TOPS at SPAR Wine Show pops the cork on wine sales

Wednesday, 13 March, 2019
TOPS at SPAR Wine Show
“Why not show off if you've got something to show?” January Jones, actress

The TOPS at SPAR Wine Show - South Africa’s biggest travelling wine show - is the ideal platform for the world of wine to meet its market face to face, and this year it returns bigger than ever with the 2019 tour schedule taking place in seven cities around the country: Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, East London, and Nelspruit, between May and November.

The stats from 2018 tell the full story:

  • Upwards of 35 000 bottles of wine were purchased
  • 87% of visitors bought wine
  • 53% of visitors had previously attended a TOPS at SPAR Wine Show
  • 71.4% of visitors were over the age of 30
  • 61.8% of visitors earned more than R20 000 per month
  • The “Best Pourformer” sold R140 752 worth of wine at one show

Says Andrew Douglas, Owner and Producer of The Wine Show, “The key benefit to exhibitors at this show is that it is SA’s favourite ‘Try & Buy’ show. People come not just to taste, but to buy, as evidenced by the number of bottles sold. Our innovative ‘Sip & Ship’ service makes it easy for visitors to buy without the hassle of walking around with their purchases, which can either be collected when they leave, or shipped to their door. Our offer of free shipping for one or more cases encourages exhibitors to upsell and visitors are incentivised to purchase by the case. This and our Wine Vault system, which provides a safe and secure storage area, advanced inventory system and helpful porter service, makes exhibiting at the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show a hassle-free experience allowing farms to achieve a return on their investment.” 

Commenting on the extensive drive to ensure that all exhibitors do a brisk business at the shows, Douglas says, “We incentivise exhibitors through our Best “Pourformer” Award – the exhibitor who sells the most wine gets a free stand at next year’s show. We also have a rebate deal that encourages exhibitors to market the show to their databases. A unique code is generated for each exhibitor, allowing them to reward 50 of their loyal customers with a 20% discount on normal access tickets, and the remaining 80% of any redeemed codes goes straight back to the exhibitor at the end of the show.”

Innovative partnerships with third party content partners ensure that there is plenty to attract every wine-lover, such as Jon Meinking’s SA Wine Showcase, edutaining sessions in the IOL wine theatre,  ‘Search for a Super Taster’ at the South African Wine Tasting Championships, Wine Label Design Awards sponsored by Rotolabel, unlimited wine tasting, networking opportunities with wine fundis, and more. Says Douglas, “We have evolved over 13 years into a show that delivers excitement, innovation, and great opportunities for exhibitors to build their brands, share their stories and their passion, and grow their domestic market. We constantly put in the effort to ensure that every moment spent at our shows is an entertaining, unique and fun experience for our visitors.

 “The bottom line is that hundreds of wine producers, distributors, wine associations, and other stakeholders can’t be wrong. They return to participate in the show year after year, which this year is expected to attract up to 25,000 wine enthusiasts.” He encourages wine producers who haven’t yet experienced the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show not to miss out – and to join their industry colleagues on tour.

“Winederland” winds its way through South Africa to these key wine-buying markets:

  • 9 to 11 May – Durban *SOLD OUT
  • 6 to 8 June – Johannesburg *SOLD OUT
  • 11 to 13 July – Cape Town *SOLD OUT
  • 25 to 27 July – Port Elizabeth
  • 3 to 5 October – Pretoria
  • 7 to 9 November – East London
  • 28 to 30 November – Nelspruit

For more information and to book your stand visit www.wineshow.co.za.

* Stands SOLD OUT. Please contact organisers to be wait listed.