The London Competitions are now open for entries up to February 28. Click on the respective links for London Wine, London Beers and London Spirits for more details.
In the five years that the London Competitions have been running they have been able to increase their influence on the international drinks industry through the number of entries that have come in for the three separate competitions for Wine, Beers and Spirits.
They have collectively been able to build their respective reputations through a series of measures an initiatives including:
The Concept
The London Competitions are different from the majority of global tasting events in that they judge the products in three ways:
- For their quality with each product tasted blind to determine whether they are worthy of a medal.
- Their value for money against their recommended retail price.
- What they look like with their packaging and design.
Scores are allocated for each of the three criteria and then added up to determine which medal, if any, a product might receive.
- Quality Score: will be marked out of 100
- Value Score: will be marked out of 100
- Package Score: will be marked out of 100
It means wines, beers and spirits are being assessed in the exact same way a consumer would do standing in a supermarket aisle or deciding what to drink in a bar. Being able to demonstrate your product can connect with consumers in these three specific ways has proved to be very effective for producers when talking to importers and customers about listings.
Professional Judges
Judges in the London Spirits Competition 2021 get down to business
The London Competitions have also built up highly respective judging panels over the last five years made up of professional drinks buyers and experts in their field who. crucially, have direct buying experience and understand the commercial realities of determining whether a particular product should be listed or not. Or in this case awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze Medal.
Consumer Promotions
A clear point of difference for the London Competitions is how far its organisers – the Beverage Trade Network – goes to promoting the medal winning products to both the wider trade, but also directly to consumers and drinks enthusiasts through a number of different websites.
In the UK it has launched the London Drinks Guide featuring stories from medal winning products, bartenders, sommeliers and other professionals who help with the judging with profiles on venues, retailers, bars and restaurants that might be stocking with medal winning drinks.
Then in the United States it has a number of similar city focused platforms including the New York Drinks Guide and San Francisco Drinks Guide and the Los Angeles Drinks Guide. It also has consumer guides in Chicago and then Mumbai in India to introduce, beers, wines and spirits to Indian consumers and then the Paris Drinks Guide.
Spanish and Latin American Social Media
The new Spanish speaking social media Instagram page to promote products in Latin and South America and Spain
The latest initiative to come from the London Competitions are new social media platforms that have been seen up to promote the winning products directly to consumers across Latin America and in Spain.
Sid Patel, chief executive of the Beverage Trade Network, explains why they have introduced these dedicated platforms: “We have always wanted to make the London Competitions truly global events for wines, beers and spirits. We know how important these drinks categories are in Spain and across Latin and South America and how difficult it can be for drinks producers and brand owners to reach some of these markets. We hope to be able to tell their stories and share their latest news and brand releases to our growing consumer bases, across these countries, who are interested in discovering more about the wines, beers and spirits being sold in their bars, restaurants and retailers. It is a big step for us and one we are delighted to offer to all the producers and brands entering our competitions.”
They include :
- An Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/londoncompetitions_es/
A Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/London-Competitions-ES
A Linked-in Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-spirit-competitions-es
A Twitter page: https://twitter.com/LondoncompsE
Key Dates
Registration Ends – February 28, 2022
Warehouse Closes: March 4, 2022
Judging Date: March 21 & 22, 2022
Winners Announced: April 5, 2022
