a people who had settled and established a community in this location, a culture which had hospitality at its heart.

For me, this shows how hospitality is hard-wired into our systems. It is there in Ancient Greece and Rome, it plays a central part in Icelandic sagas. All of these accounts speak of how people gather together and listen to poetry and music, how they eat and talk, their cups of wine or mead being filled and refilled by …staff. Why do we find variations on this theme in every culture? Because hospitality is a way of binding a community together, sharing food, sharing drink.

So important was this to a culture that in 7th Ireland, every householder was bound by the Brehon Laws to offer food and board to any traveller who arrived at their door. Whether enshrined in law or not, there is so much tied up within this to show that we as a species are naturally predisposed to offer hospitality.

By the Middle Ages, the feasting hall had been replaced by places dedicated to the taking of food and drink. In the UK we saw the emergence of low-class alehouses serving home-brewed beer, taverns where the better-off could indulge in vinous adventures, and inns which provided lodging and sustenance for travellers.

‘Come, sit, eat, drink, share your stories’. Every culture has its own variation on this theme. Though called by different names, the principle remained, that these are places to gather and meet, the hub at the heart of a community. What is the reason that in the UK they are known as public houses? Because they are the opposite of private. Rather, they are open to all, a welcoming space.

The ideas behind the American War of Independence were not formulated in grand drawing rooms, but in punch houses, democratic places where all were welcome, where ideas could be discussed, arguments made, a space for the exchange of ideas.

Today’s bars are equally democratic. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your background is. You are (or should be) welcome. They are neutral paces where life and the world can be discussed – as well as places to relax and forget about the world!

In other words, nothing has changed, even if the emphasis has shifted from those early days of taverns and inns to today’s more specialised and diverse offerings. The reason why is because we are social animals who crave and enjoy company. A bar is the perfect place to indulge in this behaviour. That’s bar culture.

Of course there will be a difference in expectation between the bar in a 5-star hotel and a dive bar. The service will be different, as will the offering, the dress code, the decor – and the customer. Within this overarching concept of ‘bar culture’ there are also a multiplicity of cultures within bars. These could be dictated by theme – it could be tiki, whisky, or high-concept cocktails; by location – a beach or a city – which can then be extended to the way bars reflect as well as dictate the drinking culture of the country. Italy is different to Japan which is different as the US, is to Norway, France, or the UK.

These differences between cultures is one of the joys of bartending. Understanding the rules and manners, techniques and habits of the world’s bars is to explore the richness of being human and it is this which I am excited about exploring in the Academy.

Hospitality is universal, but bars shouldn’t feel that they need to compromise and dilute their offering to try and achieve mass appeal. Just as with music or film, customers’ individual tastes and preferences will dictate where they drink and feel the most comfortable.

The most extreme example of this is Tokyo’s bar district of Golden Gai, where each of its 270 bars, most of which can only seat a maximum of 10 people, has its own theme – it could be free jazz, punk rock, black & white movies, or hard-boiled fiction. Every cultural niche is covered here. You find where you best fit in.

And yet for all this diversity in bar types around the world, the same principles apply. The welcome, the question and the response, the delivery. Bartenders set the mood, they conduct. They are therapists, friends, confidants, but without imposing themselves. They control and yet they also serve. It’s a fascinating role.
The bartender is the conductor, the all-seeing eye stopping some things happening, and starting others. The space is for the guests, not a set for their ego to rampage through. It means that if you are pouring a beer or a glass of water that it is done with the same care as the most complex of cocktails. The customer wants a drink? You give them the best drink you can.

It comes back to understanding that democratic/neutral space. It means being able to read a room and people’s moods, and then responding in the right way. It is more than making drinks. It is about making everyone welcome, whether they want to sit quietly or have a fun time. It’s stopping thinking of them as customers and starting to see them as guests. That’s hospitality.

This is also what, I believe, underpins the Campari Academy. Other initiatives have looked at serves, at educating about brands and liquid, but no-one to my knowledge has stepped back in order to see this bigger and more complex picture. Maybe the fact that it is complex might be the reason for that.

Production is fascinating, as are ways in which drinks can be made, but by keeping the conversation at the level of brand the nature of hospitality is forgotten. How to use it in drinks is obviously valid, ways of moving the tradition forward is vital, but if we are to engage with bartending in a new way the discussion has to go so much deeper. The differences, the learnings, the shared stories and experiences, what can be taken and adapted. All have to be considered.

Community lies at the heart of this. Not just the communities which bars serve in their varied ways around the world, but the community within bartending. The manner in which the art of hospitality has evolved has come through sharing ideas, borrowing some, adapting others. That also is what the Campari Academy is about. This is an open space in which we can all discuss and learn – it’s a giant bar, it’s a feasting hall.

