When my friend Brian West, owner of the Milwaukee alcohol magazine Alcoholmanac, handed me an invite to an alcohol trade show hosted by River City Brands at a local Harley Davidson dealership I was pretty excited. When he asked me to do a bit of photography for his magazine and River City Brands of the event I was even more excited. Booze, friends, photography, what else could I ask for?
What I had imagined the event would like be didn’t hold a candle to the actual thing. The River City Brands 2010 
Holiday Trade Show brought in the good stuff and gave it out free. Yes, free. Craft beers, fine wines, aged liquors, if you held out your hand someone passed you a cup of something tasty. To keep your stomach settled there was a great selection of delicious snacks including hand crafted chocolate from a shop called Atomic Chocolate made by a guy named Sean Henninger.
Since I was on the job, not to mention driving, drinking for me was kept to a minimum but I still got my fare share of connoisseur-like tasting in. From 6pm until just after 9pm to the beat of a live DJ the crowd and I moved around searching for the next ‘best beer.’
Most of the booths were busy all night with a steady line of people coming through but there was one location that never had a moments break. I think it might have been the high quality tequila she was pouring but I’m not quite sure.
Overall it was a great night with brewers, vendors, and customers all having a good time. Afterwards most of the crowd headed next door to a bar for a S.I.N (service industry night). Cheap drinks, loud music, pool tables, the fact that it was Monday night didn’t stop anyone from enjoying themselves.
The River City Brands 2010 Holiday Trade Show was a success with around 30 manufactures on the floor and hundreds of guests. I can’t wait to see what next year is like.
Need event photography or coverage let me know!
Related posts:
