Whine and Dine – New Location Same Problems

 Before you judge me, I must let you know that I am completely for this event regardless of what the ramblings below might tell you. Wine and Dine is a great, one of a kind, outdoor event that brings wine drinkers together in Hong Kong from all walks of life, with all kinds of budgets with one common goal – getting drunk. It is not a tasting event, it’s a drinking and eating event and that’s a fact. However, since its inception four years ago it has been an event that many people love to hate. Walking home though the vomit paved roads of West Kowloon, waiting hours for a bus, the lack of taxis and it’s extremely inconvenient location was par for the course.

This year the event has finally moved from the big white elephant that is “The West Kowloon Cultural Hub”. There’s nothing sodding cultural about a strip of grass that you can barely access and that currently houses a huge inflatable pile of dog shit (it really does – Google it!). It’s great for people living in Elements, and that’s about it. It’s a waste land that the government may finally find a suitable use for (not unlike our Kai Tak airport). This year, Wine and Dine will be held on the newly reclaimed land which was once the harbor and once the iconic Star Ferry terminal, Queens Pier and the Tamar Docks where the British Navy once moored up pre-1997. It’s a great venue, accessible to the public from nearly all means of transport and overlooks Kowloon – yes, that means it’s not on the ‘dark side’ of Hong Kong….it’s basically in Central, the centre of all things business for the whole of Asia.

However, as is Hong Kong’s want (much like the disaster ‘Harbourfest’) the local organizers always have a way of screwing it up and this year is no different for both the public and the exhibitors. So, when I found out the changes from last year I decided to write to the Hong Kong Tourism Board and ask them what they were planning and why the new plans were so short sighted. Instead of boring you too much I will publish the e-mail I sent them with a few confidential figures edited out as it’s not fair on those participating. I was then asked to meet with them face to face today (Friday May 3^rd) – but the ‘line has gone dead’ and that meeting, supposedly at 3pm today (Friday May 3^rd) is evidently not happening.

In short, there is (allegedly) no free entry onto the public land where Wine and Dine will be held. This means that all people who want to go and take a look will have to buy tokens for food and drink regardless of whether they want to eat and drink. Bearing in mind Hong Kong people love their food, and many don’t drink alcohol, I think this is a little unfair.

From my e-mail: 2. I notice there is an increased security level for booth holders (photo ID etc) and I can assume that this is because there is no 'free entry' into Wine and Dine 2013 for the public - that is, they have to buy tokens and tickets to attend. This is the total opposite of the previous years and prohibits people making their mind up on the day. It is also charging people to use public land and also means that people need to buy a booklet of tokens each when some couples may only want one or two drinks and share a booklet. I for one would rather walk around and decide what, if anything, I would like to buy before having to buy the tokens. What do families that want to experience the event but don't drink and want to eat do? Are there separate food and wine booklets? Are you forcing people to drink? I reiterate, it's public land that people are allowed to use and entry should, and must, be free to public. Whether they choose to eat or drink is not up to you or the event manager....

The minimum price for wine has risen to HK$250 a bottle – way over the average of what people spend here on daily wine and each taste will cost you HK$15 – up from HK$10 last year.

From my e-mail: 4. Following on from that - why is the minimum $250 (price for one bottle of wine) for one token? Last year it was under $200 now it's risen by over 25% and, honestly, it is way higher than the average price the everyday drinker pays for wine for consumption at home. Listen, if people want to pay through the nose for average wine they can go to the Grand Tasting Pavillion to taste their Opus One and Lafite (for example) but on average, most people just want something similar to what they pay $100-$150 for from Watson's Wine cellar or Wellcome. By doing this all you are doing is ensuring that exactly the same wines that are worth less than $250 are going to be charged at $15 a taste by the public - ie. they are getting ripped off. Also, many companies do not have wines in this price range on their portfolios, so, again, they will be forced to over charge for their wines.

Although the HKTB tell me they are still in the tendering process for the event organiser I have not received anything to the contrary that last year’s management company is doing it again:

From my e-mail: 6. Baobab Tree was a TERRIBLE event manager last year with absolutely terrible service to the booth holders (I was one) with slow procedures for ice, no provision for plastic glasses and generally, it seemed like they did not care about anything other than making themselves money. The lights were out at midnight and the place was pitch dark and dangerous to walk around due to lack of lighting and uneven flooring. There was little to no security -  you might have seen the Apple Daily story about all the theft. Baobab Tree absolved themselves of any blame, kept quiet and finally reimbursed those who pestered them enough to give them the value of what was stolen back. Using this management company again will not stop people wanting booths, but it's a good way of making sure that not many of those who were negatively affected by Baobab's lack of able management to come and do it again this year. (edited)

The location IS great but it will turn into a logistical nightmare for the exhibitors being in Central. The allocated times for delivery are not yet know but as far as the time for deliveries is concerned, it will not work.

From my e-mail: 8.GREAT LOCATION....FINALLY, thank you! West Kowloon although spacious was (and is) a hassle to get to for many with a long walk from Elements, great idea to do it in Admiralty. However, I notice that the logistics restrictions are well short of what is actually achievable. 20 mins? IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way that companies can unload and shift their products in 20 mins - FACT. Also, are there the same time restraints as last year, and if so, when are they? I live in Tin Hau and every year the Brands and Products Expo in Victoria Park makes Hing Fat Street a nightmare. You should know this as your office is at the end of this road! When are the permissible times to deliver and are they during rush hour in Central? Are they going to make it inconvenient for the booth holders to arrange? If it's anything like Hing Fat Street, it could turn out to be a traffic and logistics disaster. And let me repeat.....20 mins unloading and delivery time is not possible.

Many people have told me the charges for the exhibitors are just too much and considering it is a smaller venue with less capacity, the idea of charging more is ridiculous. The HKTB estimates 150,000 will attend over the 3 days but the charges for the booths have risen by around 12%.

From my e-mail: 1. So, I have just read what Holly has sent me and it seems that although you are expecting less people (I am assuming that the space is smaller) than last year (and in fact less than 2011 also as that was 165,000) the charges for the booths are more. Why would it cost more for people to showcase their wine to less people? Are you or the organiser trying to offset the reduced number of booths by charging those with booths more?

To conclude this I will quote from my e-mail to the HKTB:

“In closing I apologise for the length of this email but we in HK always try to make things sound more prestigious than they actually are and this year's wine and dine seems a great example of this.  The event is about local wine and food distributors meeting local people who in turn are able to enjoy a wide variety of affordable products and wine. It's not about raising the profile of HK by selling expensive wines. We all know HK is the "wine hub of Asia" but it's a trade port and the average people really pay here for a bottle of wine is much lower than the press (people like me) make it out to be. We have a thriving wine import and export business and a thriving auction market true...but most local HK people buy $88 - $150 wines from their local suppliers and supermarkets - and they will want these priced wines at Wine and Dine too. The event, from what I and others read from your promo material is being organised with a focus on high-end wines and customers, preventing everyday people from enjoying every day wines....”

“I'd love to sit down with you and the event management and discuss all these negatives and highlight the imperfections of previous years, but I guess we are too far down the line for that now. Many I have spoken too are not going exhibit their wines because of the new restrictions and many are asking me if it will be economically worthwhile to even attend as a member of the public. At the moment, on reflection, I'd have to say that these queries are extremely valid...”