London Wine Fair brands ProWein move ‘aggressive’

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 20 January, 2022

The London Wine Fair (LWF) organisers have called the new direct clash between their event and a rescheduled ProWein a ‘direct attack’ on the UK’s biggest wine trade show event.

An announcement from Düsseldorf this morning confirmed that the new dates for ProWein will overlap and clash with the LWF after the event was moved from its original date of 27-29 March for 2022 – the date the German event has occupied since 1994.

LWF organisers said the clash is an “extremely aggressive” move by ProWein, which will be “extremely disruptive” for the UK industry.

LWF organisers also said they have made “numerous attempts” to contact the ProWein team since rumours of a date change started circulating. Yet, “They have not had the courtesy to respond”.

Hannah Tovey, event director of LWF, said: “This is an extremely aggressive move by ProWein; a direct attack on both the London Wine Fair and the UK drinks market. The Fair has been a firm fixture in the wine trade’s diary for more than 40 years, and this move will be extremely disruptive for our industry. The decision has been taken without consideration for many of their exhibitors or for their UK visitor audience.

“This amounts to a huge upheaval for the wine industry, at a time when we are all craving a smooth return to normality. We are all aware of the impact Covid-19 has had on drinks industry exhibitions.”

The London Wine Fair will take place as a live event at Olympia between 16 and 18 May. This year, it will also run digitally over 9 and 10 May, introducing a hybrid-style format.

The year 2022 will mark the Fair's 40th show and will celebrate the return to Olympia after a two-year hiatus. A fully digital version took place in 2021, while the 2020 event was cancelled as the UK went into full lockdown in March of that year.

“At the time, our primary concern was to support our exhibitors, all of whom were offered a refund on their 2020 stands and we believe we behaved with the utmost integrity throughout. After the last two years of disruption, the drinks events industry should be working together to facilitate opportunities for the wine trade to do business,” Tovey said.

As a hybrid event, this year’s Fair promises to give exhibitors access to a larger trade audience and will allow visitors unable to travel to either London or the UK access to the exhibitors, their wines and the show’s content. The digital element will also extend the reach of the show beyond the three physical days as access to digital stands and content will also be available for three months, between May and July.

The live LWF will include established elements like the Trading Floor, which hosts UK agents, international brands and generic bodies, and Esoterica's portfolio of around 100 boutique importers.

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