Bij de Vinexpo in 2017 en 2015 was het al te merken dat het minder druk was dan voorheen, maar gaf de organisatie aan de andere kant blijk van groei van exposanten en bezoekers. Bij de huidige editie geeft de organisatie toe dat er merkbaar minder exposanten en bezoekers waren, zelfs zo’n 30% minder. De beurs had minder oppervlak dan eerder en in de gangen was het lagere aantal bezoekers ook merkbaar. Toch zijn de organisatoren tevreden. De kwaliteit is namelijk toegenomen. Maar veranderingen zijn onontbeerlijk. Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO van Vinexpo, die 30 dagen voor het begin van de beurs zijn functie aanvaardde, zegt ‘the reality of the figures evidence the need for a radical change of strategy to relaunch Vinexpo Bordeaux and for it to exist harmoniously with Vinexpo Paris.‘ En ‘We must build on our strengths so as to reinvent ourselves. This new direction is based on three key features: Business, Content, Experiences.’
Lees verder in het Engelstalige persbericht:
Just hours from the closure of the exhibition, Vinexpo Bordeaux recaps on four days of business, propects and conviviality : 1,600 international exhibitors represented a good slice of world production from 30 countries and of professional visitors from the four corners of the world (The top five from outside France were : China, United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain).
While these figures confirm its place as an international exhibition, Vinexpo Bordeaux registered a drop in the order of 30% in the number of exhibitors and visitors.
A look back at this resized show, repositioned in an effective format, making it more qualitative and focused confirms the strategic direction of the Vinexpo Group.
Business meetings…
With more than 2,300 qualified meetings and a visitor universe composed of 65% decision-makers, business at Vinexpo appears to have borne fruit as witnessed by exhibitors satisfied with the volume of deals done, the time spent on negotiation and the quality of contacts generated.
‘Vinexpo shows are great. We have been coming to Bordeaux for thirty years and to Vinexpo Hong Kong for 20 years. The show opened an hour ago and I have already met customers from India and Russia‘, said Graham Taylor, Managing Director of Glasgow Whisky in Scotland.
Similar satisfaction was shown from buyers such as Truls Flakstad, a Norwegian importer (PROCURA): ‘I appreciate the effectiveness of the One to Wine meetings. The meetings are prepared in advance, are qualified and I was delighted with the result. For example, my first two meetings resulted in immediate deals and the others enabled me to plan ahead for the long term.’
The second edition of WOW! (World of Organic Wines) – a space dedicated 100% to bio – featured 150 producers of bio or biodynamic wines from ten countries. The display of wines and spirits reported considerable success…. As Andrea Lotti, Managing Director of the Lechburg Winery (Rumania) recounts: ‘We signed our first international order in the WOW! space at Vinexpo Hong Kong 2018. We took part in WOW! at Vinexpo Bordeaux to develop our exports and we intend to exhibit in Shanghai and New York‘.
Content is part of the DNA of Vinexpo which once again showed its value for professionals:
• 650 took part in the Symposium ‘Act for Change’ which drew a full house to hear researchers and experts from all parts of the worldThe unique Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019 event, organised with the support of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the CIVB, this first international symposium dedicated to the ‘Impact of climate change on the wine and spirits sectors‘, was a great success and will continue.
• 300 participants took part in the e-commerce conference “How to optimise sales on-line” with a panel consisting of the CEO of Vivino, Le Petit Ballon, Tannico, Alibaba-Tmall and IWSR.
• There was an equally warm response for the Vinexpo Academy, a real platform for the exchange of ideas, which was a striking success throughout the exhibition with 12 conferences and 24 tastings devoted to wines and spirits from around the world as well as Masterclasses, battles and other events.
American sommelier Derrick C Westbrook (LLC-USA) said: ‘Vinexpo is an opportunity to build networks and discover trends in the industry. The Masterclasses show promise for the future.’
The organisers thank the exhibitors who created stands of high quality. The exhibition also benefited from the newly-refurbished Hall 2 (Palais 2 l’Atlantique).
As regards fringe activities two events were outstanding:
• The dinner at the Palais, created at the requests of exhibitors (notably those from outside Bordeaux) who wished to welcome their quests with a gourmet menu and revealing their wines.
• The great tasting of wines from the world, held in the heart of Bordeaux, allowed the public to discover wines and spirits from numerous countries as well as the main wine regions of France.
Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexpo, who took up his role 30 days before the exhibition, said:
‘The reality of the figures evidence the need for a radical change of strategy to relaunch Vinexpo Bordeaux and for it to exist harmoniously with Vinexpo Paris.‘ He added: ‘We must build on our strengths so as to reinvent ourselves.‘. He concluded: ‘This new direction is based on three key features: Business, Content, Experiences.’
In 2021, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Vinexpo Bordeaux will create a new business model whilst safeguarding its identity and its values.
Vinexpo’s next events
Shanghai (23-25 October 2019)
Paris (10-12 February 2020) with Wine Paris
New York (2-3 March 2020)
Hong Kong (26-28 May 2020)
