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On your marks: Vinexpo Asia gears up for Hong Kong show in May
For the first time in six years, Vinexpo Asia is returning to Hong Kong, and the fair ’s organisers are confident that the trade is ready for a reset.
PRODUCERS, DISTRIBUTORS and buyers from across Asia and around the world will descend on the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 28 to 30 May to meet, greet and do business.
“Now more than ever a trade show in Hong Kong will be the time where business can reset,” says Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium, the show’s organiser.
Hong Kong was host to Vinexpo Asia’s maiden event 26 years ago, and the trade fair has continued to boost economic relationships within the wine and spirits industry since 1998.
“Historically Hong Kong has been our hub for Asia, aiming to serve the Chinese and broader Asian market,” says the Vinexposium boss.
Covid-19 may have prompted Vinexposium to hit pause on the Hong Kong event for a few years, but it is back with a bang in 2024.
“For us it’s a bit of a reset for Hong Kong,” Lameyse says, calling it an “important step towards normalisation of the business in Asia”.
The region still holds great value for trade show organisers. Easy to access, with good facilities and impressive infrastructure, Hong Kong “ticks a lot of boxes for us”, Lameyse says.
It is also the gateway to the Greater Bay Area (GBA), which boasts a population of 87 million and has a decisive influence on Asia, standing as the entry point to the Chinese market.
The novelty of this year ’s show, according to Lameyse, is going to be reconnecting with the Chinese market. “Many things have changed and evolved in China,” the Vinexposium CEO explains. “We have to consider that it was only one year ago that China fully reopened and lifted its Covid barriers. We might have forgotten this, but actually it feels like just yesterday.”
The Chinese market remains a strategic market for the wine and spirits industry.
According to global beverage alcohol data and insights specialist IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, consumption of wine and spirits in China should experience value growth of 19% by 2027. Since 2023, Vinexpo Asia has become an annual gathering, now alternating between Singapore and Hong Kong. In Singapore, Vinexpo can focus on serving the Southeast Asian market, and China is now the major focus for the exhibition in Hong Kong.
“Southeast Asia has been a really bullish market lately, but we still have a foot in Hong Kong because it is definitely the right place to address the Chinese market,” says Lameyse.
Exhibitors in Hong Kong can still expect to see a range of trade visitors in 2024, as Vinexpo Asia also caters to many key import markets on the continent, including Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, to name a few of the main destinations.
Of the 40 exhibitor countries, Australia and China are among the top five, and Vinexpo Asia comes amid optimism that China’s punitive tariffs on Australian wine imports may soon be relaxed.
“Trust me, we have a large presence of Australian wine producers at the show. It’s even bigger than the one in in Singapore last year,” Lameyse says with confidence.
Bettane + Desseauve Grand Tasting
On 27 May, the day before Vinexpo Asia begins, the B+D Grand Tasting will take place at the HKCEC. Hosted by Bettane+Desseauve in conjunction with Vinexposium, the event is designed for both trade and consumers.
More than 1,000 participants will be given the opportunity to meet nearly 70 producers from around the globe. A series of six masterclasses will be offered concurrently, complementing the Grand Tasting experience and allowing visitors to explore the wines alongside their makers.
Thierry Desseauve, president of Bettane+Desseauve, says of the upcoming event: “After 11 Grand Tasting events in Hong Kong, we are delighted to return with Vinexposium in 2024. This is a market of avid enthusiasts who mean a lot to us, and we are inviting them to join us on the eve of Vinexpo Asia to explore our selection of outstanding wineries from around the world.”
Producers from Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and the US will represent the New World, but France, Italy and Spain are this year ’s top three exhibitor countries, and will represent Europe along with Portugal, Germany and Switzerland, to name but a few.
Up to 1,300 producers will be present, including 60% international and 40% French, and they will gather for three days of meetings and networking with 10,000 trade visitors, half of whom are importers and half wholesalers, distributors, wine merchants, retailers, hoteliers and restaurateurs.
The WOW (Welcome to the Organic World) area will be earmarked for organic and biodynamic wines, which are increasingly gaining traction in Asia.
Beyond wine, the range of spirits and craft companies will be equally divided between international and French exhibitors. Twelve countries are registered to attend, representing 11% of the total number of exhibitors in Hong Kong. From whisky to mezcal, rum, sake, baijiu and non-alcoholic drinks, Vinexpo Asia will explore every type of on-trend product. More than 50 sessions featuring in the Vinexpo Academy programme will also be available to attendees of Vinexpo Asia 2024.
“It’s important that everybody is able to reassert their business relationships,” says Lameyse. “Now more than ever, a trade show in Hong Kong will be the time where business can reset and rejuvenate in order to recreate the conditions for the growth of the market over the coming years.”
Testimonials
“Since the staging of its inaugural edition in 1998 in Hong Kong, Vinexpo Asia has grown into the region’s flagship event of the wine and spirits industry. We are happy to see the return of the show, leveraging the city’s diverse and inclusive culture, favourable business and trading environment, and the enormous opportunities brought by both the Greater Bay Area and the fast-growing Asian markets to scale up the event further, and provide more business opportunities for both exhibitors and buyers in Asia,” says Kenneth Wong, general manager of MICE and Cruise Division, Hong Kong Tourism Board.
“Participating in Vinexpo Asia 2023 was a success for our company,” Gordon Gebbie, sales director for Australia’s Rathbone Wine Group, said last May. “We look forward to Vinexpo Asia in Hong Kong to address the Chinese market further.”
“Vinexpo Asia is a key meeting-place for our line of business. I meet up with many of my colleagues there and a great range of producers exhibiting,” says Ronald Khoo, head of wines and spirits at Cathay Pacific.
Vinexpo Asia 2024: the facts
Date: 28-30 May 2024
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Wine exhibitors: 1,300 producers (40% French and 60% international) from 40 exhibitor countries
Spirits exhibitors: 11% of exhibitors will represent spirits from 12 countries and across categories including whisky, mezcal, rum, sake and baijiu
Visitors: 10,000 from across the trade (50% importers)
Events: over 50 sessions will feature in the Vinexpo Academy programme