About This Event

A Joint Livery Event The Worshipful Companies of Distillers and Marketors invite you to a very special evening exploring one of Italy’s most distinctive – and increasingly influential – contributions to the world of drinks: Italian bitters. From the ritual of the aperitivo to the unmistakable ruby-red Campari and the extraordinary variety of amari found behind bars across Italy, bitterness has long occupied a special place in Italian drinking culture. What began with closely guarded recipes of herbs, roots, spices and botanicals has grown into a drinks category with remarkable international reach – influencing how we drink, socialise and think about flavour. But why has bitter become so popular? And how did something that is, by definition, a challenging taste become quite so desirable? For this year’s Joint Distillers and Marketors Livery Panel Event, we will be guests at Campari’s London headquarters for an evening examining the fascinating intersection of taste, tradition, branding and culture behind the rise of Italian bitters. We have a specially assembled panel of four leading figures from across the drinks industry: Mattia Carozzo – Head of Marketing House of Aperitifs, Campari Group Marina Santos – Consumer, Channel and Customer Marketing Director, Campari Group UK David Haigh – Founder and CEO of Brand Finance Ary Ganeshalingam – Former Global Brand Director, Chivas Brothers & Drinks Entrepreneur We will explore how Italy turned bitterness into an international success story – from the heritage and storytelling surrounding some of the world’s great aperitivo brands to the role of bartenders, changing consumer tastes and the continuing global appeal of Italian drinking culture. We’ll also ask what comes next. Is the current appetite for bitter flavours part of a broader change in the way consumers drink? How important are authenticity, provenance and ritual to these brands? And what can distillers and marketors alike learn from a category that has transformed distinctive – and occasionally uncompromising – flavours into objects of desire? With plenty of opportunity for audience questions and discussion, the panel will be followed by drinks and canapés, giving members and their guests the chance to continue the conversation – and, naturally, to put some of the evening’s arguments to the taste test. An evening for the curious, the converted and anyone who has ever wondered quite why bitter can taste so sweet. Commencing at 6.00pm, we will welcome you to the wonderful event space at the Campari offices where there will be time to greet friends and find a seat. The event will get under way at 6.30pm sharp. The Masters of the two Companies will set the scene and context for the evening for our respective Liveries. The panel then, with complete audience interaction, will get into the heart of the subject – and conclude just before 8pm. A complimentary bar, provided by Campari, along with canapés, will allow a continuation of the subject matters raised amongst friends in a highly convivial atmosphere. Doors close at 9pm. Tickets are priced at £40. You may bring guests with you to this prestigious event. Numbers are limited so you are advised to book early. Any questions please contact Event Director for the Distillers Clive Bairsto: clive.bairsto@distillers.org.uk or for the Marketors: Nicola Wordsworth nic@nicolawordsworth.com. We look forward to seeing you and your guests there! Any profits from the event will be split between the Distillers' and Marketors' chosen charities. Photographs will be taken and we will be filming the event which will be used for publicity purposes. If you do not wish your photograph to be taken or not wish to be in the film recording, then please let event organisers know at the start.

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