The organisers of the London Wine Fair are delighted to announce the dates and venue for next year’s show, as well as a brand-new fine wine feature. The 2024 edition will take place at Olympia from 20th to 22nd May. Following the success of the 2023 show, which hosted over 400 exhibitors and more than 10,000 visitors, the LWF has reported the highest number of re-bookings made on-site during a show, since at least 2017. Amongst many others, the U.K.’s leading agents, including Hatch Mansfield, Enotria&Coe, ABS Wine Agencies, Felix Solis, Friarwood Fine Wines, EWGA, Ellis Wines and Richmond Wine Agencies have already confirmed they will return next year.
Key players in the industry will be returning to the show for the first time in several years. To date, Mentzendorff have confirmed participation, with other big names expected to commit over the coming days and weeks. This increased focus on fine wine exhibitors is reflected in a new feature for 2024. “The Judgement of London” – in homage to the historic 1976 Judgement of Paris – will see top Bordeaux estates tasted blind against their New World counterparts on the first day of The Fair. The event will be co-curated by Ronan Sayburn MS, CEO at The Court of Master Sommeliers Europe, and will be by invitation-only.
The success of the 2023 after a challenging two years, has put the London Wine Fair on track for an unmissable 2024 show. The 2023 London Wine Fair’s Net Promoter Score (the measure to determine the success criteria of a brand) was an exceptional 23.7, against an industry average of four. This score, which is 22 points higher than in 2022, gives a significant endorsement for the latest show, and indicates expected growth and success for future events. The survey also signified the high-quality visitor audience; those with direct buying power increased to 43% from 36% in 2022, and the most represented job title was “director” at just under 10% of the audience. The investment made to attract the on-trade, following a turbulent three years in this sector, paid off, with “sommelier” being the second highest recorded job title and 34% of the total visitor audience was from the on-trade.
Head of Fair, Hannah Tovey commented: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome back so many of the UK leading players so early on in the planning for 2024. It is particularly gratifying that some are returning after a significant break; a ringing endorsement not only for the importance of the London Wine Fair, but also for trading conditions in the UK. We are looking forward to announcing several new initiatives and ground-breaking content alongside our exhibitor news and content over the coming months.”
