One unforeseen challenge of hosting the inaugural Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival? Taylor Swift. The superstar originally booked one April concert date in Tampa, which then expanded to three. This became a direct weekend conflict for the festival (i.e., hotel room rates skyrocketed, access to security dwindled, etc.). But things went off without a hitch. Here, guests visited the different battle tents at Friday’s Chef Showdown to taste and vote on their favorite dishes.Photo: Lalani Media
“The festival has been a few years in the making,” shares Valerie Roy, TBWFF co-founder, producer, and director of marketing for CI Management. Along with husband and CI Management co-founder Tod Roy, the pair owns and produces the 10-year-old South Beach Seafood Festival, as well as produces the 27-year-old Las Olas Wine & Food Festival in Fort Lauderdale and ExperienceSOFI in Miami Beach. They also produce several golf tournaments and charity events, plus a slew of major fishing tournaments through their other company, Fish Hard Events—which means they're busy Florida event professionals year-round.
So, why Tampa? Thanks to downtime during the pandemic, the Roys had plenty of conversations about what a Tampa event could present.
“We started brainstorming with our wine and spirits partners at Breakthru Beverage Group on future ideas for events and programming throughout the state, and they, too, were looking toward the west coast of Florida as a leading market for their team,” she says. “The talent in the area was booming and certainly deserves to be highlighted and celebrated.”
Following the successful opening of renowned chef and partner Sean Brasel’s Meat Market in Hyde Park Village, paired with interest from existing brand partners at Goya Foods, Cadillac, and Celebrity Cruises, Roy and her team were convinced 2023 was the time to make a move.
Folio Fine Wines was on-site to pour refreshing sips in the popular Rose Garden at Saturday’s Grand Tasting.Photo: Lalani Media
To the Roys’ advantage was their full decade of experience owning and producing South Beach Seafood Festival, which lent inspiration to the event scheduling in Tampa and confirmed what they could already accomplish like clockwork. However, the high cost of production was no secret to CI.
“Especially during these times after COVID, expenses are high, and it’s hard to step out of the day to day of your restaurant with staff and participate in events like this,” Roy says. “Between staffing and high expenses, it’s not easy to build events from the ground up, but we are happy to have been able to bring some of our amazing vendors from Miami, like Events on the Loose, and also work with the seasoned professionals throughout the Tampa Bay area that know Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and the area to put together a big team to make the inaugural year happen.”
Roy cites additional challenges, including finding the right dates for all involved parties in a brand-new city, new rules and regulations associated with a first-time destination, and continued post-pandemic supply issues.
Although the Roys were somewhat prepared for the above, one conflict that CI Management could not predict during early planning? Taylor Swift.
That’s right. Roy says the superstar originally booked one April concert date in Tampa, which then expanded to three. This became a direct weekend conflict for the festival, due to festival hotel room bookings being voided—or rates skyrocketing—and lack of access to the off-duty police and security they needed to pull it off.
“The event definitely came with challenges, but everyone rallied together and put on a great show for the culinary community of Tampa Bay, and the ideas are endless for 2024,” Roy beams.
It’s official: Save the date for the return of TBWFF, April 9-13, 2024. Until then, keep scrolling and devour the best moments of the inaugural fest’s food, drink, and brand activations.
