The fast growing and increasingly influential Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris takes place between February 12-14 2024 at Porte de Versailles in Paris. Here’s event chief, Rodolphe Lameyse, on what you can expect.
The emergence of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris over the last couple of years as a serious competitor to the once unstoppable ProWein trade show has taken many people by surprise. What was once dismissed as simply a growing trade fair for the French wine industry, has quickly grown to become an international wine show in its own right.
It might still be operating a few rungs down the ladder from the size and scale of ProWein, but at least it is on the same ladder and will have the ProWein chiefs looking over their shoulders at what is now going on in Paris.
Yes, ProWein still wins hands down when it comes to the number of exhibitors and visitors, but size is not everything when it comes to quality and relevance and that is where Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is starting to make impressive progress in terms of the level of buyers and major retailers, importers and distributors who are now prioritising Paris in February, over Dusseldorf in March.
Let’s look at the numbers. In the last couple of years Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris has taken two significant steps forward.
There was an increase from 25,000 visitors to the 2022 Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris event to 36,000 in 2023 and it is expected to be over 40,000 in 2024
First February 2022 when it was the major wine trade fair to take place after the Covid lockdowns. Even with the threat of a last minute Covid cancellation the show attracted 2,864 exhibitors, of which 13% were international, and 25,739 visitors, of which 28% came from outside France and 77% were made up of wine and spirits buyers.
This, said Lameyse, represented a 15% increase in the number of exhibitors attending from before Covid, when there was, at the time, an average 15% decline in people visiting trade shows across all business sectors.
Then came the breakthrough event in February 2023 which attracted attracted over 36,000 people from 149 countries who had the chance to visit 3,387 exhibitors from 42 countries.
Big leap
We can expect to see another significant leap forward in 2024 with what Lamesye claims will be a close to 30% increase in exhibitor floor space – to 120,000 sqm – and 3,900 exhibitors overall, which includes an impressive 72% increase in floor space from international producers. Visitor numbers are expected to top 40,000 for the first time.
“We are overwhelmed by the increase. It is over achieving our targets,” says Lameyse.
Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024 will see a 25% increase in the number of spirits exhibitors taking part
The spirits side of the show will also see a 25% increase in exhibitors in 2024, of which 60% are international brands, across 25 spirits categories and will again feature the popular Infinity Bar hosted by some of the top bartender teams across Paris and France.
You will also have to get your walking shoes on in Paris in February for whilst there was only two halls to get around at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris in 2019, there will be seven halls in 2024.
Whilst Lameyse is quick to state how much he admires the team at Messe Dusseldorf and the continued good work they do with ProWein, he is also clearly pleased to be “taking share from ProWein” too. For, as he says, the international trade show “cake is not growing” and the numbers of buyers able to go to the shows is not increasing. The challenge is making the most and taking the most of what you can.
He says visitors can expect to see at least double the size of space for most of the major international exhibitors, particularly Spain, Germany, Portugal and South Africa and there will be 15 international pavilions. Italy will have its own dedicated hall on the back of a 75% increase in exhibitors.
The jury is still out about Wine Paris amongst Australian, New Zealand, Chilean and Argentine producers who have long been committed to ProWein, but there will be a presence from all those countries at Wine Paris for the first time, said Lameyse. “They are certainly curious about Paris and what we are doing,” he says.
Managing growth
Vinexposium’s chief executive Rodolphe Lameyse was in a confident mood at last month’s Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris press conference in London
Whilst clearly happy to have such growth to deal with, Lameyse is also very aware of managing the growth so that it continues to attract the right calibre of visitor. “If you attract more countries, you need to attract more buyers,” he adds. “You have to balance both things. I think we are in the sweet spot at the moment.”
He foresees similar levels of growth for the next five to six years, but that will start to tail off around 2030. He also sees Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris staying as a city centre fair, at Porte de Versailles, and not following other major trade fairs, such as Sial, out of the city to Parc des Expositions.
In order to stay on the front foot and keep that level of momentum it is important, stresses Lameyse, that Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is seen as more than just a trade fair. It’s why there is such a comprehensive programme of tastings and masterclasses taking place and a busy programme of keynote talks and panel debates tackling some of the industry’s key trading issues.
“We want to address the challenges the industry is facing. How can we play an active part?” he asks.
Which is why it has launched its own business awards – the V d’Ors – to recognise and reward those producers going the extra mile in terms of tackling so many of the sector’s key challenges. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris prior to the show opening in February.
Comexposium factor
Vinexposium is a joint venture between Vinexpo and Comexposium who together have long term plans for how far Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris can grow
When analysing the growth and changes taking place across Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris it is also important to know Vinexposium is a joint venture between Vinexpo and Comexposium one of the biggest trade show exhibition companies in the world covering 10 business sectors and hosting over 150 events international events every year.
When it signed a joint venture with Vinexpo to create Vinexposium it clearly did so with the intention of making it one of the most important, must attend trade shows in the world.
It’s why Vinexposium continues to open up new trade shows around the world, and has a team that is constantly travelling talking to producers and picking up trends in key markets around the world.
“I think they have been excited about what we have done in the last five years and how in a troubled market you can make a difference,” said Lameyse. “Now they are excited about the next cycle. But it is going to be challenging.”
Challenges and opportunities
Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris will once again have a wide number of talks, panel debates and seminars looking at the key issues facing the global wine industry
Lameyse also took the opportunity to reflect on the macro global economic issues impacting the wine industry and how it is not immune to the inflationary and cost increases we are seeing in so many other business sectors. It is also an industry that is operating in a declining market, where consumption is down, and it is not attracting as many younger drinkers to make up for the ones that are cutting down on drinking, or not drinking at all.
The biggest problem, he says looking at IWSR data, is for those brands and producers operating at the value, entry level end where it is even harder to push margins and gain volume or value growth. Any future growth is more likely to come from the premium and super premium ends of the market that are more resistant to change.
Businesses are also having to operate in an economy with higher interest rates where the cost of spending, investing and borrowing is so much higher. This could result in more discounting to drive cash into the market and onto company bottom lines, says Lameyse.
“We are in a fragile situation,” he says. But despite being “very cautious” about the next few months he remains optimistic about the future long term growth of the sector. Particularly as and when China returns to the stage as a serious wine importer again. That could be the “game changer,” he adds.
As a sector wine has to move, he says, from “farmers to marketers” and learn how to tell the story of wine, its brands and products far better if we are to engage with and get younger people drinking wine. “Winemakers need to be closer to the end consumer,” he says.
“2024 will be a key year,” he said and “unfortunately” there won’t be “room for everyone”. We can also expect to see more consolidation and a bigger push behind more premium and sustainable wines and businesses.
Global push
Rodolphe Lameyse chief executive of Vinexposium and his team deserve great praise for how quickly Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris has become a must attend show for a growing number of key buyers around the world
As still a relative newcomer to the wine industry Lamesyse must take a lot of credit for how quickly he has embraced the sector and worked hard to understand how it works – or perhaps more importantly how and where it does not work. It’s what he calls his “360 degree review of the wine market”.
Having managed shows in a number of different businesses sectors he has also been able to bring those experiences into wine to help it better understand what it can do to change. The turnaround story at Vinexpo started first in France and getting all the regions outside of Bordeaux back on board and believing in the brand again – particularly so by hosting the event in Paris.
Now the focus is very much on driving the international agenda and making Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, for a growing number of key buyers, the trade show to go to. 2024 will be a pivotal year in how far it can go in getting more producers and buyers to think Paris first when planning their international fairs.
- You can find out more about Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris at its website here.
