Copyright. Intellectual property. Media savvy. ROI. Licensing contracts. PowerPoint presentations. Not exactly topics you’d expect a group of bartenders to bandy about, but bandy they did during the Professional Series at Tales of the Cocktail Wednesday in New Orleans.

The series presenters took on some of the more serious issues that arise from the growing celebrity of bartenders and mixologists, and the professional savvy required to navigate those waters effectively. As one attendee put it, “When you’re learning to mix drinks, they don’t teach you what to do when someone shoves a microphone in your face and a camera is rolling.” With more drink pros taking the road chefs took years ago – consulting, opening new bars centered around their own persona, getting involved in media deals and developing programs for events and corporations – the need for business and media savvy is increasing, as are opportunities to get burned. In fact, many of the presenters and panelists shared their business battle scars to help their bartending brethren avoid the same mistakes.

Professional business skill development was the focus of several sessions, with lawyers Riley Lagesen and Sheila Morrison among the experts covering intellectual property; Lagesen returned to the mic to address the fine art of deal negotiation. Journalists Camper English and Jennifer English schooled attendees on being interviewed for print, radio and television, and guidelines for delivering great presentations was offered up by Angus Winchester and Phillip Duff.

Lots of people investing in the bar and restaurant industry don’t care about the craft and share the pros’ passion, so protect yourself on all fronts, urged Chad Solomon of NYC drinks consultancy Cuff & Buttons during one session. Such strong words and cautionary tales put a decidedly different spin on the ProSeries at Tales this year. It appears the bar community is one step ahead of where their culinary counterparts were when their celebrity was at a similar point of ascent, which is good news for the drinks industry. If the messages and information shared so emphatically by the experienced set of pros and experts was truly heard by those in the packed session rooms  -- and judging from the Q&A with the audiences, I’d say they were listening intently -- we can expect the broader hospitality and investor communities will start taking beverage professionals more seriously pretty quickly. 

In recent years, bartenders have upped the ante for the professionalism with which they ply their craft. The result is a growing media love affair with bartenders and consumers clamoring for the cocktails made by these celeb barkeeps. Yesterday in New Orleans, they raised the bar on the professionalism with which they conduct themselves as businesspeople. Now it will get really interesting….

Tell me: What business issues are you struggling with today? What’s challenging you – leases, financing, media coverage, partnership agreements? Email me at dcrecca@questex.com. I’ll seek out some resources and/or answers for you and tailor future articles to those issues so NCB helps you grow – and protect -- your business.