National award for Cellar Door Wine Festival Adelaide

Adelaide’s Cellar Door Wine Festival, created and hosted by the Adelaide Convention Centre, has scooped another national award after being named Public Event of the Year by Meetings and Events Australia at their awards dinner in Darwin last night.

It’s the sixth major award in less than a year for the Festival which also won at the 2012 South Australian Tourism Awards, Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) Awards for Excellence and the Australian Tourism Awards.

Having only started in 2011, the Festival has quickly become the largest consumer wine event in the country by having the most exhibitors and record numbers each year.

Over 150 wineries from 13 iconic wine regions participated at this year’s Festival including 30 wineries who participated for the first time.

Adelaide Convention Centre Chief Executive Alec Gilbert said winning a national award for an Adelaide-based Festival is a major achievement.

“Adelaide has a reputation for its Festivals but hasn’t until now had a wine festival of note despite being the heart of the Australian wine industry,” said Mr Gilbert.

“The Adelaide Convention Centre recognised the opportunity to create a Festival that celebrated South Australian wine and gave small boutique producers the chance to showcase their wines alongside bigger well known wineries.

“The Festival continues to go from strength to strength with more wineries, more visitors and greater recognition from the wine industry, government, consumers and the events industry alike.

“This year, we also put a greater focus of food by giving visitors the chance to sample and buy produce from eleven emerging regional food businesses in the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) ‘New Producers’ Area.”

The public has responded well to the Festival with this year’s Festival (February 22 -24) attracting more than 7000 people over the three days, making it the biggest ever held.

Plans are already underway to grow the Festival further in 2014.

The Adelaide Convention Centre decided to host and run the Festival themselves after trying to find an event management company to run it or to share the risk but couldn’t find anyone willing or able to take on the event.

For more information on what’s on offer at the Cellar Door Wine Festival please visit www.cellardoorfestival.com

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Twitter: @CellarDoorFest
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For more information on the Adelaide Convention Centre, visit www.adelaidecc.com.au
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Please contact Adelaide Convention Centre Market Development Manager Giovanna Toldi on (08) 8212 4099

ISSUED BY HUGHES PUBLIC RELATIONS: Please contact Simon Hatcher on (08) 8412 4100 or simon@hughespr.com.au