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Vinexpo Bordeaux to escape heatwaves with a move to May
The next edition of Vinexpo Bordeaux won’t be held in June for the first time in the fair’s history as it moves forward by one month to mid-May in a bid to escape the risk of heatwaves.
Vinexpo Bordeaux was held this year from 18-21 June, but the exhibition will take place from 13-16 May 2019
As the drinks business announced yesterday, the new timing for the 2019 French fair will be 13-16 May, taking it forward by a little over four weeks from it’s usual slot in the third week of June.
Speaking to db yesterday just after the news was released, Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise said that the decision to change the timing of the Bordeaux exhibition was motivated by the weather.
“One of the reasons [for moving to May] is the weather, and, as you may remember, right at the end of the last show in Bordeaux I said that we can’t do this in June any longer; we have suffered due to the weather too many times, and I said that this is not acceptable.”
Indeed, as reported by db just after this year’s exhibition drew to a close in June, extremely high temperatures during the Bordeaux fair were overshadowing the success of the event, which had more content than ever before.
With Bordeaux seeing temperatures reach almost 40 degrees Celsius during the fair this year, travelling by tram to the show was an uncomfortable experience for visitors and exhibitors, while also hindering the enjoyment of diners who opted to do meetings at the lake-side restaurants, which front the exhibition space.
The high temperatures also proved testing for the air conditioning in Hall 1, the main show area housing the majority of exhibitors, although this vast indoor show space was still significantly cooler than outside.
Furthermore, this wasn’t the first time Vinexpo Bordeaux has coincided with a heatwave, with, in particular, the 2003 edition afflicted by one of the hottest Junes ever recorded, motivating several prominent exhibitors, particularly from New World wine regions, to pull out of future editions of the fair.
Continuing his explanation for the new timing during yesterday’s conversation with db, Deglise said that a mid-May slot was better weather-wise, but also for business.
“I’m happy to organise a show in spring-time and May is a much better date because we will avoid the heat and yet the weather conditions will still be good enough for the parties in the châteaux, which are so important for the success of the show,” he began.
Then, he added, “But May is also good for business: the end of June is just too late for buyers to do follow-up meetings after the show, whereas holding the show in May means that there is still time for follow-up meetings, so it is a better time for planning purchasing for the end of the year, and it is probably a better date for wine-tasting: rosé and white wine are at their best in mid-May.”
However, moving Vinexpo Bordeaux to mid-May does risk the French fair clashing with the London Wine Fair, which, although no longer a major international event, is still an extremely important exhibition for the UK – which is one of the globe’s largest wine importers; an international trendsetter, and a hub for fine wine worldwide.
With Bordeaux seeing temperatures reach almost 40 degrees Celsius during the fair this year, travelling by tram to the show was an uncomfortable experience
Indeed, if the London Wine Fair retains its current timing for 2019, which sees the event take place in the third week of May, the two fairs will have just a few days separating them.
Acknowledging the potential conflict, Guillaume said, “We have very few options for dates and, while we realise that there is a possible conflict with the London Wine Fair, we have no other option for the Bordeaux event – May is a very complicated month in France with a lot of holidays, but we definitely had to move from June to May.”
Continuing, he said that the decision to move Vinexpo to May was absolutely not designed to damage the London Wine Fair, and expressed his “great respect for the event”, although he also pointed out that the UK’s only national wine fair might, in any case, move to a different time-slot.
As reported by db in May this year, London Wine Fair exhibition director Ross Carter said that he was considering changing the timing of the fair.
“I am very serious about looking into changing the dates”, he told db, adding, “Having spoken to exhibitors and visitors, it is clear that their most significant trading time of the year tends to be the early months of the year – the end of January to March – then things pick up again in September to October.”
However, next year’s London Wine Fair will take place from 21-23 May, and no plans have since been announced to move it from its May-time slot.
Meanwhile, Germany’s ProWein has expressed no intention to move from its traditional slot in the third week of March, with the major international annual wine fair taking place next year from 18-20 of that month.
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