X FLASKS at The Spirit Show London 2016

by X FLASKS December 20, 2016

For those of you who don’t know, and as the title suggests, we went to The Spirit Show London. We’d like to thank everyone who came down and said hi to us, and a special thank you to those who showed interest and purchased our products - we appreciate every single one of you! Now we’re going to talk about how the show went from our perspective.

What is The Spirit Show?

Before we get into it, what is The Spirit Show? The Spirit Show is a convention featuring all things Spirit. Visitors to the show have the chance to meet and talk to people from all corners of the Spirits industry; from independent distilleries to larger, more familiar brands. Visitors can also try the spirits and buy some with huge discounts. There’’s also a VIP bar, a spirits masterclass, and lessons in mixology should you wish to learn to get the most out of your spirits. This year it was held at the Business Design Centre in Islington on December 9th and 10th. Check out their website here: thespiritshow.co.uk

The stage is set

Day 0 - The Set Up

The day before the show, all the exhibitors have to chance to set up their stalls and get ready. It was great for us to get acquainted with the building and the layout of the show (it was our first time doing anything like this!) and the remarkable building in which it was to be held. We had brought some little ‘nik naks’ from home to spruce up our stand and spent the majority of the time deciding where to place our banners and how to arrange the display. We’re not designers by any means, but we think we did a decent job. However, we all felt that there was something missing. That’s when it hit us to add something ‘arty’ (well, at least try to!). We decided to add some picture frames and showcase our flasks in them (our flasks are like works of art - get it?!) It was a bit last minute but we managed to find some stores that were still open and bought the supplies. We decided we’d add our ‘artwork attempt’ the following morning. We called it a day and left the BDC feeling excited and pumped for the show the next day!

The line-up

Day 1 - It’s Showtime!

The first day of the show was split into two sessions - one from 12-4pm and one from 5-9pm. We all arrive excited and ready for action! The first hurdle was to assemble our picture frame ‘artwork’ before the show began. This didn’t happen. It ended up taking us quite a while. But enough about our shortcomings. We think it looked great (see below). We managed to have a quick glance around at the other stalls before the show started and they all looked fantastic. Some stalls had games, some stalls were themed like the jungle, some were themed like a Caribbean beach, some looked like classy, big-city bars...the list goes on!

Art. Pure art.

Then the clock struck 12 and the building came to life. The seemingly endless queue began to move and hundreds of people started flooding in. There was a great energy about the place. Everyone was in good spirits and of like mind, ready to enjoy and experience The Spirit Show. We met so many people who loved our flasks and were interested in learning more about us (thanks again to all of you!). We also met some of our social media followers; some of the first people we spoke to were Concocted Spirits (@concoctedspirits), delightful people with an interesting and growing Instagram page (check it out!). We also had the pleasure of meeting the Drinking Twins (@drinkingtwins). They were kind enough to take some pictures with our flasks, so you should definitely check out their page to see that! A big thanks to them for coming over and saying hello, it’s great to meet members of our online community in person and we hope to collaborate in the near future!

The Drinking Twins came by our stall. Yes they are twins, we asked them to be sure.

During the day we each had the chance to explore the other stalls and try some of the spirits ourselves. Responsibly, of course. Everyone was so friendly and had some great drinks and interesting products on offer. There was a great energy in general; everyone of like mind and there for a good time, exhibitors and visitors alike.

Some of the many people kind enough to pose with flasks (and the new Brown Label pouch!)

The clock struck 4 and the first session came to a close. We had an hour to eat, drink, and prepare for the second session.

Before we knew it, it was 5 o’clock and the next mass of people entered the venue. We thought the first session had been busy but it was nothing compared to this. Every single stall had their our congregation. The air was filled with the sound of conversation and laughter. It was great! We got the chance to speak to so many of you and your feedback on our flasks is massively appreciated.

We also launched our Spirit Show competition, whereby visitors who signed up to our newsletter had the chance to win an X FLASK. The winner has been announced so a big congratulations to them!

One of the most popular stands had a carnival game which offered people a free beer if they could throw a ball into a small pot. We had a go. We didn’t drink any beer that day.

With all the mayhem, the time flew by and before we knew it it was 9 o’clock and the show was over. We gave a collective sigh of relief at the end of a tiring but rewarding day, and finished with a company meal in a local restaurant. Perfect! All that was left to do was get some well deserved rest and recuperation in time for the next day.

So shiny it can be used as a mirror

Day 2 - Round 2

Ding ding! At 11am sharp we were back at the Business Design Centre. After a few touches here and there we were ready for the day ahead. There was only one session today which ran from 12-5pm. Little did we know yesterday that the busiest day was yet to come. The gloomy and drizzly weather didn’t put people off and they came in their droves. It was so exciting to talk to so many of you in such a small space of time. We made more sales, built more connections, received great feedback, and our competition entries skyrocketed!

After just 5 hours we were more tired than the previous day’s 9 hour show, but much more fulfilled. Once all the visitors had left, we packaged up our flasks and equipment and headed home, pleased with a great few days of work. The opportunities we’ll have in the near future are incredibly exciting and we look forward to bigger and better things!

To The Spirit Show! Cheers!

Thank you very much to The Spirit Show London and everyone who participated; whether you were exhibiting products, trying out the drinks, looking for business contacts, or simply enjoyed a chat with us. We appreciate every single person who contributed to making the show a success. We had a blast, and we’ll hopefully see you all there again next year!

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