'To be the global platform, we must take everyone and everything into account'

Wine Paris has become hugely international, with exhibitors from across the globe, how do you account for this?

When we moved to Paris, we also sold the destination. It is one of the unique selling points of the show. In order to be a global fair, we need representation from all the countries that produce wine and spirits. We are very happy to be 50% international and 50% French, so that we are an image of the market – we can be the leader of the wine and spirits shows of the world because we are so representative. We don’t want to be considered ‘the French show’, we are global – the heart is in Paris, but every language is here. For the first day of this year’s show, 51% of the visitors were international. Our main goal for the future is to maintain this and go above and beyond. Nothing would have been possible without the support of the industry, from producers and wine associations. What I’ve noticed is that our clients look at Vinexposium as a partner: our growth is their growth.

A large proportion of those exhibitors were Italian – why is this the case?

A show is a reflection of the market, and having this many Italians is what it is meant to be. If we want to attract the buyers, that’s what we need. Italy is now the second most-represented country after France.

What about the visitor numbers to Wine Paris this year?

We’re super satisfied in terms of visitors, as of the end of the second day, we were 20% above last year’s number of visitors, but what you want is for exhibitors to have the same volume. It has to grow in the same manner. Even though the volume grew, the quality is still here. It is a challenge to continue growing, representing the market and maintaining the same quality of visitors.

Given the adverse circumstances faced by many businesses in the drinks sector – geo-political, generational and environmental – what is the importance of a show like Wine Paris as a venue for tackling these issues?

It is in challenging times that you need platforms to meet, network and find solutions more than ever. Of course, our main goal is business, we need exhibitors to get a return on investment. But if we want to be the reference, we need to be on top of trends, and sometimes ahead of them – that’s why we had three formats this year, with Wine Paris joined by Be Spirits and, new for this year, Be No for non-alcoholic wines and spirits. To be the global platform, we must take everyone and everything into account.

Wine Paris will have some changes next year as some of the halls at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles undergo refurbishment – how will you work with exhibitors to minimise disruption?

Our main goal is to allow the exhibitors to still come while these works take place. One key to Wine Paris’ success, and the success of Vinexpo shows, is communication with the exhibitors so that we know that when we take a decision, it’s a collective one.

At the end of April (29-30), Vinexpo Americas will be heading to Miami, what can visitors expect?

It’s a more confidential show – we have around 2,100 participants. It’s very high quality, and we get good feedback. When we talk about geopolitics and tariffs, it is the show which is directly impacted by them, but when you are there, you are there to find solutions. And why is it in Miami and not New York? Because Miami allows us to reach Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Brazil

After this, Vinexpo Asia will take place in Hong Kong from 26 to 28 May. Why is this a suitable destination for Vinexpo?

Hong Kong vibrates with us. I went in December and you can really feel that they’re waiting for Vinexpo to come back, and the market feels more dynamic – companies and ex-pats are coming back, which is good for business in the future. We will have the three events, Vinexpo Asia, Be Spirits and Be No, co-located, as we have done in Paris.