Award-Winning Actress, Television Host, and Entrepreneur to Moderate Fireside Chat with Keynote Speaker Roy Choi
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questex, the producer of the 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo, today announced that Aisha Tyler will join the show’s influential speaker lineup as the Expo heads into its milestone 40th year. The event takes place March 23-25, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Tyler is an award-winning actor, director, Emmy winning television host, NY times best-selling author, comedian, and founder of losophē, a super-premium organic ready-to-drink clarified margarita cocktail brand. Her work spans entertainment, media, and consumer brands, bringing a multidimensional perspective to leadership, culture, and creativity.
On Wednesday morning, March 25, Tyler will moderate a fireside chat with keynote speaker Chef Roy Choi, a cultural trailblazer widely recognized as one of the architects of the modern food truck movement. The candid conversation will explore leadership, cultural influence, and what it truly takes to build enduring brands and businesses in today’s ever-changing bar and restaurant landscape.
Also on March 25, Tyler will host an hour-long guest bartending session in the exhibit hall, spotlighting losophē, which will also be a featured exhibiting brand at the show.
“Aisha Tyler embodies the intersection of culture, entrepreneurship, and creative leadership that today’s bar and restaurant operators are navigating,” said Brandy Rand, VP & Market Leader, Questex Hospitality Group. “This is the type of programming that defines the Bar & Restaurant Expo. Our speakers represent the kind of cultural and business leadership that attendees come to experience, voices that spark new thinking, meaningful connections, and tangible opportunities.”
In addition to Tyler and Choi’s keynote discussion, the Expo’s opening keynote will take place on Tuesday, March 24, featuring Mike Cessario, Founder and CEO of Liquid Death, one of the fastest-growing and most disruptive beverage brands in the world. Known for transforming healthy beverages into a cultural phenomenon, Cessario will share how bold creativity, brand authenticity, and a mission-driven mindset fueled Liquid Death’s meteoric rise, and what today’s hospitality operators can learn from it.
Beyond the keynote stage, the Bar & Restaurant Expo will feature dozens of other industry experts, operators, brand leaders, and data professionals, delivering workshops and sessions aligned with the 2026 conference theme, “Every Moment Counts.” Programming will span operations, leadership, marketing, technology, and beverage strategy.
To register for the 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo, visit barandrestaurantexpo.com.
For sponsorship information, contact Elliot Howell, Sales Director, at ehowell@questex.com.
About the Bar & Restaurant Expo
Celebrating 40 years of powering the hospitality industry, the Bar & Restaurant Expo is the nation’s leading event for bar, restaurant, and hospitality professionals, delivering the ultimate opportunity to learn, sample, and connect – all under one roof. Over three action-packed days, nearly 10,000 operators, owners, beverage directors, chefs, suppliers, and industry innovators – from independent venues to multi-unit groups – gather to source products, sharpen operations, and explore what’s next in hospitality.
The event attracts decision-makers from all 50 states and more than 25 countries, representing thousands of unique business locations. Since its debut, Bar & Restaurant Expo has helped shape the evolution of hospitality, launching trends that later became industry standards, from the craft cocktail movement to zero-proof innovation.
Unlike other trade events, Bar & Restaurant Expo brings together the entire on-premise ecosystem – operators, chains, distributors, brands, and investors – creating a truly cross-industry platform where ideas and relationships thrive. Bar & Restaurant Expo is produced by the Questex Hospitality Group, which also produces Vibe Conference, World Tea Expo, and daily content on barandrestaurant.com and worldteanews.com.
About Questex
Questex fuels exceptional business connections—where every buyer and seller interaction matters. Through live events enriched with data insights and active year-round digital communities, we deliver measurable results. It happens here.
About Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler is an acclaimed director, actor, comedian, New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and Emmy-winning television host. Her directorial work includes the award-winning feature AXIS, the psychological thriller I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, and major television series such as Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead, Evil, Criminal Minds: Evolution, and more. She voiced superspy Lana Kane for 14 seasons on the Emmy-winning animated series Archer, was the Emmy-winning host of The Talk, is the host of Whose Line Is It Anyway and is a leading actor on Paramount+’s hit Criminal Minds: Evolution. She is the founder of losophē, a super-premium organic ready-to-drink cocktail brand that is redefining innovation and craftsmanship in the spirits industry. She is also the NY Times bestselling author of Self-Inflicted Wounds and Swerve, and a dedicated advocate for humanitarian and social-impact causes.
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