The Wine Show Jo'burg sets industry benchmark

The unique format of The Wine Show Jo'burg has once again bucked industry trends by growing exponentially year on year. This year's show attracted more visitors, more sales and higher expenditure per capita.

According to show director John Woodward, the feedback from visitors and exhibitors has been incredible. “This year’s show definitely had more of everything with even a higher spend per visitor, which I consider remarkable in the current economic situation. Many of our exhibitors have reported their best sales of any show and a whopping 90% of all visitors actually bought wine at the show,” mentions Woodward.

The exhibitor feedback questionnaires revealed that an incredible 94% of producers stated that they would recommend The Wine Show to other producers, which is a significant result for a wine industry event. “There is no doubt that the industry is facing severe challenges, which definitely affects the sustainability of similar industry events. Our fantastic sales figures of R2,7-million showed a 14% year-on-year increase and have once again proven that the format of our show is conducive to better sales. The more spacious, colourful environment with individualised stands allows exhibitors to interact better with visitors, market their products in a personal, face-to-face manner and therefore achieve higher sales,” explains Woodward.

Another interesting fact highlighted by the exhibitors’ feedback was that they actually preferred when there are fewer visitors as sales tended to drop off when it is crowded at a stand. “It is definitely a case of footfall is vanity, higher sales are sanity when it comes to successful wine events.”

Woodward also ascribes the positive sales figures to the fact that exhibitors are actively encouraged to take orders directly on their stands. “It is very evident that people come to our show with a serious intent to buy wine, not only to taste and we try to facilitate this process as much as possible. I think that The Wine show has now cemented its reputation as the premier event platform for producers of premium wines, who require above average sales at shows. This has been proven not only at our flagship show in Johannesburg, but also during our road show in Port Elizabeth.”

The show’s e-magazine Wine-Extra has also shown sustained growth and have exceeded the 10 000 mark on its database. During The Wine Show Jo’burg, 1800 visitors opted in to receive the publication, which creates a seamless continuity of communication for wine producers with a target audience that is wishing to purchase premium wines.

For more information, visit www.wineshow.co.za or click on www.wine-extra.co.za to subscribe.

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