Keynote Speakers Announced for 'The Show' in Las Vegas 2007

Keynoters Include Leaders From Top Spirits and Beer Suppliers,
Head of Industry Political Group and Pair of Reknown Mixologists

LAS VEGAS, Nevada - An unparalleled mix of top minds in the beverage industry will share their wisdom with bar, nightclub and restaurant operators in keynote addresses at the Nightclub & Bar/Beverage Retailer Beverage & Food Convention and Trade Show ("The Show") in Las Vegas, March 4-7, 2007.

The keynote speakers slated include Alain Barbet, president and COO of Pernod Ricard USA; Andy Thomas, president and CEO, Heineken USA; Dr. Peter H. Cressy, president and CEO, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS); and Tony Abou-Ganim and Dale DeGroff, two of the nation's preeminent mixologists, who will deliver a joint keynote address.

Alain Barbet, President and COO, Pernod Ricard USA
Barbet is president and chief operating officer of Pernod Ricard USA (www.pernod-ricard-usa.com), the top sales volume contributor to the world's second largest spirits and wine company, Pernod Ricard S.A. Since assuming his current role in September 2005, Barbet has led Pernod Ricard USA's integration of brands and people from the former Allied Domecq. Pernod Ricard USA has doubled in size as a result of the Allied acquisition, and it now ranks fourth in volume and third in value in the United States.
 
Barbet joined Pernod Ricard USA's predecessor company, Austin-Nichols, as vice president, finance, in 1999, and was appointed chief financial officer in August, 2000.  He became CFO for Pernod Ricard North America in January, 2002.
 
Dr. Peter H. Cressy, President and CEO, DISCUS
Cressy joined DISCUS (www.discus.org) as president and chief executive officer in September 1999. A distinguished educator and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Dr. Cressy has an impressive history of leadership positions. He came to the Distilled Spirits Council following six years as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Cressy's academic career also included two years as President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, as well as numerous teaching assignments.

Andy Thomas, President and CEO, Heineken USA
Thomas was appointed president and chief executive officer of Heineken USA (HUSA, www.heineken.com), the nation's largest beer import company, in October 2005. HUSA is a subsidiary of Heineken International (Netherlands), the world's most international brewer.

Thomas began his career at Heineken USA in 1995 as a marketing research manager for the Heineken brand. In October 1996, he was promoted to the position of vice president of operations planning and then to the position of vice president of strategic planning, distribution, in November 1998. Thomas was transferred to Heineken International in Amsterdam in 2000 as regional export manager of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East before being promoted in 2003 to managing director for the Middle East/North Africa operating company.

Tony Abou-Ganim
Currently featured demonstrating the art of cocktail presentation on th Fine Living Network program "Raising the Bar: America's Best Bar Chefs," Abou-Ganim grew up in the bar business. His resume includes tenures with Jack Slick's Balboa Café in San Francisco and with Mario Batali in New York. Abou-Ganim, with Harry Denton, opened Harry Denton's Starlight Room" atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, where he created his first specialty drink menu.

In 1998, Abou-Ganim was hand-picked by Steve Wynn to create the cocktail program at his new $1.7 billion Bellagio Las Vegas Resort and implemented his philosophy of bartending and drink preparation: Quality ingredients and proper technique create great drinks. He developed hundreds of original cocktails for the resort's 22 bars.

Abou-Ganim now operators his own beverage consulting firm, specializing in bar staff training, product education and cocktail development.

Visit him online at www.themodernmixologist.com.

Dale DeGroff
DeGroff developed his extraordinary techniques and talent tending bar at great establishments - most notably, New York's famous Rainbow Room, where he pioneered a gourmet approach to recreating the great classic cocktails and invented more than 400 of his own using fresh squeezed juices and exotic ingredients.

Often referred to as the "King of Cocktails," DeGroff has created award-winning cocktail menus and has established himself as a leading authority and popular personality in the beverage world. He provides beverage consulting and bar training seminars to spirits manufacturers and leading restaurants throughout the world. His popular book, "The Craft of The Cocktail," is winner of the IACP Julia Child Award and was hailed by Men's Journal as the "look-here-first, look-here-last primer on drink mixing."

DeGroff, along with four of the top spirits experts in the country have recently launched the first certified Bar Training Program in the world; Beverage Alcohol Resource.

Dale is also president and founder of The Museum of the American Cocktail, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the American Cocktail. For information, visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org.

To learn more about "The Show" or to register, visit nightclub.com or call (888) 966-2727.