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Vinexpo to merge with Wine Paris
Vinexpo is to merge with Wine Paris to create one mega-show in February catering to both local and international wine buyers, importers and press.
Vinexpo and Wine Paris have joined forces to host a wine mega-show in the French capital next February
Taking place for the first time from 10-12 February 2020 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the show has been created to cater to the needs of the global wine and spirits industry at a key time in the drinks-buying calendar.
Taking place before ProWein in March, the two shows have united to pool their resources and offer a more enticing show to exhibitors that reaffirms France’s pivotal role in the global wine trade and Paris as an international wine hub.
Speaking to db, Pascal Ferrandi, director of Wine Paris, said that the merging of the shows was a case of common sense prevailing.
“Common sense prevailed, and this is very good news for all of us as it answers the needs of producers and visitors. February is a good time of year to host the show, as it’s when buyers are looking to secure their wines for the year.
“Collaborating with Vinexpo is very advantageous as it is a strong international brand. We are stronger together and it’s a logical continuation of what we did last year in merging Vinisud and Vinovision into Wine Paris.
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“We want it to be an international show and to have the largest offering of exhibitors possible to attract a large number of international visitors. This cohesive approach is a chance for producers, trading companies and brands to optimise their resources and benefit from an event with maximum impact.
“Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris are a perfect match in terms of marketing insights and know-how, and will reaffirm the importance of France in the wine world,” she said.
The organisers of Vinexpo Paris and Wine Paris are hoping that the new event will “act as a magnet for buyers, merchants, sommeliers, distributors, wholesalers and sales agents”, drawing them to the French capital in Feburary.
“I want to make Vinexpo Paris an international show because that is what the market is asking for.
“Vinexpo Bordeaux has lost the momentum with its clients for many reasons and we have to adapt. We would be foolish not to accept that we have to evolve with the changing times but also never forget where we came from,” Rodolphe Lameyse, the newly appointed CEO of Vinexpo, told db during Vinexpo Bordeaux this week.
“You have to consider timing when it comes to wine trade shows and Vinexpo Bordeaux happens a bit too late in the year at the moment, as people usually buy their wine for the year from February to April.
“We have to run shows that follow the proper calendar of the wine market. We moved Vinexpo Bordeaux from June to May this year, but it wasn’t bold enough. You can’t make half-hearted decisions,” he added.
Wine Paris made its debut on 11-13 February this year, bringing together two French wine shows under one roof – the Southern French-focused Vinisud (created in 1994) and cool climate centred Vinovision Paris (founded in 2017) to collectively promote all of France’s key wine regions.
“By creating Vinexpo Paris, Vinexpo’s ambition was to seize the growth opportunities slated for the global wine and spirits market.
“Its inception aligns with one of the strategic development priorities set by Vinexpo’s board of directors, which is to provide expert exhibitions as close as possible to the major markets of Bordeaux, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai,” said a spokesperson for Vinexpo. “Both exhibitions will continue to encapsulate their own inherent characteristics,” they added.
Orgnaised by Comexposium, Wine Paris 2019 was attended by 2,000 exhibitors and 26,700 trade and industry members, 30% of which travelled to the show from abroad.
Founded in 1981, Vinexpo organises drinks trade shows in Bordeaux, Hong Kong, New York and Shanghai, with its first Paris show due to take place in February 2020. It also runs Vinexpo Explorer, a peripatetic event bringing influential global wine buyers to different key wine hubs, from Sonoma and Vienna to Beaujolais.
Lameyse plans to launch a Vinexpo Explorer event for spirits at key spirits-making hubs around the world, including a saké focus in Japan, a Tequila focus in Mexico, and a whiskey focus in the US.
I really cannot see the point of this. VINISUD in Montpellier was a great show and WORKED because of its timing and its location – ALL buyers concur with that!! And it didn’t clash with Prowein because a great number of buyers went to Vinisud because of its positioning as a fair and its location. Then it became Wine Paris and hardly any main buyers went. If VINEXPO is now “merging” with WINE PARIS it is undoubtedly because it is failing as an exhibition, but merging the two to be held (in Paris!) one month before THE main show that retains its popularity (Prowein) isn’t necessarily going to change much (in fact probably nothing at all!) and in buyers and importers right mind, the choice remains obvious: PROWEIN! So I would strongly recommend that VINISUD organizers bring it back to MONTPELLIER as it was and buyers will go to it (WE will).
All shows are in trouble, at least in Europe. LIWF is a much reduced affair, Vinexpo is dead, ViniSud moved. Prowein has been very successful so far, but many people I speak to feel it has peaked and is now on the slide (too big, no value). Maybe we need to re-think the whole formula.
Larger shows that feature greater and greater numbers of producers all in one place-are not the most effective for those looking to make buying decisions or find new brands to import/represent. There is too much in one place. They are too big. They are a nightmare to navigate and require Herculean efforts to keep things tight-focus on what you are interested in and get in and get out. Smaller more focused shows where there is time to connect with the producers-will, in my opinion, are far more valuable and some producers will make a return to focusing on being represented at these shows and forget about the larger shows. That is already the case for many small brands.
These huge shows are best suited to larger more commercial brands, big distributors, major importers (or smaller brands that aren’t quite impressive enough to shine at a smaller region-focused trade event) etc. Most of the guests at these events are distributor or importer personnel or buyers who have had their trips paid for by a distributor, supplier or brand and they wouldn’t attend if this wasn’t the case. A massive amount of money goes into bringing these crowds to these events. Whereas, when you have a high quality, smaller and more focused show hosted in a beautiful region (versus a major city) that is more pleasurable to attend, professionals will be happier to send themselves to the event and then travel around before/after to do additional research/connect with brands they may want to do business with/import/distribute and/or education and pleasure. Crowds are smaller, yes, but it’s quality and connection over quantity and marketing
There are too many fairs, visitors cannot attend all of them and it is not financially viable for producers to participate to all. Fairs have become a big business on their own, like wine awards, they make money by charging visitors, limited, and producers, the big chunk, so the consolidation process is only natural and will happen to all fairs that wants to stay big and not become like London, that you cant even call a fair, they were the latest to join the group, they tried to be too many things at the same and failed.
Producers attend, for economies of scale, the biggest events, they want to see as many people as possible, don’t forget that for a producer except for the fair fees, the other costs, hotel, travel and so on, are exactly the same, and visitors are the same, tend to attend the biggest fairs, whether they are paying for their ticket or been invited to, they cant spent all their time visiting fairs. This is just the beginning, more will follow.