The Campari Group has announced the global expansion of the Campari Academy, with a platform for the bartending community to be led by drinks industry icon, Monica Berg.
Berg is co-owner of Tāyer + Elementary, number two in The World’s 50 Best Bars, she was voted the most influential international bar industry figure in Drinks International’s Bar World 100 2021, and has been appointed as Creative Director of the Campari Academy.
The global platform for the Academy will provide a blend of globally accessible digital content, with a network of physical hubs to help the industry come together. Campari said the Academy “takes inspiration from outside of the drinks industry to educate, connect and inspire bartenders at all levels of their career on a global scale in a way that’s never been seen before”.
Over the last 10 years Campari Academy has created a network of hubs in key markets around the world and the global expansion of the platform will draw on this formula and success to bring together bartenders from all over the world.
Patrick Piana, Group Head of Commercial Capabilities at Campari Group, said: “Bartenders are the beating heart of our industry and we want to support and champion that. For years Campari Group has been committed to creating networks and hubs for local bartending communities to engage with, collaborate across and learn from.
“We’ve seen great success with this over the last decade, and now wish to welcome all bartenders all over the world to be part of this movement. We’re creating something which is inclusive and which we hope will inspire bartenders the world over in a way never seen before.”
Launching in May with a series of events in different territories, the ‘new’ Academy will showcase its innovative approach to education, with a bartender-led programme of carefully curated content and activations designed to change perspectives, provide new stimulus, and open discussions on topics and themes relevant to the drinks industry.
The global platform will be a space for the international bartending community to connect and discuss news and trends, share ideas and goals, and grow their own professional network. This in turn will be supported by the local Campari Academy network that will coordinate on the ground activations and networking opportunities for communities in their region.
Berg will lead a team of industry experts, providing insights, knowledge and experience that will resonate with the bartending community and help others to at bartending as Berg does, which includes taking inspiration from a variety of sectors.
Berg said: “Being part of the Campari Academy as Creative Director is hugely important to me. The industry needs educational platforms which can impart knowledge, inspire creativity and prompt discussions which the bartending community can really engage with.
“By working directly with bartenders as well as leading voices from varied disciplines, we can provide the community with a network and platform which currently doesn’t exist.”
Through this global expansion the Campari Academy aims to engage and inspire bartenders in any bar, restaurant or hotel, in any market around the world, at any level – from junior team members just starting out in the industry to those at the peak of their career.