One of the driving forces behind the Academy is finding new ways to speak about bartending, community, and culture. It is about looking forward and not simply being tied to the past. The idea that, ‘it has always been done this way, therefore it cannot change’ results in a craft (and bartending is a craft) becoming ossified. There should be a conscious need to move things forward.

The counter-balance to that is that we can only do this by understanding and respecting the past and where we have come from. It might seem strange to go as far back as the Neolithic, but I think it’s important to understand that what we are doing 5,000 years later is part of who we are, that we are part of a continuum. The nature of the job has changed, bars and bartending has evolved, but the principles of hospitality are unchanged.

The Academy takes an holistic view of hospitality, the way in which we operate, the links which exist, the numerous facets of this cultural experience which starts when we all open that door to that bar, no matter where it is in the world.

There’s a bookshop in Paris called Shakespeare & Company. On one of its walls its former owner George Whitman write ‘Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise’. That impulse has existed in us for millennia. It sits at the heart of bartending, it sits at the heart of being human.

Arguably, teaching is a creative profession, and I believe, as bartenders we could excel in this field if we just put our minds to it. The reason why I sometimes find drinks education boring, to say the least, is because of the disconnect between what bartenders want to learn, and what people think we want to learn. Yes, we need to know how spirits are distilled or when to stir vs when to shake, but equally important is it to understand what your body language reveals about you, how better designed bars can improve your peak turnover performance or why seasonality is more than being able to read a calendar. Together, all of these and many more, make up the intricate nature of bartending – and proves it’s incredibly important to look outside of the industry to find inspiration. Doing so allows us to look at things from different perspectives, it allows us to develop as bartenders but also people – and will give us the tools we need to adapt the ever-evolving role of the modern bartender.

When I said yes to becoming the creative director of the Campari Academy, I had so many ideas and thoughts that I instantly had to take a step back and tell myself to calm down. To be honest, this is not an unusual thing, because at the core, I am a dreamer – but the fact that within a few days I was already discussing internally if I should model it after Hogwarts or Harvard might be a bit much. So instead, I started to ask around.

Through conversations with friends and colleagues, I started gathering topics, problems and ideas of what to explore – and it quickly became apparent that there was a need to find some sort of way to categorise or compartmentalise them, to give it more structure. The needs and wants of today’s bartenders are so diverse and varied, that in the beginning it felt a bit overwhelming to be trying to choose where to begin. Because how can you find something that resonates with everyone and is also relevant to everyone – well, the short answer is; you can’t, and it won’t. But you can create a system that makes it easier to look at the challenges from all levels; globally, locally and individually – and allow them to adapt to the needs of each.

I have always believed in systems and structure; despite it not always coming naturally to me, it is crucial when you want to create something that will exist beyond yourself. How many times have you tried to explain something you do every day – for example why you use lime for this and lemon for that – only to realise that despite knowing it perfectly well for yourself, it’s really hard to explain it to someone else?

This has always been one of the hardest challenges for me personally, especially when it comes to making drinks. The way I work with flavours is very instinctual and often without clear rules or guidelines – meaning it can sometimes be difficult to pass the knowledge on to others. Over the years, I’ve had to work hard to improve on this, and only by looking at it from a different perspective than my own, I managed to find a way to teach how to develop flavour instincts as a way to create drinks.

The role of education should be to excite the power of creativity and imagination, and for this to happen it needs to be both engaging, inspiring and of course; intelligent! Learning can, and should, be fun – but most importantly – it should be democratic and it should be for everyone. The conventional way of teaching the standardised topics we all know so well; spirts knowledge, recipes, drinks groups and families etc alone are not enough anymore – in fact, I would almost say they are limiting our progress and potential growth – and therefore needs to become a part of a bigger universe of resources we pull from.

In the same way that I want all of my team to one day go on to become better, smarter, faster and more successful than I can ever be – I also want the next generation of bartenders to have all the information, knowledge, tools and skills I always dreamt of having. That is why I have created three overarching themes to start with, but within those themes there are no boundaries to what can be explored and discovered. Most importantly – this is just the beginning!

The first theme, Community and Culture, looks at everything from the ecology of drinking, geography and the role of bars and bartenders in society – but also looks at understanding locality, culture and human behaviour through the lens of our industry. It is where we’ll talk about important stuff like employment, diversity, empathy and anything else we need to speak about as a community, in order to rebuild our industry to a better place.

Design and Technology investigates how we can build better, more efficient bars – but also design more welcoming inclusive spaces. We look at ways we can implement technology in a purposeful way – because I don’t think anyone really believes that a robot bartender will ever be the answer, regardless of the question.

Anyone who knows me will understand how excited I am about the last theme, Raw Material and Flavour, where we will explore all the things I get extra excited about; seasonality, agriculture, biodiversity, sustainability, techniques and traditions – and as we search for the future of flavour, we look further and more alternative than ever before. Needless to say, I can hardly sleep in anticipation!

