The Annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival ("SOBEWFF"), is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.

SOBEWFF has become one of the largest and most well-known festivals of its kind in the country, attracting visitors worldwide. The proceeds of SOBEWFF directly benefit the Florida International University (FIU) School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and underline the reputation of the City of Miami Beach as a world-class culinary destination.

Over the last 19 years, SOBEWFF has grown to attract more than 8,000 residents and visitors to the event daily, producing increased hotel room night generation year on year. 80% of SOBEWFF total event attendance, allocated to events that take place in the City of Miami Beach, brings in more than 50,000 guests to the City.

SOBEWFF has a long-term history of partnering with the City to provide public benefits, resident access, and sponsorship recognition. Historically, the City has waived special event permitting fees and received sponsor benefits. 

SOBEWFF is requesting sponsorship/financial support for the 20^th anniversary of the festival,  which is a valuable tourism draw and economic engine for Miami Beach. The City's sponsorship and support would be memorialized in an amendment to the current five (5) year agreement between the City and SOBEWFF, which expires in September 2023.  The proposed amendment would only amend and address sponsorship terms for the 2021 event. 

SOBEWFF plans to invest the sponsorship funding in a comprehensive COVID-19 mitigation program to ensure the safety of talent, sponsors and guests – as well as the community at large. The request is made due to the expected reduction in sponsorships and tickets resulting from the current COVID-19 environment. .

• City benefits:
  • Recognition as Platinum sponsorship and general festival recognition with tiered level logo on welcome banners at the Grand Tasting Village;
  • Each City Commissioner will receive two (2) tickets to a designated event on Miami Beach;
  • Print and media recognition is the Official Guide to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival; City logo on thank you advertisement running the weekend of SOBEWFF; recognition in select print promotional materials distributed locally, nationally and internationally; and an opportunity to produce press releases promoting participation;
  • Electronic recognition on SOBEWFF website, Mobile App, Online Auction website, e-Newsletter, and web banner;
  • Gifting opportunities include inclusion in Trade Day and Grand Tasting gift bags;
  • 2019 SOBEWFF Auctions - an opportunity to donate a mutually-agreed upon auction item to one of the SOBEWFF Online Auctions;
  • Opportunity to invite Miami Beach Senior High School Hospitality Students to volunteer for the SOBEWFF family event: Fun and Fit as a Family;
  • Co-marketing opportunities to promote important City initiatives and ties to SOBEWFF;
  • Four (4) Juicy Tidbits e-Newsletter stories to promote the City - circulation of 380,000;
  • Four (4) Facebook or Twitter posts to promote City events. Facebook circulation of 50k, Twitter circulation of 22k; and
  • Opportunity to place City promotional material in the SOBEWFF Official Hospitality Suite - headquarters for VIPs, chefs and seminar presenters.
           

   

• SOBEWFF benefits:
  • Waiver of special event application fees, permit fees, vehicle beach access pass fees, square footage fees, Lummus Park user fees, Police Department off-duty administrative fees, Fire Department off-duty administrative fees, temporary occupant content permit fee (if necessary), signage permit fees, banner permit fees, mini billboard permit fees and the 20% concession fees; and

   

  • A five (5) year commitment, commencing in 2019, to activate SOBEWFF in the current Miami Beach locations including Main Site (Lummus Park beachfront between 10th and 13th Streets), the North Venue (at beachfront between Lincoln Road & 17th Street), Espanola Way, and various hotel venues including the Fontainebleau, Lowes Miami Beach, SLS Hotel, Surfcomber Hotel, W South Beach, and 1 South Beach.

• Miami Beach Public benefits:
  • SOBEWFF is offering Miami Beach residents discounted advance (two week pre-sale period) ticket sales opportunities, the opportunity will consist of a 15% discount applied to the purchase of a maximum of two(2) tickets of a choice of one SOBEWFF large-scale event (over 200 guests) taking place in Miami Beach; and
  • Five hundred (500) tickets to each day of the Festival's family event: Fun and Fit as a Family. A total of one thousand (1,000) tickets will be provided. The tickets are to be distributed to local schools and after-school programs so that Miami Beach children and their families can attend this event to learn about health and wellness.

The current five-year City sponsorship with South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) is still in effect until 2023. 

In November 2020, SOBEWFF informed the City that they planned to postpone the 2021 Festival, from February 2021 to May 20-23, 2021. SOBEWFF's rationale for the postponement is due to the impact of COVID-19 and the time to invest in a comprehensive COVID mitigation program to ensure the safety of their talent, sponsors and guests. SOBEWFF's states that the COVID-19 plan is a significant investment in a speculative year and that they expect significantly lower sponsorship dollars and ticket sales.

SOBEWFF is requesting financial support to assist them with the cost of City services so they can invest the funds they would normally pay for City services into their COVID-19 investment, which would allow them to move forward with their 20^th anniversary of the event in May 2021.

To identify the level of sponsorship SOBEWFF is requesting, below are the  costs SOBEWFF paid for City services for the 2019/2020 festival:

Fire/Police/EMT               $  99,566.00

Meters                                    4,025.00

Permits                                 58,742.00

Total                                 $162,333.00

In addition, SOBEWFF will receive $120,102.24 in waived fees, per our current sponsorship agreement for the 2021 event:

• Special Event application and permit fees - $750
• Vehicle beach access pass fees - $9,750
• Square Footage fees - $55,932
• Lummus Park user fees - $15,642.54
• Police Department off-duty administrative fees - $11,596
• Light pole banner permit fees - $7,500
• Mini billboard permit fees - $200
• 20% concession fees - $18,731.70

Accordingly, SOBEWFF combined 2021 sponsorship request would equal approximately $282,435.24.

Additionally, SOBEWFF is planning to do a Drag Brunch at the North Beach Bandshell on  Sunday, May 23, 2021 and would like the City to waive the rental fees, estimated at $2,500.

N/A