Message from Sid Patel, CEO of London Competitions

Hi everyone,

I trust you are well. I wanted to say hello and give you an update on some exciting features we are introducing at the London Spirits Competition in 2024 and how we plan to give more value to our entrants.

In our recent internal discussions, we outlined a vision for the London Competition that is both ambitious and inspiring: "To transform the London Competition into the world's most relevant competition by 2025." This involves educating consumers about the fact that winning brands have earned their accolades based on the merits of quality, value, and packaging.

This also means that a medal on the bottle from the London Competitions means it is relevant for consumers and it stands giving them a great product at the right price. To make London Competition a true global benchmark and educate consumers that top trade judges have reviewed the products by keeping ‘them in mind’ and by keeping the same metrics they use to buy wines, beers or spirits.

Having originated six years ago and now heading into its seventh edition, the 2024 London Competition anticipates around 7500 entries annually, hailing from every corner of the globe. With entrants spanning over 50 countries, our competition has truly transcended borders. While attracting a wide array of participants, our core entrants predominantly consist of small and medium-sized brands seeking valuable product insights, heightened brand awareness, constructive evaluations from trade buyers, and detailed score breakdowns, a unique feature that the London Competitions provide.

To realize our vision, I would like to unveil several initiatives we plan to introduce, all of which come at no additional cost to our entrants:

1. Enhanced Feedback Features: We will be introducing two new feedback features. Alongside the professional tasting notes, entrants will now receive technical feedback from buyers on improving production processes. Additionally, market feedback from buyers will highlight the alignment of your product with its home country's competition.
2. Promotion at UK Trade Shows: We are excited to announce that the competition will be prominently featured in Beverage Trade Network's new UK trade shows, namely the UK Trade Tasting and IBWSS UK .
3. Enhanced Exposure for Winners: Our competition winners will benefit from enhanced visibility through Beverage Trade Network's latest UK media assets, including Drinks Merchants, On Trade, and the London Drinks Guide.
4. Consumer Awareness Campaign: In the coming years, we are planning an engaging consumer awareness campaign to promote London Competitions. We will feature Master Classes at our trade shows, the UK Trade Tasting and IBWSS UK featuring London Competition winners. The master classes will be led by the producer’s educators and London Competitions judges with the focus to educate end consumers about winning products.
5. Expanded Judging Panel: As part of our commitment to continual improvement, we are delighted to announce that supermarket chain buyers and more off-trade buyers will be joining our esteemed 2024 Judging panel. These exciting developments have been shaped by valuable insights from our market survey conducted with the 2023 entrants.

The survey revealed that the primary reason for participation was the desire for product feedback. In response, we are introducing additional features to provide even more constructive insights. The second most cited reason was the prestige associated with medal stickers on products—a factor I strongly encourage you to leverage. With the competition's focus on elevating consumer awareness, this could greatly contribute to driving sales in the retail sector.