How to make it at your first trade event: Apprentice star Jackie Fast returns for Wine & Spirits Show 2019

Jackie Fast, the BBC reality show star who who debuted her first wine label at the Wine & Spirits Show last year, is returning for 2019, and has tips for budding business owners in the drinks industry.

(Photo: Jackie Fast/Slingshot Sponsorship
Staff Portraits)

Fast, who appeared on the 14th series of the BBC’s The Apprentice, sold her first business in 2016 and published a business book in 2017. Last year, she launched her latest venture at our inaugural Wine & Spirits Show; Rebel Pi, an icewine made from single vineyard Rousanne grown in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, priced at £139 a bottle.

Fast studied in Beijing before setting up her own sponsorship company, Slingshot, from her bedroom in 2010 with just a laptop and £2,000. Ultimately, her success was her downfall on the show. Lord Sugar fired her on the show because of her extensive experience in the business world.

Our Wine & Spirits Show is taking place on 12-13 April (from 2pm-9pm on 12 April and from 1pm-8pm on 13 April) at the same venue as last year, One Whitehall Place, London.

Ahead of the Wine & Spirits Show’s return, we caught up with Fast to find out what she learned from her first time on the trade side of a wine show, and the advice she has for entrepreneur who want to follow in her footsteps.

“I learnt a lot from both interaction with trade as well as consumers,” she told the drinks business. Since launching in October 2018, Rebel Pi has gone on to gain high profile listings such as with digital retailer 31Dover and Winebuyers, as well as gaining a spot on the extensive wine list at London’s Rosewood hotel, home to legendary cocktail bar Scarfe’s. The label is also expanding into Hong Kong later this year. “Not bad for our first quarter!”

Keep scrolling down to see Fast’s top tips for debuting your drinks business at a trade event.

Be nimble

Though there is always more room for new and innovative projects, the drinks industry is rather saturated when it comes to products, and the competition is fierce. For Fast, the Wine & Spirits Show allowed her to get “immediate feedback from consumers on everything from the packaging and bottle to the actual liquid itself.”

Being nimble and receptive to your potential customers’ feedback is absolutely essential, Fast says, to stay afloat in a crowded market.

“We took that feedback and were able to focus more specifically on our target demographic through our marketing communications.

“Being nimble is key to being able to implement the vast information gained for being an exhibitor or an attendee at a show like this.”

Be flexible

When you’re at a trade show, being able to read the room and adapt your selling strategy is also crucial. You might have a rough idea, but you don’t really know what your potential customers are willing to pay for until the day itself. Initially, Fast had planned to just display her premium-priced wine, but struggled to pick up interest at an event where most other wineries and distilleries were offering free samples.

“Unfortunately the price point and the complete lack of bottles makes it impossible to provide free tastings,” she said.

“However, upon many people not being happy about not giving tastings, we then sold tastings – and everyone loved that.”

Her experience from the two-day tasting has now helped inform this year’s business strategy.

“We’ll be doing a lot more sold tastings, and offering better bottle show prices for those people who love it at taste, then can get a discount on the bottle.

“We are also now able to hand deliver so we can take purchases with a show price discount on the day and have it delivered to your house the next day – so you aren’t having to carry around a bottle the entire time.”

Fast said Rebel Pi will also offer a discount for online purchases and those made on the day exclusively for Wine & Spirits Show attendees.

Be sociable

Working a trade show and selling to thousands of potential punters requires a real love of talking to people, but Fast said it isn’t just about selling to consumers and the trade insiders on the show floor.

“I would suggest trying to meet as many people in the industry as possible and talking about your idea to everyone,” she said.

Even at one event, if you work the room in the right way, you can really learn a lot, which is absolutely fundamental to launching a business in the world of wine or spirits.

“I also think that you need to be prepared to put in a lot of work, and be prepared for a lot of ‘nos’ before you get the ‘yes’s’.

“The drinks industry is a tough one to crack and very insular, but if you up the determination and perseverance you’ll eventually break through!”

Get in touch with Chloé Beral – chloe.beral@thedrinksbusiness.com – for more details on exhibiting at The Wine & Spirits Show.

Members of the trade will be welcome from 2-5pm on Friday. To register for the trade session, follow this link. 

The event will open to consumers from 2pm until 9pm on Friday, and 1pm until 8pm on Saturday.