Weddings and Events

Not to worry, this isn’t going to be a very long article. I know that as a sought-after wedding and function venue you are already pressed for time.

Drawing on my extensive experience and insights into the industry, this little article is going to help you to save time and give you advice that I am confident will help you maintain your reputation as an outstanding special function venue.

Look, when it comes to suppliers, many people assume that dealing with the biggest ones are the best way to go. But in a nutshell, when it comes to superior service and quality and affordability for some of SA’s finest wines and other fabulous products like olives and premium oils, the bigger boys don’t always have your best interests at heart.

It’s About their Kick-Backs and Not Your Satisfaction

I can’t tell you how many times a new client has revealed to me their delight and relief when it comes to discussions about the wines that they really want at the prices that they prefer. The bigger suppliers they dealt with before put pressure on them to make use of a certain selection of wines, and often didn’t stock many of the unique and special vintages and products that clients would request.

Large wine suppliers deal mostly with just the big wine farms because these can afford to reward them and ply them with kick-backs and other incentives.

The smaller high-quality hands-on wine farmers are given the cold shoulder because the profit margin is so slim that they can’t afford to pay big suppliers these kick-backs or “marketing fees” (AKA bribes) and so, their amazing products never come to be known to many of the clients that would truly appreciate them.

Cartels and Greedy Reps are a Crime

Another problem with many big suppliers is that they then begin to monopolise the industry and because of their power and influence, they manipulate the trade in such a way that it benefits them but not really anybody else. They function a lot like crime (wine) cartels.

Reps will push the products that get them the most incentives, rather than the products that are the most economical and best quality and this ‘sausage factory’ way of conducting business is not the best way to ensure that your customers are getting access to the finest wines at the very best prices. They’ll sell you the wines that suit their needs (even if they’re inferior) rather than the ones that suit yours.

You’ll never even hear about the amazing products the smaller wine farms have to offer because these big bully suppliers often only peddle the wines that reward them.

No Marketing Skills, Just Drop and Go

Another client shared a horror story with me, explaining why she stopped dealing with a certain large and well-known wine supplier.

As we all know, weddings are extremely special life-events. It needs to run as perfectly as possible. This lady’s highly sought-after wedding venue had established an amazing reputation after years of hard work, professionalism and tireless attention to detail.

And it all came dangerously close to being destroyed one Saturday night when all the wine she had ordered weeks in advance was only delivered at 8 pm. After the wedding had been in full-swing for hours already! She was mortified.

To make matters worse, the wine was simply dropped at reception because the driver was late for another delivery nearby and she had to frantically rally her staff from all four corners to quickly distribute the wine, much of which was still warm from the journey.

Under-Staffed and Last Minute Deliveries

My new client felt she had been badly burned in her past dealings with a big wine supplier who just saw her as another number in a long list of customers. She noticed that all the venues in the area seemed to offer exactly the same wines and nothing really set any of them apart, which she didn’t like at all. She relished how unique her venue and services were.

Luckily, when her delivery had been unceremoniously dropped so late at reception, she knew the newly-weds personally and they understood that this was not her way of doing things. Otherwise, it may have resulted in a catastrophic loss of business for her.

As it was, she felt obliged to offer them a massive discount to apologise, which caused her a substantial loss of income. It also haunted her that every guest at that wedding knew that the wine arrived several hours late and she couldn’t be sure if they blamed her and the venue or not.

She shared with me how relieved she is to now know that whenever we supply her our staff are on-hand to ensure that all the promises that we’ve made are delivered. It’s never just a case of drop the stock and hit the road. We provide a comprehensive supplier service motivated by the desire to foster long-term relationships with our clients.

Class in a Glass vs Bargain in a Big Box

In closing, I’d like to leave you with an analogy. A decent wine supplier is very much like a superior glass of wine. A smaller supplier, that is more hands-on and sees you as an individual rather than just another buck to be made, is like really good wine in a decent glass, rather than bargain box wine service in bulk that leaves you with a headache.

A special function and premium venue needs the refined and attentive approach of a sommelier rather than a fleeting sales exchange with a merchant aiming to line his own pockets.

Life is too short to tolerate a big bargain box approach to what is supposed to be a special and once in a lifetime event at a world class venue.

Here’s to class in a glass… Cheers!