London Wine Fair footfall up 17%

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 25 May, 2018

Visitor numbers to this year’s London Wine Fair increased 17% it has been revealed, putting the number of attendees at a net total of 14,250 over three days.

Following on from Harpers’ chat with new fair head Hannah Tovey, organisers behind this year’s fair have now the released the overall visitor numbers, putting this year’s total “significantly” ahead of roughly 11,828 last year.

A full breakdown of the data has been promised to be released in the next two weeks.

The 38th London Wine Fair returned to the Kensington Olympia once again this week with a roster of fresh content, which organisers are attributing to bumped-up visitor numbers.

This included new feature areas The Innovation Zone in collaboration with JF Hillebrand, The Education Zone in partnership with Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and Drinks Britannia, focusing on British drinks.

Investment was also poured into the show’s database and a revised marketing strategy.

“We are thrilled with the success of this year’s show and the support from all quarters of the industry,” Tovey said of her first show as Fair Head.

“Our priority was always about delivering the right audience to our exhibitors and our investment in this has really paid off. We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from longstanding, returning and first-time exhibitors, many of which have already reserved their spaces for 2019. We are already working on next year’s show, which will be a critical time for the UK industry as Brexit becomes a reality. More than ever before we will need a Fair that champions the UK as a leading market for wine.”

Yesterday, Harpers reported that by the end of the day on Tuesday, the number of visitors had already outstripped the total number of the previous year, leading Tovey to comment that “everyone coming through the doors [on Wednesday], are additional visitors compared to 2017”.

Show organisers also revealed feedback from exhibitors.

Several referred to a busy few days, like Patrick McGrath MW, managing director of Hatch Mansfield, who called the fair “fantastic” with “very good quality visitors”.

Connoisseur Estates’ Andrew Steel added: “It has been a positive three days, and great to see the show moving forward. A big congratulation to Hannah Tovey and her team. It is so important for the UK wine trade to have a UK event like this.”

The 2019 London Wine Fair will take place at Olympia from 20 to 22 May.

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