For three days, wine and spirits producers from 38 countries – a number unsurpassed by any other wine trade fair in China – presented their products at ProWine China 2014, the regional satellite event of ProWein, International Leading Trade Fair for Wine and Spirits.
ProWine China featured 19 country and three regional group exhibits with companies from renowned wine producing countries such as France, Argentina, Italy and Spain but also wine producers from emerging regions like Moldova and Hungary. Despite the challenging changes in the Chinese wine market in the past year, ProWine China 2014 featured a total of 650 exhibitors, an increase of about 10 percent compared to the premier event last year.
With 8,250 visitors, the show also attracted more importers, distributors, retailers and F & B managers this year (2013: 7,650). Especially the number of Chinese trade visitors from outside of Shanghai grew impressively, confirming ProWine China’s position as the No. 1 wine exhibition in Mainland China.
Michael Degen, executive director of Messe Düsseldorf and Director of ProWein, was highly pleased with the results.
He said, “Last year’s inaugural edition was already a great success but ProWine China 2014 even built on this and set new standards – not only for wine and spirit trade fairs in China but for the general development of the Chinese wine market. Our aim is to support our customers in China in the long term, and we are happy to see that our efforts are starting to pay off.”
ProWine China 2014 was jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. and China International Exhibitions Ltd. The trade fair was held parallel to Food & Hotel China (FHC), China’s leading trade fair for imported foods. Brendan Jennings, General Manager of China International Exhibitions Ltd, sees the combination of ProWine China and Food & Hotel China as a special benefit:
“We noted that many trade visitors of FHC with a special focus on wine and spirits visited ProWine China 2014. This shows that ProWine China and FHC together form a unique platform for importers, distributors, retailers and F & B managers from all over China.”
Through its China Education Initiative, ProWine China featured an exceptionally high degree of professionalism and numerous high-quality events for wine education and training. These were created in order to meet the rising demand for professional wine training in China and underlines ProWine China’s efforts for a long-term commitment on the Chinese wine market.
Exhibitors appreciated this approach of ProWine China. Australian exhibitor Helen Xu, owner of Helen & Joey Estate in Yarra Valley, explained: “We exhibit at ProWine China 2014 because we want to do business in China for many years in the future. We are here to educate buyers one by one and we are determined.”
Visitors valued the opportunity to expand their knowledge and participated in large numbers in the wine classes, workshops and discussion forums. The events were hosted by industry peers such as Li Demei, Professor at the Beijing University of Agriculture and one of China’s most renowned wine expert, the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) and the IMW (Institute Masters of Wine) institutes. Thus, ProWine China 2014 did not only offer a dedicated networking and business platform but also created a unique knowledge pool and opportunity to meet industry experts.
Jude Mullins, international development director at WSET, saw this as a special benefit for ProWine China 2014.
Mullins said, “Our seminars and master classes were really full of people each day, so we are very satisfied with the trade fair. It is great that ProWine China supports education as a critical part of market development and it makes ProWine China a truly holistic trade fair that offers broader service to the industry. That simply makes it more valuable.”
The spirit of the show was also felt outside the exhibition halls when ProWine China’s networking event – ProWine in the City – started in the evening of Nov. 13 at the Westin on the Bund hotel. More than 600 wine professionals and enthusiasts gathered in a casual-relaxed atmosphere and enjoyed selected international wines from ProWine China exhibitors while sharing their knowledge and making new contacts.
The next ProWine China will take place from Nov. 11 – 13, 2015 in halls E6 and E7 of SNIEC in Shanghai. International wine producers interested in exhibiting can find further details at www.prowinechina.com.
