Bartender to venue director
A bartender already meets 20% of what the venue director role asks for. The move turns on 24 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.8/ 100
1 How much of what a venue director is expected to do is already part of a bartender’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the venue director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A venue director role treats 6 of its required skills as things a bartender already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- create decorative food displays
- devise special promotions
- handle glassware
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
What stands in the way is 24 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A venue director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bartender background worth leading with.
- already held handle glassware handling and moving
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held devise special promotions management skills
- already held create decorative food displays communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene assisting and caring
- already held maintain customer service communication, collaboration and creativity
All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the venue director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage restaurant service required
- still to learn oversee the printing of touristic publications required
- still to learn arrange special events required
- still to learn manage stock rotation required
- still to learn oversee the design of touristic publications required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn supervise crew required
- still to learn supervise the work of staff on different shifts required
- optional, not held organise cultural events optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn plan menus required
- still to learn think creatively about food and beverages required
- still to learn ensure infrastructure accessibility required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn maximise sales revenues required
- still to learn order supplies required
- still to learn train employees required
- optional, not held compile wine lists optional
- optional, not held contribute to the programmer's reflection process optional
- still to learn control of expenses required
- still to learn evaluate events required
- still to learn seek innovation in current practices required
- optional, not held monitor work for special events optional
- still to learn ensure portion control required
- still to learn inspect table settings required
- still to learn prepare tableware required
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
- still to learn ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a venue director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure portion control practise this
- 02 inspect table settings practise this
- 03 manage restaurant service practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held devise special promotions skill
- already held handle glassware skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn hazard analysis and critical control points required
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held compile wine lists optional
- optional, not held contribute to the programmer's reflection process optional
- optional, not held organise cultural events optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held monitor work for special events optional
31 held skills the venue director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assemble cocktail garnishes skill
- not needed by the target role change kegs skill
- not needed by the target role clean beer pipes skill
- not needed by the target role clear the bar at closing time skill
- not needed by the target role compile drinks menu skill
- not needed by the target role compile drinks price lists skill
- not needed by the target role detect drug abuse skill
- not needed by the target role display spirits skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on tea varieties skill
- not needed by the target role enforce alcohol drinking laws skill
- not needed by the target role execute opening and closing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role handle bar equipment skill
- not needed by the target role handle gas cylinders skill
- not needed by the target role handover the service area skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain bar cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role prepare fruit ingredients for use in beverages skill
- not needed by the target role prepare garnish for drinks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare hot drinks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare mixed beverages skill
- not needed by the target role present drinks menu skill
- not needed by the target role process payments skill
- not needed by the target role serve beers skill
- not needed by the target role serve beverages skill
- not needed by the target role serve wines skill
- not needed by the target role setup the bar area skill
- not needed by the target role sparkling wines knowledge
- not needed by the target role stock the bar skill
- not needed by the target role take food and beverage orders from customers skill
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn hazard analysis and critical control points required
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
Other moves recorded from bartender
- cocktail bartender 74% covered · moderate
- barista 45% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- sommelier 33% covered · substantial
- waiter/waitress 30% covered · career change
- hotel concierge 27% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant team leader 24% covered · substantial
- night auditor 24% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a bartender become a venue director?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A bartender already covers 20% of what a venue director is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the venue director role treats as required.
What skills does a bartender need to become a venue director?
24 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is ensure portion control.
How hard is the move from bartender to venue director?
Its learning distance is 80.8 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.