Brintex introduces blogging zone to LIWF

Brintex, organisers of the London International Wine Fair, will for the first time incorporate a dedicated bloggers' zone at this year's event.

It has teamed up with a number of key influencers in social media, including Ryan and Gabriella Opaz of Spanish and Portuguese wine blog Catavino, plus WineConversation.com, the European Wine Bloggers Conference, and Wineblogger.info to create "The Access Zone" which aims to reflect the growing trend for social media within the wine trade.

The 60m2 stand will offer bloggers a space to meet up and talk about wine online, and will incorporate a dedicated area for recording video interviews, plus Wi-Fi and powerpoints, so bloggers can upload their LIWF stories on-site.

In addition, Catavino will run seminars and tastings designed to highlight how wine producers can utilise social media to engage consumers and build awareness of their brands.

Already signed up to attend "The Access Zone" are leading social media authorities Andre from Adegga, Wink Lorch from Wine Travel Guides, and Robert McIntosh from Wine Conversation.

Ryan Opaz of Catavino said: "We are very excited to be teaming up with the LIWF. It is great that they recognise the value that the internet has in the future of wine promotion. We hope to have a chance to engage both advocates and skeptics during the fair to keep the story of wine online alive."

Event director, James Murray, at Brintex, thinks social media is of ever-increasing importance.

He said: "We are delighted to have such influential names in the world of blogging on board for "The Access Zone". We are sure that this feature will be popular both with bloggers, and exhibitors keen to expand their knowledge of the sector."