ITA/ENG
Are you a bar looking to host international names? Are you trying to carve out your path in the winding sea of international rankings or make your venue stand out on the global stage? But are you truly sure you have what it takes, or that you know exactly how to pamper a guest so they can get to know your bar, your philosophy, and the culture of your country?
After decades spent traveling the world, hosted by bars of varying fame, what I feel the need to share today is my direct experience: a series of observations and unfiltered advice to understand what it really means to find yourself on either side of the pass.
Today, organizing a guest shift serves multiple purposes: promotion and visibility, strategic alliances, climbing international rankings, networking, marketing, discovering new realities, or simply the desire to exchange ideas. And let’s not talk about abstract things: these activations require real financial investments from the host bar and brand sponsors (flights, accommodation, logistics) and, above all, a significant collective physical and mental effort.
Often, however, these dynamics are managed without a precise logic, leaving details to chance. The result? An experience that loses value and wastes the effort of those who travel and those who welcome them. Let’s remember that those who leave are parting with their home, work, and family, sometimes using up their vacation days. And those who host are investing resources and the time of their staff.
Here is a practical guide—a bit sharp, yet deeply respectful—to understanding how one should behave on both sides of the bar.
The Host Bar’s Perspective
- Planning and Logistics: Contact the guest well in advance to establish the basics: availability, arrival and departure airports, and the need for checked baggage in case of bottles or technical equipment not allowed in carry-on. Clarify the sponsor details, the number of drinks to prepare, and, as good practice, check for any food intolerances or restrictions. When you find places that, with humility and crazy attention to detail, execute every single step to the letter, you understand what true care means.
- Real Welcome from Arrival: Regardless of how long the flight was, leaving the organization of the airport transfer to the guest is far from ideal. If you invite someone over, it is good practice to arrange a transfer or go meet them directly at the arrivals gate: the guest will certainly appreciate the gesture and won’t have to worry about managing logistics in a place they might not know. Ultimately, before professionalism, it’s a matter of manners and pure,simple hospitality.
- The Shift Is Not a Marathon: A guest shift is not an endless service marathon. The guest should be behind the bar for a maximum of three hours, not the entire evening. Choose a strategic night, but avoid overly chaotic Fridays or Saturdays: the guest shift is an investment to attract cocktail lovers and do PR, and only risks limiting the venue’s revenue in stations that your own staff could utilize better.
- Invest in Communication: Organizing an international event and forgetting to document it is like telling everyone you have an incredible voice, but then you only sing in the shower where no one can hear you. If you want the industry to notice you, invest in professional photos, video, and social media content. The return on the operation inevitably runs through there.
- Share the Culture, Not Just the Bars: Show off your city with pride, introduce them to local food, and treat them to an authentic experience of the territory. The bar tour is a commonly applied option useful for showcasing the local scene, but true hospitality goes through discovering the culture of the place you are visiting.
The Guest Bartender’s Perspective
- Respond in Human Timeframes: Courtesy begins with promptness. Reply to communications within logical timeframes out of respect for those who are organizing and need to finalize logistics. Immediately provide your bio and high-definition photos for promotional materials.
- Simplify Others’ Work: When creating your drink list, avoid crazy requests or preparations that are impossible to replicate on-site. If a line requires complex technical steps, bring your pre-batches from home or prepare them yourself in the lab. And remember the golden rule: simpler recipes mean you don’t break anyone’s chops and the staff can work in peace.
- Keep Your Feet on the Ground: I understand that your name or your venue’s name might be at the top of the trends, but demanding business class flights for short routes, luxury hotels, and Michelin-starred dinners every single night is making this model unsustainable for brands and independent venues in the long run. Humility always pays off.
- Good Manners Behind the Bar: When you step behind someone else’s bar, remember it is not your home. Learn the names of the staff supporting you, wash and dry your own tools, keep your station tidy, arrive half an hour before, and if necessary, lend a hand washing glasses. You are not an untouchable king: you are a professional who is working.
- Respect and Moderation with Drinks: It’s wonderful to celebrate with the team after service, but letting yourself get to the point where you can’t stand up from alcohol is sad and unprofessional. Have fun, but always maintain class. The same goes for your attitude: no inappropriate jokes or childish behavior. People travel for high-level networking, not to turn the venue into a playground.
- Play Along During Promotion (and Reshare): Whether you are paid a fee or investing in your personal visibility,you are there for them. Accommodate their communication needs with a smile, and make sure to reshare posts,stories, and collaborations published by the host bar. I understand that social profiles have a specific curation or aesthetic grid, but there’s always a way: it’s a basic form of respect toward those who invested budget and resources to document the event and give visibility to the night.
In Conclusion
I may be an incurable romantic, but I believe that the world of guest shifts, takeovers, and masterclasses should remain—business aside—a moment of mutual growth. An opportunity to exchange knowledge, refine techniques, forge authentic bonds, and discover new cultures. After all, traveling to do this job is the greatest privilege we have; let’s treat it with the respect it deserves.
Diego Ferrari
