SB meets… Hannah Tovey, London Wine Fair & Signature Serve
Hannah Tovey has taken the reins of London Wine Fair, and its spirits-led Signature Serve arm, through her recently established company Vindustrious. Here, Tovey shares insights into the acquisition and, importantly, what’s in store for 2026.
How does it feel to have acquired London Wine Fair?
To be honest, it feels awesome. London Wine Fair is an event I have long admired from my earliest days working in the drinks industry – including those when I founded and ran Imbibe. I’ve actually never missed an edition in the 25 years since I started attending, either as a visitor, or in some years, an exhibitor. I’ve relished every bit of running and developing it over the last seven years, despite the massive challenges we’ve been faced with.
I’m now looking forward to a new, somewhat more autonomous chapter for LWF, one which will embrace both challenges and opportunities, and embark on a new period of diversification and growth.
What will change/remain the same under the ownership of Vindustrious?
I am absolutely delighted that the entire London Wine Fair and Signature Serve team has joined me at Vindustrious. That brings a really important sense of continuity and expertise. Much will remain the same as we are mid-cycle and had already made some announcements about key developments for May 2026 – such as the Host Nation project and the expansion of the Wine Buyers Awards to the Drinks Buyers Awards. But moving forward, we are poised to make some more strategic and positive changes across the event. Stand by for a big co-location announcement in the coming weeks.
Why was this the right time for you to take over the show?
When Hemming Group offered me the opportunity to take it over – it had become an outlier in terms of content within their events and publishing portfolio – my immediate reaction was that it was exactly the right time. We were a strong team – each member has at least four shows under their belt – we had exhibitors deeply invested in the show and an engaged and growing high calibre audience. We had a really successful 2025 iteration under our belts, with unprecedented growth YOY – and as such had just received Highly Commended recognition for the Best Trade Show and Best Content for the EN Indy Awards 2025. I took counsel from leading players in the drinks industry who assured me of their backing, which cemented the plan.
Are there any parts of the fair you feel need the most immediate attention?
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Signature Serve was always going to be a priority, with a much anticipated follow-up edition, and this hasn’t changed. For 2026 we are creating more content around spirits to offer our spirits buying audience more engagement once they are through the Olympia doors. My background is in both wine and spirits and with the expertise of new recruit, Dan Warner, a stalwart of the spirits world, who joins as spirits sales manager, we will be fully realising the potential of this sector.
Signature Serve launched at London Wine Fair last year, showcasing the world of spirits. Did the inaugural Signature Serve part of the event meet expectations?
It more than met our expectations. We created this ‘show within a show’ for an audience of top-end, UK-based buyers and distributors, from the leading cocktail bars to independent retailers and multiples because the demand was there. More than 2,000 decision makers working in spirits were already attending LWF, as crossover between wine and spirits buying roles is increasing. London Wine Fair was already an essential part of their wine-buying remit, but they were under-serviced when it came to spirits.
Feedback from year one was extremely positive, with exhibitors signing up for this year on site, and we are expecting to double the space for 2026. Signature Serve will again be positioned adjacent to Mindful Drinking Experience, the Japan Pavilion and Centre Stage, all busy sections of the show in their own right, and highly relevant to our spirits audience.
This year will be the 45th anniversary of London Wine Fair. From a spirits perspective, what can visitors and exhibitors expect from this year’s show?
We will be doubling the size of Signature Serve in 2026. We have several returning exhibitors – including O’Donnell Moonshine, which is increasing their stand space by 500%, and Cask Liquid Marketing – as well new companies already signed up, six months out. These include: Pernod Ricard, which will bring Lillet and Código 1530 Tequila; Sacred Spirits; Casoni; Claxton’s Spirits; Foreva Farmers; Garnish Club; No & Flow Brands; Pillars Brewery; and Veda Mushroom. With the increasing crossover of the wine and spirits categories from a buyer’s perspective, we know that many of our audience will be looking at both categories.
We will also run Signature Serve’s Sundowner Session on the Monday evening; 50 VIPs, comprising the UK’s top spirits buyers and media, will be invited to attend this ‘after hours’ event on the opening night. Our exhibitors will each prepare their own ‘signature serve’ cocktail for what will be an exclusive sampling occasion, with many of the cocktails reflecting the cutting edge trends in mixology.
Are you planning any new features, zones, competitions or educational sessions for this year? How do you plan to balance smaller producers with bigger brands?
The Signature Serve Theatre will see a 25% increase in content, which will be led by our ambassadors, Millie Milliken, the award-winning drinks and hospitality writer; and Liam Davy, head of bars for Hawksmoor Restaurants.
We are also including a brand new spirits-focused category – as well as No & Low – to our Drinks Buyers Awards, originally created as the Wine Buyers Awards back in 2020. There will be two Spirits Buyer Awards, which will recognise outstanding buyers up for grabs, the off-trade Spirits Buyer and the on-trade Spirits Buyer. Deadline for entering is 23 January. Enter now for free – Drinks Buyers Awards 2026.
We are also launching a new initiative for the 2026 show, an annual ‘Host Nation’ focus, whereby a country or region is showcased as the centrepiece of the event. For the inaugural year, the focus will be on the home nations, featuring the best of British drinks from Scottish spirits, Welsh wine and spirits, and Northern Irish spirits, English and Welsh wines, as well as No and Low, Beer, Cider and Mead. The decision underlines the growing reputation and ambition of the domestic drinks industry and the increasing demand from the fair’s visitor audience.
In terms of balancing big brands with smaller producers, I firmly believe these are symbiotic; our visitors are looking for spirits of all shapes and sizes. They want to do business with both established players, which they may already list, as well as discover new, smaller players. Our exhibitors benefit from the shared competition; more brands equals a busier show and more visitors for everyone.
This year’s show will be – for many – the first opportunity to experience the newly developed Olympia as well. After a £1.3 billion development, the venue will now be a world-class exhibition venue, with two premium on-site hotels and more than 25 new on-site restaurants and bars opening in time for LWF 2026.
In today’s climate, what makes events like London Wine Fair important and relevant for the spirits industry?
The challenges the drinks industry is facing make events like London Wine Fair and Signature Serve absolutely essential. These three days in May are the industry’s opportunity to come together, to debate, to learn and to find solutions. It is also an unrivalled event in the UK drinks calendar when it comes to discovering new products, new trends and doing business with customers and colleagues. It should be unmissable for anyone seriously involved in buying or selling spirits and wine in the UK and beyond.
The 2026 London Wine Fair will take place at Olympia from 18 to 20 May.
www.londonwinefair.com | @londonwinefair
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