This year, the Bar Education Symposium is pushing boundaries not only in terms of its theme but also in its format. The third edition of this educational platform for professionals in bartending, mixology and hospitality will feature six international figures, talks, masterclasses, two panel discussions and guest shifts. The programme kicks off on 15 August at the legendary Becher’s Bar in Karlovy Vary, moves to Spojka Events in Prague on 17 August, and the day will conclude with an evening programme at Bar Minus One.
The Bar Education Symposium (BES), the only full-day educational conference of its kind for professionals in bartending, mixology and hospitality in the Czech Republic, returns to Spojka Karlín in Prague on 17 August 2026. Following two successful editions, which together welcomed more than 360 bartenders and experts from the gastronomic scene, the organisers have put together their most ambitious edition yet. Under the theme ‘Beyond the Borders’, they aim to encourage visitors to move beyond established approaches and embrace new perspectives—whether in teamwork, service, business or their very approach to guests. The stage will feature leading figures from the global bar scene, whose experiences are intended to be directly applicable to the Czech context.
From Karlovy Vary via Prague to behind the bar
This year’s BES will not be a one-day event. The full programme kicks off on 15 August in Karlovy Vary, where an exclusive guest shift will take place at the legendary Becher’s Bar in the Grandhotel Pupp. Visitors will have the chance to meet world-class speakers right behind the bar, sample their creations and experience premium hospitality in the more intimate atmosphere of this Karlovy Vary icon. Two days later, the programme will move to Prague, where the main day of the symposium will take place at Spojka Events. This will feature a full day of lectures, panel discussions and masterclasses led by world-class speakers. In the evening, participants will then head to Bar Minus One, where the programme will culminate with further guest shifts and an after-party. The speakers will once again take their places behind the bar; visitors will see them in action, sample their drinks and have the chance to round off the day together with the entire bar community.
The main day itself will feature lectures, discussions and practical sessions, and the organisers promise, above all, know-how that can be put to immediate use in the workplace. It is therefore not about education detached from the day-to-day reality of bars, but about experiences, new perspectives and practical solutions that professionals can apply in their work. Added to this will be premium drinks throughout the day and networking designed to connect people across the industry. For bartenders, BES is an opportunity to gain new skills, inspiration and contacts with the world’s leading figures; for bar managers and business owners, it aims to offer a broader perspective, new directions and tips for managing both teams and businesses. Brands can use the event to forge authentic links with the bar scene and explore new collaborations, while students and schools will gain an insight into the world of mixology and gastronomy, as well as a clearer idea of potential career paths.
This year’s line-up features six world-renowned figures. Alex Kratěňa is an award-winning bartender and entrepreneur, co-founder of Muyu and Tayēr RTD spirits, and of the London bar Tayēr + Elementary, which ranked fifth in The World’s 50 Best Bars and 12th in the 50 Best Europe 2025. Stelios Papadopoulos will be travelling from Athens; he is the co-founder of Barro Negro Athens, Greece’s first bar specialising in tequila and mezcal. The bar has featured in The World’s 50 Best Bars for five consecutive years, ranking 62nd in 2025 and 13th in the 50 Best Europe 2025 list. Papadopoulos is also the first non-Mexican in history to be awarded the title of Tequila Connoisseur by the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry.
Another speaker will be Gregory Hunter, Bar Manager at Maybe Sammy in Sydney. The bar has featured in The World’s 50 Best Bars for seven consecutive years, and Hunter is the recipient of the 2020 Art of Hospitality Award for the world’s best hospitality, as well as the winner of the 2022 Tales of the Cocktail award in the Best International Bar Team category. According to Drinks International, Diego Ferrari is among the 100 most influential figures in the industry for the period 2019–2022; in 2020, he was named Brand Ambassador of the Year at the Bargiornale Bar Awards and was also named among the Top 10 International Ambassadors at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Joining us from Kraków is Maciej “Bobas” Mazur, owner and barman at TAG. Kraków, the first Polish bar in history to feature in The World’s 50 Best Bars. TAG. Kraków was ranked 97th in the world in 2022 and 39th in the 50 Best Europe list in 2025. Rounding off the line-up is Danil Nevsky, known as “The Independent Bartender”, founder of Indie Bartender, winner of the Spirited Award at Tales of the Cocktail 2024 for Best International Bar Mentor, and one of the 100 most influential people in hospitality.
In addition to individual speaker presentations, the organisers have also arranged two panel discussions. According to the latest update, the topics and specific line-up of participants will be finalised in the coming weeks. Once again, BES is building on a combination of international expertise and discussions on topics relevant to the day-to-day running of a bar.
The event is organised by people who are themselves driving the Czech scene forward
Behind the Bar Education Symposium are Vítězslav Cirok and Jan Šebek, co-founders of the Bar Sense educational platform. Both are closely involved in the international competitive and professional bar scene. Cirok is a two-time winner of the Czech Diageo World Class competition and, according to a recent report, has twice finished in the world’s top three. Šebek won the Czech World Class in 2023 and finished in the top five at global level.
It is precisely their experience that lies behind the idea from which the symposium emerged. Jan Šebek says that, from the outset, BES had the ambition to create a format that truly moves the Czech bar scene forward, rather than merely entertaining. According to him, each year’s event strives to bring in speakers from the very top of the industry, who are also able to discuss experiences that can be directly applied to the Czech context. And it is precisely this year’s selection of speakers, according to Šebek, that is a source of exceptional pride. Vítězslav Cirok, for his part, describes the symposium as a platform built on a simple idea: to bring people to Prague who are genuinely advancing the field, and to give them a space to share what works. In his view, education is the quickest way to advance the entire Czech scene, and BES is striving to do this better year on year.
The third edition of the Bar Education Symposium is therefore taking on a format this year that goes far beyond a traditional one-day conference. It begins on 15 August with a guest shift at Becher’s Bar in the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, continues on 17 August with the main programme at Spojka Events in Prague’s Karlín district, and concludes that same evening at Bar Minus One. The entry fee is 890 korunas and includes the full day of the symposium, drinks at the event and entry to the after-party. Tickets are available via GoOut as the ‘Bar Education Symposium Summer Edition’; further information can be found at bareducationsymposium.com.
Over the course of three editions, the Bar Education Symposium has welcomed more than 360 participants and brought dozens of international speakers to the Czech scene. This year’s “Beyond the Borders” builds on this ambition while taking it a step further: world-renowned figures will not only be coming to the Czech Republic to give talks, but will also be stepping behind the bar to demonstrate their expertise in practice. BES thus offers visitors a combination of education, inspiration, gastronomy, hospitality and networking—from the first drink in Karlovy Vary to the final guest shift at Bar Minus One in Prague.
