80% of floor space already reserved for London Wine Fair 2024

The floorplan for next year’s London Wine Fair is almost 80% taken, just five months after applications opened.

The London Wine Fair (LWF) might not be taking place until 20-22 May 2024, but much of the floorspace has already been booked up, with producers racing to secure their spots.

More than 10,000 drinks industry professionals attended this year’s show, and organisers are expecting an up-lift in visitors in 2024.

In fact, take-up has been faster than anticipated.

“Although I had forecast an increase in exhibitor booking for LWF24, in line with the increased attendance and exhibitor numbers for LWF23, it has certainly been gratifying to see it come to fruition,” Hannah Tovey, head of the London Wine Fair, exclusively told the drinks business today.

According to Tovey many people felt compelled to rebook on-site for next year during the 2023 fair.

“There is no better way to fully appreciate the buzz and value of this event than to witness it first-hand,” she said. “It was immediately evident that stands were busy with serious trade customers. The exhibitors were happy to share onsite that they were very happy with the footfall to their stands and the calibre of the attendees, and could also gauge the huge appetite onsite for all the educational sessions.”

Tovey described the stats they have been able to accumulate from last year’s event as “quite phenomenal”.

“As a snapshot, 93% of our exhibitors met all of their objectives for exhibiting at LWF23, while 89% of visitors told us LWF is important to their business,” she told db.

One of the biggest indicators of success for LWF is what Tovey calls its “Net Promoter Score”, with this year’s event leaping by well over 20 points, putting LWF around 19 points higher than the industry standard.

“This score is achieved by asking our visitors if they would recommend LWF to a colleague,” said Tovey.

What can visitors expect from LWF24?

In July, db reported that LWF would again be taking place at Olympia, despite whispers that the fair would be returning to the ExCel exhibition centre.

After “extensive exhibitor and visitor research” by LWF, plus the formulation of a new multi-year contract, the event will be held at Olympia for at least the next three years.

There are several major draws for next year, the finer details of which are being kept under wraps for now.

Tovey revealed that the team will soon be announcing the return of “a couple of key wine production territories who have long been absent from LWF in terms of generic representation.”

The show’s organisers are also poised to share “a tranche of information about the major Judgement of London tasting that will be happening onsite.”

Furthermore, a full Concierge service for “50 of our VIP buyer visitors” will include a dedicated meeting space “for when an on-stand meeting proves too busy,” said Tovey.

Also new for 2024 at the LWF is the Mindful Drinking Experience area. Organised in partnership with Club Soda, this pavilion is made up of pre-prepared pods and stands dedicated to low and no-alcohol producers, with the opportunity to be included in a menu creation experience led by Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby. Read db’s exclusive interview with Willoughby here…

“A lot of our exhibitors work on a calendar year and so right now is a highly significant time in our booking cycle, as brands, companies and generic bodies firm up their plans for 2024,” said Tovey. “If you are keen to snap up a specific location on our floorplan, now is the time to get in touch.”