LWIF and Distil to merge

Published: 12 May, 2009

The London Wine International Wine Fair and Distil will be combined and brought back together under the one roof at next year's event at Excel, Harpers Wine and Spirit can reveal.

Both exhibitions got underway this morning with a high level of early interest. After two years of being held in separate halls, Distil and LIWF will be merged again from 2010 when a project to extend the existing main hall is completed.

Distil, which showcases spirits and producers from across the world, had been moved to a hall opposite the LIWF in order to give the event more of its own identity.

Will Broadfoot, the event's marketing director, said: "It will be easier for visitors to navigate and on a logistical level to have the two events in one room. The reason we moved it in the first place was to give Distil more of its own identity and to give it more exposure.

"Now we can still give it the space it deserves in the new space that we have been assured will be finished by spring 2010."

It's the 29th year of the world's second largest drinks trade fair and exhibition director, Brintex's James Murray, told Harpers Wine and Spirit that early indications suggest that both exhibitions will be a success, despite the economic difficulties of 2009.

Murray said: "Things really started building up on Friday and everything has been relatively trouble free. If something has gone wrong it has been rectified quickly. Next year Distil and the wine fair will be combined as one single event."

Murray said that the pre-registrations for this year's event had been roughly the same as 2008.

"But until the people actually come through the door I won't count my blessings. I'm confident to say that we have done whatever could be done to make this a success in the current economic climate - 2009 has been a tough year for the industry and when the industry suffers, we suffer too. We really hope that everyone has a great show."

The London International Wine Fair and Distil will see 1,300 exhibitors from across the world showcase their products to buyer, suppliers, sommeliers, importers, merchants, the media and the consumer.

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