Presenters and guest shifts at Mirror Hospitality Expo ‘25 revealed
Mirror Hospitality Expo, Central Europe’s premier bar show, is quickly coming up for its third year on May 5th - 6th, 2025, at the Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel in the heart of Bratislava. The event is sure to inspire, educate, motivate, and connect professionals in the hospitality industry.
The two-day expo, with a trade fair and educational session, is set within a broader cocktail week, May 4th to 8th, where 35 bars from across the globe will participate in guest shifts.
Through Mirror Hospitality Expo, the team at Mirror Bar, Bratislava, aims to showcase exciting talent emerging from the Slovak and Central European bar scene, as well as bring renowned global industry names together in Slovakia.
Education
Eleven masterclasses, seminars, and panel discussions will impart knowledge, wisdom, and experience from veteran professionals in various areas of the hospitality industry. Take a look at the incredible line-up!
Leah van Deventer
Taking your Seat at the Bar: How to Create Space for Yourself on the Global Circuit
A writer and educator based in Cape Town, South Africa, Leah was recognised for her work with No49 on Drink International’s Bar World 100 list for 2024.
Máté Szabo (Elysian Budapest)
Rediscovery: Sustainability or Common Sense?
At the award-winning bar from the heart of Budapest, every cocktail tells a story — crafted with locally sourced ingredients, embracing zero-waste practices, and reflecting a deep respect for nature.
Erik Oscar Buhre & Jinda Cibran (Lucy’s Flower Shop Stockholm)
Vinegar, Fermentations and Whey in Cocktails
Bars worldwide are turning to artificial acids as citrus substitutes—but is there a more natural option? This seminar explores how the team at Lucy’s discovered a love of vinegar, what they learned, and the surprising potential of natural acids.
Angelos Bafas (Nipperkin London)
Flavour Replicas & HYPER drinks
A seminar on crafting exotic cocktail flavors using humble, locally sourced ingredients. Learn cost-effective techniques, flavor pairings, and recipes from London’s award-winning Nipperkin bar featured in the new HYPER drinks book.
Valentino Girotto (Crossroads Consulting London)
Beyond Bubbles
This seminar covers the principles of gas solubility, how carbonation affects flavor balance, and the impact of CO₂ on aroma perception. They will also share practical do’s and dont’s from their bar’s carbonation process.
The Ada Coleman Project
The Bartenders Blueprint – Navigating Career Progression
Three seasoned professionals from various corners of the hospitality industry illuminate how to recognise career-defining opportunities — and the courage it takes to seize them.
Hosted by Kristine Bocchino, co-founder of The Ada Coleman Project, Italy, with:
Kaitlin Wilkes, co-founder of The Ada Coleman Project, UK
‘You’re On Your Own Kid: From Pour to Purpose’Katalin Bene, Bar Consultant & Educator, Switzerland
‘The Educator’s Edge: Turning Knowledge into Impact’Tania Shamshur, Co-Owner, Edgar's Flavors Bar, Belgium
‘From Bartender to Bar Owner: Building from Behind the Bar’
The Ada Coleman Project
How to Cultivate, Empower and Inspire Your Team in an Ever-Changing Hospitality Landscape
Three dynamic leaders share how they’ve stayed ahead of the curve by innovating with intention, leading with empathy, and creating cultures that uplift their teams.
Hosted by Kristine Bocchino and Kaitlin Wilkes, co-founders of The Ada Coleman Project, with :
Anna Kim (Head Bartender, Sins of Sal Amsterdam)
Zuzana Červeň (Hospitality Consultant, Slovakia)
Hedda Bruce (Bar manager, Tjoget, Stockholm)
Margarida Barcelos & Lucas Joussemet (The Cambridge Public House Paris)
Visions of Sustainability: Community and Beyond
Sustainability is losing meaning in an age of overuse and ESG-washing. Discover how The Cambridge Public House, a humble Paris pub, redefined their vision of it and their journey toward a better version of themselves.
Kenji Jesse (NOMU | CONSULT)
Utilising Cognitive Biases in Menus
Learn how a cocktail menu design can excite, lead and nudge customer choice through sensory engagement, linguistics and cognitive behavioural understanding from one of the most sought-after consultants and educators in the industry.
Eddie Rudzinskas (Cocktails For You)
MONETIZING – How I Made Brands Pay for My Champagne
This seminar is all about building brand relationships from scratch and understanding the art of partnerships and collaborations. Forget forced sponsorships and awkward handshakes — this is about real relationships.
Chris Maffeo (Maffeo Drinks, Pague)
Brands Are Built Bottom-Up: Winning in the Drinks Ecosystem
Instead of focusing on pushing products from brands to consumers, Chris reveals how successful drinks brands are actually built in reverse - starting with understanding consumer drinking moments and working backward.
Experience & Fun
Guest shifts by bartenders across the globe at three bars across Bratislava give you the chance to try new tastes and drink methods in one city. Heard of those amazing drinks from a bar where you’ve never been? Now is your chance to try them, both for inspiration and a great taste experience.
Sunday May 4, 2025
Mirror Bar
20:00-22:00 Teresa (Napier, New Zealand) + Elysian (Budapest)
22:00-00:00 Purovoku (Thessaloniki) + Spy Bar (London)
Sky Bar & Restaurant
20:00-22:00 Minus One (Prague)
Monday May 5, 2025
Mirror Bar
13:00-17:00 Eddie Rudzinskas (Cocktails For You)
19:00-21:00 Cambridge Public House (Paris) + TAG (Kraków)
21:00-23:00 Maybe Sammy (Sydney) + Wax On (Berlin)
23:00-01:00 Dr. Stravinsky (Barcelona) + Barro Negro (Athens)
Sky Bar & Restaurant
20:00-22:00 Little Red Door (Paris) + Nipperkin (London)
22:00-00:00 Splendid Bar (Karlovy Vary)
Old Fashioned
20:00-22:00 Origin (Singapore)
Tuesday May 6, 2025
Mirror Bar
19:00-21:00 Red Frog (Lisbon) + Nouvelle Vague (Tirana)
21:00-23:00 Sins of Sal (Amsterdam) + Tjoget (Stockholm)
23:00-01:00 Strings Bar (Split) + Peaches & Cream (Zagreb)
Sky Bar & Restaurant
20:00-22:00 Svanen (Oslo) + Alma (Prague)
Old Fashioned
20:00-22:00 Katalin Bene + Tania Shamshur (Edgar’s Flavours, Brussels)
Wednesday May 7, 2025
Mirror Bar
19:00-21:00 Moebius (Milan)
21:00-23:00 Bird (Copenhagen) + Barchef (Toronto)
23:00-01:00 Lucy’s Flower Shop (Stockholm) + Dunlin Bar (Innsbruck)
Uniqueness of Mirror Hospitality Expo
Mirror Hospitality Expo is built on four pillars of benefits for attendees: networking, education, tasting experience, and global fair. The Expo is motivated by a philosophy of passion, sharing and celebration of hospitality.
Due to its limited capacity, attendees get a chance to meet not only with each other but also with the speakers and guests of the highest caliber. The intimate setting allows for personal dialogue and connections within the industry, fueling further sharing of knowledge and experience.
The Organisers
The creators of Mirror Hospitality Expo are the team behind Mirror Bar, Bratislava, which earned its recognition on The World’s 50 Best Bars extended list in 2023 and 2024, securing the 62nd spot. They also achieved two Regional Top Ten Honoree distinctions in 2024 from Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, and again in 2025 for Best International Hotel Bar for Europe.
