We asked Andrew Reed, William Reed Business Media (WRBM) MD events and exhibitions , why Wine Vision – held on London’s South Bank, November 18-20 – stood out as a conference, and why the industry really needed another one?
“Wine Vision is about the business of wine outside the bottle – in terms of sustainability, profitability across the whole wine trade, as opposed to focusing on what’s inside the bottle,” Reed said, where Wine Vision is pitched as a boutique event designed by CEOs for CEOs.
“It provides deep knowledge of the wine trade, as opposed to someone saying ‘well, this is a very nice’ Pinot Giorgio or Cabernet Sauvignon. And we’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback on the event from the industry,” he added.
Tempting networking opportunities
Consumer trends, branding, innovation, global market knowledge were lacking in other events, Reed insists, since they often center on tastings rather than the goal of creating a sustainable global wine business.
“The easiest, safest thing to do is hold a Premier Cru tasting and get a few people to comment on it. But that’s what everyone does,” Reed said.
The global wine world needs (1) tastings – shows serve this need (2) trading opportunities (Windsor 2014 is a wine buying forum) and information from sources like our sister title Harpers Wine & Spirit.
“Then you need an opportunity for the really senior guys to network and understand the big issues facing the whole world of wine, rather than those facing their own business,” Reed said.
“Some of the most powerful people in the wine world are attending on the panel. For instance, Dan Jago – arguably the most influential wine buyer in the world, and Miguel Torres – arguably the most influential supplier,” he added.
‘Real innovation comes from the outside’
80 wine industry speakers also include Eduardo Chadwick (president, Vina Errazuriz) Paul Schaafsma (general manager, UK, Ireland & AMESCA, Accolade Wines) and Christophe Salin (president and CEO, Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)).
“You could spend £2000 a day on a consultant, but you’ll get more than one consultant’s view at the end of three days, so it’s remarkably good value.”
Beyond attracting high-profile speakers from within the sector, Wine Vision also offers influential speakers from the outside, such as the CEO of high-end tea brand Teapigs.
“For any business to learn, you don’t actually learn a huge amount from your own business. You can benchmark against it, but the real innovation comes from outside that sector,” Reed said.
“Land Rover launched the Evoque and teamed up with Victoria Beckham. They’re after the WAG market, so why not talk to the ultimate WAG. You wouldn’t have got that from a car designer.”
Click on the link to learn more about Wine Vision 2013 and to book tickets.