Vinexpo Paris ‘will go head-to-head’ with ProWein

Launching for the first time next February, Vinexpo Paris aims to go head-to-head with ProWein as the world’s most important wine trade fair, according to Vinexpo’s new CEO, Rodolphe Lameyse.

Vinexpo CEO, Rodolphe Lameyse, wants to go head-to-head with ProWein

Speaking to db ahead of the event next year, Lameyse is confident that Vinexpo Paris will give ProWein serious competition.

“France lacks its own version of ProWein, but now with this event we have an opportunity to really rebalance the exhibition market in Europe, which is exciting. We have a chance to change the game.

“We’re going head-to-head with ProWein – the ambition is there to offer an alternative to the drinks trade.

“We need ProWein as much as ProWein needs us in the landscape, but we want people to decide where to go based on their business interests not because they have no choice. Vinexpo Paris will give people a chance to decide where they want to go,” he said.

Vinexpo Paris and Wine Paris will be held jointly from 10-12 February 2020 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, where 2,800 exhibitors and 30,000 trade members are due to descend on the French capital at a key moment in the buying calendar.

Lameyse told db that while they are taking place at the same time in the same place and are being marketed together, Vinexpo Paris and Wine Paris are two separate events under one roof.

“The idea to be able to offer the same kind of experience to our visitors and maximise their buying opportunities, making it worthwhile for them to attend.

“The signature of Vinexpo is its high-end execution, it’s a premium not an elitist event. You will see a different kind of atmosphere when you move from the Wine Paris hall to the Vinexpo Paris hall.

“It will be a bit like being in a shopping mall and discovering the premium brands. Vinexpo has more of a focus on brands, Wine Paris more a focus on regions,” he said.

“We’ve put a lot of work into making both events seamless to navigate so it’s obvious to attendees which show is which. Badges give entry to both shows,” he added.

Helping to unite both shows is an international area in Hall 7 showcasing wines from around the world, including Argentina, Austria, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and US.

In addition to wine, Vinexpo Paris will boast a dedicated spirits area, which Lameyse says will focus on craft brands. The decision was made to syphon off the spirits section to reflect the growing popularity of crafts spirits around the world.

“Vinexpo used to only give a small focus to spirits, and even then it was mostly Cognac and Armagnac. There are a lot of global events dedicated to spirits now but we have the know-how to do something special.

“We did a similar thing at Vinexpo Shanghai and it worked really well. I have high expectations for our spirits section,” Lameyse said, revealing that the next Vinexpo Explorer event will take place in a famous spirits regions outside of Europe.

The last Vinexpo Explorer event took place in Beaujolais in late September. “It went really well and we’ve had great feedback from buyers who had an interest in Beaujolais before, but now their knowledge of the different villages is really high.

“The winemakers that took part in the event were really surprised and happy with the level of orders that they got off the back of it,” Lameyse said.