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London Wine Fair to remain at Olympia for next three years
Following rumours that the London Wine Fair may be moving back to the ExCel exhibition centre in 2024, db can confirm that the show will remain in Olympia for the next three years.
On the last day of this year’s London Wine Fair, there was talk among the exhibitors about plans for next year’s exhibition, with a thought that 2024’s show may take place in east London’s ExCel, which hosted the event from 2001 until 2013.
With Olympia undergoing refurbishment and looking to raise the price of hiring the hall space, it had been thought that ExCel, which is newly-improved and marginally less expensive, might prove a better and cheaper place to host the London Wine Fair.
Furthermore, with the recently-finished Elizabeth line now providing a direct connection between Heathrow Airport and ExCel’s Custom House railway station, it was felt that the show site may prove a convenient location for international visitors and exhibitors.
However, after a hugely successful fair at Olympia this year, and plenty of positive feedback from standholders, as well as increased interest from potential exhibitors for 2024, head of the London Wine Fair Hannah Tovey fought to secure a good deal for future shows from the managers of Olympia London.
According to Tovey, the people running the exhibition space in West Kensington, once they were aware that there was a real threat that the London Wine Fair might move to ExCel, offered a suitable deal for the fair.
“We were ready to push the button on ExCel,” Tovey told db, adding, “Olympia had say ‘no’ several times to the deal we were looking for.”
However, new Olympia London CEO Julie Driscoll last week offered the London Wine Fair “a deal with can work with”, said Tovey, ensuring the event will remain in this part of London for the next three years.
For 2024, this will see the fair run from 20-22 May, with next year’s exhibition promising to include a series of high-profile returning exhibitors as well as some new names and fresh fine wine content.
Tovey said there was a “positivity” among this year’s 400 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors, and, as a result, she told db that the LWF has reported the highest number of re-bookings made on-site during a show since 2017.