I am super excited to be starting this journey together, and I hope you will join me and the rest of the Campari Academy team in this new adventure where we try to reimagine how we learn and digest knowledge, so we can unlock our full potential.

See you in the bars!

“I have always loved learning new things, and from a very young age I realised that happiness to me is directly linked to the opportunity of learning. It’s my engine that keeps me pushing forward – the one thing I cannot live without – and at the times of my career where it’s not been present, it’s something that I’ve greatly missed.

As a young bartender, I struggled quite a lot to fit in, because I always found myself chasing information- and specifically – answers to questions no one else seemed to ask. I grew up in a home where the connection to agriculture was firmly established and celebrated, and I spent my weekends foraging, harvesting, preserving – you name it – according to the season. It was only later in life that I realised this was not the norm, and that most kids don’t make fruit wines at the age of 10 or keep sourdough starters in their bedroom or learn how to skin an elk at 12. Ironically, when I came to the point in my life when I wanted to learn more about these things professionally (maybe not the elk part) – there was very little to be found, if anything, so I went searching.

Within the first 5 years of my bartending career, I pretty much covered it all; dive bars, pubs, nightclubs, various types of bars and restaurants – only to eventually end up in a cocktail bar. Against the advice of most, I rarely spent even a full year in each place, because once I’d learned what I came for, my restlessness kicked in, and I was off to the next one.
I would roam all the biggest book shops in Oslo, and devour any kind of drinks related material I could find – when I could find it.

Eventually, I would also discover the online forums and chatrooms dedicated to drinks, and slowly but steadily, my world expanded. I started dreaming about attending bar shows, to visit cities like London and New York – and it was actually on my first visit to the latter, that I had my first real bartending “aha” moment back in 2011.

“I came to the point in my life when I wanted to learn more about these things professionally (maybe not the elk part) – there was very little to be found, if anything, so I went searching”

I was sat at the bar in Death & Co – with the sickest line up of bartenders; Joaquín Simó, Thomas Waughn and Jessica Gonzalez – and it suddenly struck me “WOW, I do what they do!”. Obviously at a different scale and level, but at the end of the day, I bartend and tend bar – just like them. It sounds so silly, but it was such an important moment for me, because it made me understand that due to the human nature of what we do, some things cannot be taught by reading a book – they can only be lived and shared.

They say knowledge is power, and it most certainly is, but it is also potential or the lack thereof. It represents both what our industry will look like if we don’t act now, continuing to complain about the lack of qualified talent whilst turning a blind eye to the outsourcing of education which relies only on brands and agencies, OR we can reach that potential if we act now. It is very easy to point fingers and criticize, but in my experience, real change only happens from within, and for that, we need to show up and be willing to work together.

I’ve always firmly believed it needs to be ourselves who decide our own future, because after all, we are the only ones who know what we need and want – despite those two things not always aligning. The challenge is despite knowledge being free and readily available, we also have to deliver it in a manageable format which is both interesting and engaging – because learning can be fun, however, I think we can all agree that it can also not be.

At this stage in my professional life, I know I don’t have all the answers – nor do I need to have them – but selfishly speaking, there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing the impact of knowledge and education, and witnessing the confidence it can give someone who is just starting to understand the full potential of themselves. The importance of having someone believe in you – more than you do yourself – is priceless, and something I wish everyone gets to experience at least once. Personally, I’ve been very fortunate to have individuals guide me through life, be it my parents in the early stages, or some (not all) of my bosses in my professional life, and the more time I spend in this industry, the more I realise that this not the norm. So how can we change that? Well, it all starts with education; because you cannot teach what you do not know.

Perhaps one of the biggest lessons I learned doing P(our), was that if all you have is good intentions, you don’t actually have a lot. Let me explain; yes – we had the passion, yes – we had the network and yes we most definitely had the vision BUT what we didn’t have was the knowledge (how to set it up), the infrastructure (logistics is a killer ) and as a charity, we definitely didn’t have the money. But in the end, we still managed to challenge the status quo at the time, and push the industry into a new format of education. To me, who spent almost 5 years at the beginning of my career teaching – this felt incredible – but it also made me realise how much I’d missed this side of it.

“At this stage in my professional life, I know I don’t have all the answers – nor do I need to have them – but selfishly speaking, there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing the impact of knowledge and education, and witnessing the confidence it can give someone who is just starting to understand the full potential of themselves.”

Which is why, when Campari Academy invited me to be part of this project, and despite having some initial reservations, I was very excited. Excited to work with the team of people I get to work with, excited for what this project can become and excited that a company like Campari Group shares the vision for rethinking drinks education, re-imagining how we digest information and of course that they want to be part of building the dream of ‘what ifs’.

It’s been extremely tough these past two years, and my hope is that we can take all of these lessons we’ve learned, and channel them into something tangible and useful for the next generations, and hopefully we can get back on track to reinvent a
future which is better than the past we’ve had.

Monica Berg”