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ProWine Singapore debuts new themes

23 April 2024 By Nimmi Malhotra

Kicking off today, ProWine Singapore is dialling into local partner relationships and promises to be the most concerted effort in its third consecutive year, according to ProWein director Peter Schmitz.

Today (23 April) ProWine Singapore opens its doors to its third consecutive year show at Singapore Expo halls and promises to be the largest and most focused ProWine presence in the region to date.

Organised by Messe Düsseldorf and Informa markets, the expo will take place from 23 April to 26 April and will bring six national pavilion and country groups including the first German pavilion. Visitors can expect 200 exhibitors from 26 countries and three concepts newly introduced to the regional show: ProWine Spirits, ProWine Zero and ProWine Awards.

The concept pillars are designed to address the global wine trends. Peter Schmitz, the recently appointed director of ProWein, shares: “We are seeing a global decline in consumption and sales of wine. On the other hand, we are witnessing a continuous growth in spirits sales and no and low products. And part of our strategy is to integrate these growth themes into our satellite events. This is why you will also see ProWine Zero and Spirits in Singapore for the first time.”

The concept kickoff in Singapore was developed in collaboration with local industry players. ProWine Spirits debuted on the international stage earlier this year in Düsseldorf. In Singapore, the ProWine team tied with Bar Spectre and founder Andrew Pang, who is also the regional brand ambassador for Beam Suntory.

“We wanted to leverage his knowledge and insight into the bar and spirit culture and how we can relate to the bar scene with our exhibition,” says Renee Zhao, director of marketing and communications for ProWine Asia.

ProWine Zero will have a small presence in Singapore. “The no-low spirit concept is still an emerging trend in Asia and not yet in line with Germany, US, and UK markets. You will not see a lot of producers showing their products. It’s just a start.” Zhao says.

The category is led by no/low drinks distributor Free Spirits, UK brand Noughty and select no/low spirit producers. Additionally, three sessions in the masterclass programming will explore the current and future markets for no- and low-alcohol drinks in the region.

Finally, the expo inaugurates the ProWine Awards, which will honour achievements in nine categories, including best wine and spirit education programme, emerging wine and spirits talent and best sustainable wine and spirits list.

“One of the reasons to launch this is also to leverage this awards to engage with industry,” Zhao shares, adding that the nominations were judged by a highly engaged Singapore-based jury.

ProWine Singapore attracts buyers from key Southeast Asian markets of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Its organisers expect 8,000 visitors to walk through the door this week to attend fully booked masterclasses on sake, craft spirits, and fortified wine and Rioja.

“In Asia, we now have five satellite shows (Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Tokyo), and this is the largest event in the Asian portfolio,” says Schmitz, explaining that they are switching to a bi-annual rotation schedule between Singapore and Hong Kong, a format that better addresses the regional needs.

“In my view, Singapore and Hong Kong are comparable in terms of their structure. These are fairly self-contained economic regions with a high purchasing power. We also have to be careful that our exhibitors are not overwhelmed with too many trade fairs in the region.”

ProWine Singapore expo will be back in Singapore in 2026.

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