Exhibitions in 2022: let’s get physical
Following two hard years for the wine trade, many are hoping that 2022 will see the resumption of face-to-face events as the annual trade show diary gets back into the swing of things. Here’s what’s coming up.
WINE PARIS & VINEXPO PARIS 14-16 FEBRUARY
February sees Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris stage not only the first major international event of 2022 that marks the return of large-scale in-person tastings, but also the first physical event since the merger of Vinexpo and the wine division of Comexposium. The organisers say they are pulling out all the stops for ‘the reunion of the industry’, to ensure a great turnout of key international buyers. More than 2,800 exhibitors including winegrowers, estates, co-operatives, trading companies and brands from more than 30 countries will gather at the Paris Expo Portes de Versailles, representing the gamut from boutique-scale wineries to international household brands. Meanwhile, around 25,000 visitors are expected to attend, with around a third coming from overseas. Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse points out that all the staples will be there, from tastings to masterclasses. The Nouvelle Vague area will feature young producers looking to establish their first distribution network in France, and there will be Wine Talks debates. New for 2022 is Wine Futures, an exhibition area featuring 30 start-ups along with a forum for impactful speakers to address innovation in the wine and spirits industry. Other highlights include the Be Spirits exhibition devoted to the spirits and mixology industry.
VINEXPO AMERICA/ DRINKS AMERICA, 9-10 MARCH
Following the success of Vinexpo New York in 2018 and 2020, the show is relaunching as Vinexpo America. Based in the new state-of-the-art exhibit hall (Hall 3) at the Javits Center in Manhattan, it is set to attract wine buyers from all corners of North America to meet current suppliers in person, establish relationships with new ones and discover new wines. The show is co-located with Drinks America, a new event focusing on alcoholic drinks beyond wine, including spirits, beer, sake, ready-to-drink (RTDs), along with complementary products and services, to provide a comprehensive experience for exhibitors and buyers, the organisers said. Highlights include the WOW! World of Organic Wines and Spirits pavilion in the central exhibit and tasting area. A key buyer programme is launching, dedicated to supporting highvolume drinks buyers, as well as a comprehensive business-matchmaking service. Meanwhile, there will be a full schedule of masterclasses, conference sessions and The Buzz roundtable discussions. Confirmed masterclasses include presentations from Crus Bourgeois du Medoc, classes by Inter Rhône, featuring Southern Rhône Valley and Northern Rhône Valley, Romanian distillery Alexandrion, and the Riedel Winewings glass seminar. Conference sessions by Wine Spectator & Whisky Advocate: Wine and Spirits Sales in a Post-pandemic World and a session from The IWSR: Understanding US Beverage Alcohol Trends and the Drivers of Future Consumption have also been planned. Trade members must register to attend: US$50 in advance or US$100 on site.
Thirteen exhibition halls will be in use to host the anticipated 5,500 exhibitors, which include market leaders and commercial agents from around the globe
LES GRAND JOURS DE BOURGOGNE, 21-25 MARCH
The Grands Jours de Bourgogne will see more than 1,000 winegrowers and négociants welcome international wine importers, market influencers, wine retailers and specialist boutiques to the heart of Bourgogne to discover the latest vintages of the 84 Bourgogne appellations. The five-day event will feature 12 tasting sessions of approximately 6,000 wines in 10 locations from Chablis to Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Mercurey. The event, which has taken place every other year since 1992 (except 2020), saw more than 2,300 visitors from 49 countries in its last show in 2018, many of whom came for the first time.
VINITALY, 13-14 APRIL 2022
Vinitaly is back at Veronafiere with its traditional schedule this April, following last year ’s pared back edition. The OperaWine and Vinitaly Preview will take place in June followed by a Vinitaly Special Edition in October. Fostering business relationships is key and around 1,000 b2b meetings are expected to be organised during the exhibition, as well as 400 events, including in-depth analysis and tastings. Highlights this year include an area dedicated to mixology, Micro Mega Wines – Micro Size, Mega Quality, an area showcasing innovative small wineries with high quality output, which has been curated by wine writer Ian D’Agata. The International Wine Pavilion dedicated to orange and organic wines. Vinitaly also runs alongside: Vinitaly Design, a section dedicated to accessories for caterers and sommeliers will also feature, as will sister shows Enolitech, dedicated to the supply chain for winegrowers, olive growers and beverages, and Sol&Agrifood, a meeting place for agro-food specialities, food, extra virgin olive oil and craft beers.
