Global charity event Negroni Week will be returning in June this year, stronger than ever. Made possible by Campari’s ongoing partnership with Imbibe Magazine, this will be the event’s third year running. Marketing campaign “There’s no cheers without a cause” hopes to see this year’s international involvement and fundraising efforts more successful than ever.

First launching globally back in 2013 with around 100 participating bars, Negroni Week has certainly grown with rapid vigour. Last year’s Negroni Week saw 44 countries participate, with over 3,500 bars and restaurants playing a part. As always, every bar and restaurant was encouraged to donate to a charity of their choice. Last year saw Australia in the top three countries supporting the event, raising a combined total of $16,272 across 220 venues.

Bob Kunze-Concewitz, CEO of Gruppo Campari, attributes much of last year’s success to the increased use of social media by participating venues. Hoping to keep the ball rolling, Kunze-Concewitz says, “With the conversation taking over social media last year, we’re looking forward to seeing even more bars, restaurants and retailers sign up, as well as asking consumers to cheers for a cause by ordering a Negroni!”

This year Campari will be investing in 360-degree marketing campaign “There’s no cheers without a cause” to build on last year’s reach. The campaign will include PR, POS, display and social media. Kunze-Concewitz believes the “ever-increasing demand for bitter cocktails, and the overall higher appreciation for classic cocktails, such as the Negroni” in conjunction with this campaign, will drive this year’s expansion of both the event and the funds raised for charity initiatives.

Karen Foley, Publisher of Imbibe, adds, “We are thrilled to be teaming up once again with Campari for 2016’s Negroni Week. We are tremendously proud of what we’ve all accomplished collectively through Negroni Week. To see bars across the globe raising money for meaningful causes is incredibly inspiring, and we are excited to expand our reach even further in 2016. It’s amazing to see the hospitality community join together for this international effort, and we are honoured to play a part in it.”

This year Negroni week will run from the 6^th to 12^th of June and participating bars and restaurants are encouraged to donate $1 of all sales of Negroni cocktails and Negroni-related products to a charity of their choice. To kick off the week, Campari and Imbibe will look to hold a series of local launch events, encouraging bars to serve both the original recipe and Negronis with a twist, in support of the bars’ choice of local charity initiatives.

Bars and restaurants looking to take part can find further information and sign up by visiting www.negroniweek.com from 21st March until end of May 2016.

Follow the hastag #NegroniWeek on social media for a look at the social buzz surrounding the event.