Marketing & Promotion

Marketing is a Shared Responsibility

The Drink Show is built on a collaborative marketing model.

While the organiser invests heavily in a structured, multi-channel marketing campaign, every participating exhibitor also has a responsibility to actively promote their attendance.

No single winery, distillery or organiser can deliver maximum attendance alone. When every exhibitor promotes the event through their own customers, followers and trade networks, the combined reach becomes significantly greater than any individual campaign.

The more exhibitors actively participate in promoting the event, the stronger the attendance, the higher the quality of visitors and the better the commercial outcomes for everyone involved.

Organiser Marketing Campaign

The Drink Show is supported by a structured, multi-channel marketing campaign designed to attract an engaged audience of wine buyers, cellar door visitors and trade professionals.

The focus is on quality of audience rather than crowd volume, ensuring wineries connect with guests who attend to discover, taste and purchase.

Promotion is targeted across Newcastle, the Hunter and Central Coast, supported by digital campaigns, media partnerships and direct industry outreach.

Target Audience

Marketing is directed toward guests with a genuine interest in boutique wineries and cellar door experiences, including:

✔ Wine lovers and collectors

✔ Cellar door visitors and wine tourists

✔ Hospitality professionals and venue operators

✔ Sommeliers and wine buyers

✔ Retail buyers and bottle shops

✔ Distributors and industry contacts

✔ Local professionals and premium lifestyle consumers

✔ Trade and media with a wine focus

This ensures exhibitors connect with purchase-ready consumers and relevant trade, not just general event visitors.

Media & Digital Campaign

Our campaign combines digital marketing, media exposure and event listings to drive awareness and attendance.

✔ Official event website and landing pages

✔ Paid social campaigns (Facebook & Instagram)

✔ LinkedIn promotion targeting wine industry and trade audiences

✔ Email marketing to targeted subscriber lists

✔ Google Search visibility

✔ Event listing platforms and online guides

✔ Tourism and lifestyle websites (ATDW)

Media & Local Partnerships

✔ InTouch Magazine (print and online)

✔ Hunter Hunter (online)

✔ VisitNewcastle.com.au (tourism promotion)

✔ Wine industry event listings and association calendars

✔ Local press releases

✔ Dedicated collaborative marketing with participating exhibitors

✔ NEC Showground website and social media campaigns

✔ Community event calendars

✔ Regional wine tourism promotion (Hunter & surrounding areas)

These partnerships support both regional awareness and targeted audience reach, including wine-focused consumers and industry professionals.

Trade Attendance Strategy

Trade attendance will be driven through a targeted invitation campaign focused on qualified buyers and industry decision-makers.

A key component is the NSW Liquor & Gaming licence database (19,000+ licence holders), enabling direct engagement with licensed venues and operators across the Newcastle region.

This strategy is designed to attract genuine trade buyers and hospitality professionals - not simply increase foot traffic.

Targeted Trade Outreach

✔ Licensed venues & operators

✔ Independent bottle shops and retail groups

✔ Venue operators and hospitality professionals

✔ Importers, distributors and wholesalers

✔ Sommeliers, wine buyers and industry contacts

✔ Accredited media and trade registrations

✔ Regional tourism and cellar door networks

Trade Preview Access

The dedicated Trade Preview provides exhibitors with early access to industry attendees in a quieter, lower-volume environment before public admission begins.

This creates valuable opportunities for meaningful conversations, commercial discussions and relationship building with buyers, distributors and hospitality professionals.

Exhibitor Marketing Responsibilities

Participation in The Drink Show includes a commitment to helping promote the event.

The organiser delivers the central marketing campaign; however, exhibitors are expected to actively promote their own attendance before the event.

We encourage every exhibitor to leverage their existing customer database, wine club members, social media followers and trade contacts.

Suggested promotional activities include:

✔ Announcing your participation on social media

✔ Emailing your customer database and mailing lists

✔ Inviting wine club members and VIP customers

✔ Inviting hospitality venues, retailers and buyers

✔ Promoting Early Bird ticket offers

✔ Featuring the event on your website

✔ Displaying posters or signage at your cellar door or venue

✔ Sharing supplied promotional graphics, videos and media content

When every exhibitor promotes the event, the combined audience reach increases dramatically, creating stronger attendance and better opportunities for all exhibitors.

Expected Attendance

The combined marketing campaign is designed to attract approximately:

800+ engaged consumers and trade visitors

With a limited number of exhibitors, this supports greater visibility, more meaningful conversations and increased opportunities for direct sales and future customer relationships.

Why Collaboration Matters

The Drink Show is designed as a shared promotional platform.

Success is achieved through the combined efforts of the organiser and every participating exhibitor.

Working together helps deliver:

✔ Stronger overall attendance

✔ More targeted wine-focused visitors

✔ Increased direct-to-consumer sales

✔ Greater brand awareness

✔ Stronger trade engagement

✔ Improved commercial outcomes for all exhibitors

The more exhibitors who actively promote the event, the greater the benefit for everyone involved.

Future Event Priority

Exhibitors participating in The Drink Show receive priority consideration for future events.

✔ First option for The Drink Show Newcastle 2027

✔ Priority access to The Drink Show Canberra (October 2026)

✔ Priority access to AusWineX – Australia's National Wine Trade Exchange ( Geelong – May 2027 )