Fourth Latin American Colloquium of the International Barmen Association comes to a close

The Fourth Latin American Colloquium of the International Barmen Association (IBA) came to a successful end in Havana that wrapped up a five-day meeting from Jan. 21 to 25.

This major event planned by members of the Cuban Barmen Association (ACC is the Spanish acronym) and the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) served as the perfect setting for discussions among cocktail shakers from both the island nation and the Americas. Attendants talked about future projects that could be undertaken in a joint effort with IBA members and the need to hold a yearly Pan American championship. At the same time, participants discussed the possibility of opening an international barmen school in Havana. In that respect the IBA will plan professor exchange programs to better train students.

For the first time ever in an meeting of this kind, the association’s two vice presidencies –Latin America and North America- got together, a major turn of events since they were able to unify and heed the realities of both regions.

Within the framework of the Fourth Latin American Colloquium, a friendly competition among members of the attending delegations –Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Brazil, the U.S. and Cuba- took place. Likewise, an acknowledgement plate was handed in to Santiago Policastro (a.k.a. Pichin), a grand master and barman professor, as well as to Jose Arcona, IBA vice president for North America and to his counterpart for the Latin American Division, Nilsson Vinna,

Make no mistakes about it; the Fourth Latin American Colloquium of the International Barmen Association set the tone for all its working members and allowed the exchange of experiences and ideas among all attendants.