Business
SQUARE SCREEN
Back to business INDUSTRY EXPERTS IN FINANCE, LAW, TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN AND DRINKS COME TOGETHER WITH BAR TO DISCUSS THE HOSPITALITY LANDSCAPE AND GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS POST LOCKDOWN
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n 1 July, just days before the official reopening date for the UK hospitality sector, Bar’s second Square Screen – our take on a ‘round table’ event – took place via Zoom video call. A group of industry professionals, all with expertise in a particular field, gathered in a relaxed virtual environment, sharing their views, experiences and advice on the subject of getting back to business. Attendees included Lucy Marcuson from trade charity and community organisation The Drinks Trust, formerly The Benevolent, which has provided care and support to the drinks industry since 1886, alongside Raffaele Di Monaco, bars manager at the
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prestigious The Berkeley Hotel in London. Authorities in technology, namely Katy Hamilton from The Access Group and Richard Carter, co-founder of OrderPay, a newly-launched mobile ordering solution, also joined the panel. Completing the lineup was Katie McCarthy, founder and design director of Design Equals, Simon Robinson, managing director of Robinson Ralph Solicitors, Paul Thompson of Acorn Finance, and drinks heavyweights Gareth Franklin, Luxardo brand ambassador, and Rémy Martin UK brand ambassador Jack Charlton. The hour-and-a-half-long discussion centred around key areas, namely social distancing; encouraging trade through marketing, menus and technology; looking
after customers and staff; finance; and the future of the industry. The entire Square Screen video session is available to watch on the Bar website: www.barmagazine. co.uk/bar-square-screen-series.
WhAt kind of sociAl distAncing meAsures hAve been introduced? WhAt pressures hAve surfAced And hoW cAn We overcome them? Raffaele: “The change from two-metre to one-metre distancing has been great as we’ve been able to create more covers. We’ve had to make a number of changes, such as removing tables and creating a
