TradeScope walked the Imbibe Live trade show at Kensington Olympia on July 3-4 2017. The show is targeted at all people involved in the beverage industry.
From talking to exhibitors, it is clear that the strongest suit for the show is spirits. Spirits represent roughly 40% of the show, and Imbibe Live is a contender for one of the best spirits shows in the UK.
Imbibe Live does less well for wine and beer. There are stronger UK shows for wine (London Wine Fair) and beer (Craft Beer Rising, Great British Beer Festival). Hence, some wine and beer exhibitors were lukewarm about the show.
There was a "Hop & Apple" stand where beer and cider producers could exhibit for considerably less than the cost of whole stand. For that you got 1.5m of bar frontage and a few taps.
North Carolina had a 6m x 4m stand with 6-8 North Carolina breweries and cider producers represented. They reported good results and exposure from the show.