Energising Wine Fairs

Exhausted but mentally uplifted, I was ear wigging on a phone conversation taking place on the airport shuttle at Hong Kong. " Fantastic, just like the old days, deals being done everywhere" was how this Aussie wine producer summarised Vinexpo Asia Pacific 2012.

It was a view that will have been shared by the majority of exhibitors, visitors and those researching the market such as myself. Although not a huge show, it looks a little larger than LIWF a few years ago, it had an amazing buzz, a real thirst for knowledge and a sense of value. Despite not generally accepting visitors from outside of Asia Pacific, Vinexpo draws on a huge resource of countries hungry for knowledge and trial, not to mention its relative proximity to Australia and as such this show is a natural hub for the region. I can see that this show, and others like it, will continue to flourish.

It's only natural to reflect on where our own national wine trade show is currently at and, without wishing to tread a way too familiar path, it's clear that LIWF needs a re-injection of life for it to withstand the current challenges it faces as a result of economic lethargy and improving competition overseas.

It's too easy though to lay the blame at the door of Brintex or Excel. I travelled to Hong Kong to visit a show, winemakers come from all over the globe to attend LIWF and some member of the business see a 15 minutes ride on DLR as enough of a disincentive to avoid the fair. The location of the fair is a red-herring. Fact.

If everyone valued the wine trade's efforts, was excited at the anticipation of discovering something new, edgy and inspirational do you think that trip on the DLR would seem so long? No, the truth is that we get the fair that we deserve and those people who put more in, get more out - just look at the positive coverage that Catherine Monahan has got as a result of the innovative Wine Stars initiative.

Though the criticism of the fair that it is "too commercial" is an odd one for a business that desperately needs to do sensible deals, I know what people are getting at. The relative success of the Real and Raw wine fairs (done on a shoestring I would suspect) indicates that people are tired of the excesses of the corporate world and that the double tier, overtly branded offerings that were appropriate for LIWF a few years ago, seem less appropriate now.

Learning from all of this, is it possible to breathe new life back into LIWF through a more stripped down approach that encourages new blood, exciting new market entrants, innovation, creativity and energy? an approach that was egalitarian, engaging and inspirational. London needs a national wine fair, the trade needs new ideas so lets have a debate about exactly what we collectively need to do to make London the jewel in the wine fair crown......just don't mention the DLR