The 2020 Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival officially drew to a close on Wednesday, Dec. 15, marking the first time the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) adopted an “online + offline” format for the mega event so that the public could take part without having to worry about the COVI-19 outbreak.
During the five consecutive weeks it was held (from Nov. 11 to Dec. 15), the festival laid a full table of gastronomic experiences.
The HKTB leveraged the event to promote and sustain Hong Kong’s exposure in the visitor source markets.
Online Masterclasses viewed around 850,000 times
The Online Masterclasses – a new “ingredient” of this year’s Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival – became a go-to program at home for many people during the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 34 classes were held during three weekends, generating almost 850,000 views.
About 30% of the viewers came from the short- and long-haul markets, such as India, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Canada.
The most popular Online Masterclasses included the “Ah Yat Fried Rice” cooking demonstration by Forum Restaurant’s Executive Chef Adam Wong; the craft beer and artisan cheese pairing class by Young Master Brewery and Monsieur CHATTÉ; and the “Art of Blending: When Johnnie Walker Meets Coffee” by world-class mixologist Antonio Lai and professional coffee barista Timmy Lam.
While all the Online Masterclasses have already been completed, the full videos are still available for free viewing on the event website (winedinefestival.discoverhongkong.com).
Many of the Online Masterclasses featured wine-tasting and cooking kits for purchase, allowing the participants to share the full experience with wine experts and celebrity chefs. In particular, the tasting kits for “A Date with the Snow Goddess Yukimegami,” hosted by the Sake Service Institute of Japan-certified sake sommelier Jamie Lo, were sold out.
“It was a new experience to give a tasting class over the computer screen. The interaction with the participants also made the experience more fun. The class was priced lower than its cost to attract participation, and it was encouraging to know that the tasting kit was popular,” Lo said.
Takeaway / delivery menus met with good response
This year’s festival continued to bring opportunities for wine merchants and the dining sector to promote their products and do businesses. For example, the HKTB collaborated with a number of top hotels and popular restaurants to present 30 menus for delivery or takeaway, some of which were exclusive to the festival, including a special afternoon tea set designed by Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
“The limited-time-only afternoon tea set was selling better than we expected. Though Hong Kong people are eating out less these days, they are still drawn by exquisite food.” said the hotel’s Director of Marketing Communications Eva Kwok.
The HKTB also partnered with various dining platforms and associations to roll out all kinds of offers at over 500 dining outlets. During those days when the COVID-19 situation was under control, over 10,000 reservations had been made.
“Through the HKTB’s promotional platform, many of our participating restaurants achieved more reservations than expected and reached new customer segments,” said Ryan So, Director of Business Development Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong of Dining City, one of the festival’s partner platforms.