My View: Better value for money needed in sector

We've seen the recent WSTA/CGA report - 103,000 venues currently sell wine, 60% have seen an increase in food sales post-smoking ban and 52% of venues have no champagne or sparkling offer. The report highlights that many operators have yet to fully grasp the great wine opportunity.

The current economic climate demands more innovation, better customer service and value for money. As margins erode, competition is hotting up, so we hear that value must be added by all venues to encourage sales. A greater food offer encourages responsible drinking, and yet we are told that legislation is required to curb excess.

Wine+ in London and Glasgow exclusively serves the on-trade. We proudly attract top sommeliers and influential buyers and introduce them to great wines.

So how do we plan to help? We'll focus on food-led venues, target them by venue type and create tailored benefit-laden communication, selling the importance of a relevant wine list. We'll work with each exhibitor to help them to generate more sales. We'll host interactive presentations exploring the opportunities of wine/food pairing and sharing on-trade best practices.

Could we do more? Definitely. We're always receptive to new ideas.

Graham Lock is event director at Fresh RM, organisers of Wine+