Key to its success is the digital platform Vinitaly Plus, which is available in 10 languages, and allows users to organise their agendas of b2b appointments on the stands. It is supplemented by the Vinitaly app, which allows information about wines to be shared via QR codes, and contains a geo-location function that helps visitors navigate the stands and plan their visit.
TFWA WORLD EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE, 9-12 MAY
TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference will return to Singapore from 9 to 12 May after a two-year hiatus. The organisers say they are “monitoring the situation closely”, and working with partners and authorities in Singapore to ensure they can operate a physical event in the safest environment possible.
The physical show will be supported by a full social media events programme including livestreamed conferences, online workshops and seminars hosted on its innovative TFWA 365 platform. The TFWA i.lab will also return as a physical event, giving visitors the chance to connect face to face with representatives from some of the industry’s most innovative and future-facing businesses.
Although the full schedule won’t be revealed until nearer the time, the team says it “remains committed to providing the best possible platforms for duty free and travel retail professionals to meet, conduct business and share ideas in the safest possible environment”.
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PROWEIN, 16-18 MAY 2022
Preparations are underway for the first physical event for Prowein Düsseldorf in three years, although the show has been postponed from its original date of 27-29 March to mid-May. Thirteen exhibition halls will be in use to host the anticipated 5,500 exhibitors, which include market leaders and commercial agents from around the globe. Prowein Düsseldorf will see producers from all of Italy’s winegrowing regions attend, along with 800 exhibitors from Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain and California, plus Wines of Chile and Wines of Argentina. France will also form a large contingent, including the Champagne Lounge, which will feature more than 200 producers. The number of organic wine exhibitors has more than doubled to almost 300 this year, with 40 wine producers appearing at the event’s Organic World, while the Same but Different trend show will be dedicated to craft drinks.
LONDON WINE FAIR, 7-9 JUNE
2022 is set to be a big year for the London Wine Fair, not only marking a triumphant return to Olympia after a two-year hiatus, as a hybrid event for the first time, but also as it celebrates its 40th show. It is makes it the longest-running annual drinks trade event in the UK, and the organiser Brintex is excited to release further details of how this will be marked nearer the time.
However the show has not been without controversy, having had to been schedule in early June to avoid a clash with ProWein. As a restult, the show will take place directly following the UK’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Most of the show’s popular features will be returning – from the Trading Floor, which hosts UK agents, international brands and generic bodies, to Esoterica, showcasing 100 boutique importers on the gallery level, and Wines Unearthed, which features wineries looking to export to the UK for the first time. An area dedicated to British drinks called Drinks Britannia, will represent wines, spirits, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic products, while The Discovery Zone will represent products and services that champion innovation in drinks design, packaging and logistics.
The organisers argue that by making it a hybrid digital and live event, exhibitors will have access to a larger trade audience, which extends the reach of the show beyond the physical three-day event. For example, access to stands and content will be available for three months after the show itself has shut its doors. This follows the success of the 2021 digital event, which delivered an audience of 2,608 unique visitors and saw 28 sessions streamed more than 6,000 times between May and July.
Key themes being addressed in seminars and industry briefings include strategies to return to normality following the double impact of Covid-19 and Brexit, sustainability and the drinks industry’s part in tackling climate change. The LWF will also host the Wine Buyers Awards and Conference in person for the first time. Having been scheduled to launch at the 2020 show, they took place virtually in 2021.
WORLD BULK WINE USA, 8-9 JUNE
The WBWE stable is broadening its horizons with a new US show in 2022. The team will launch its first US iteration of the show in June in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California, which is designed to complement the existing exhibitions in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Yantai, China.
PLD, 29-30 JUNE
EasyFairs, the organiser of PLD Paris – the trade show that specialises in the packaging of premium and luxury drinks – has announced that the postponed January event at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will now take place on 29 and 30 June.
TFWA CANNES, 2-6 OCTOBER
Following the successful return of TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2021, the physical show will take place in Cannes in October, although more details have yet to be released.
WBWE, 21-22 NOVEMBER
Following its successful face-to-face iteration in 2020, the 14 th World Bulk Wine Exhibition Amsterdam will again take place in November 2022. Last year the team launched a groundbreaking online business platform, V-Market, for those customers who couldn’t attend the fair because of travel restrictions. It will run again this year. However, they argue that on-premise fairs are still indispensable. Given the reception of last year ’s fair, which was attended by more than 4,000 visitors from 57 countries and 265 wineries from 15 countries – they are enthusiastic about the future.
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