ProWine Tokyo toasts inaugural show success

Messe Düsseldorf has hailed its inaugural ProWine Tokyo exhibition a success after welcoming 197 exhibitors and 5,500 visitors to the Japanese capital over three days.

ProWine Tokyo, the exhibition organiser’s first trade show to take place in Japan, closed its doors on 12 April after three days of business meetings, masterclasses and awards ceremonies.

A total of 197 exhibitors were present at the fair, 90% of which came from overseas on the hunt for Japanese importers and distributors. Wine, beer, sake, shochu & awamori, spirits, craft beverages, non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverages, accessories and services were all on display to trade visitors, of which there were 5,500 over the three-day exhibition.

Countries exhibiting with pavilions are France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. The total number of countries and regions present at the show was 20, including Armenia, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Italy, Moldova, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, Ukraine, the USA and Japan.

The total number of brands on display reached 925, and 77% of them are not yet imported into Japan. Patrick Bigar, attending on behalf of Champagne Bigar, said of ProWine Tokyo: “Our aim was to find an importer in Japan and I think that ProWine Tokyo was an ideal platform for this.”

Commenting on the event Akiko Ohara, general manager of Messe Düsseldorf Japan Ltd, and Peter Schmitz, director of ProWein, Messe Düsseldorf, said the market for wine and spirits in Japan is very promising, and offers good business opportunities in the wine and spirits sector.

“We are proud and happy that we have managed to bring here the successful concept of ProWein – one based on diversity, internationality and a pure business focus,” the exhibition organisers said. “ProWine Tokyo got off to a very good start this year and we will continue to work on this basis for the next edition in 2025. We look forward to further developing the show into the No. 1 wine and spirits event in Japan.”

ProWine Tokyo took place parallel to FABEX – The World Food and Beverage Great Expo. It is held on an annual basis concurrently with a series of other trade fairs for gourmet food and beverages at the Big Sight exhibition centre in Tokyo.

During ProWine Tokyo, the drinks business announced Noriko Nakamura as Champagne Personality of the Year 2024 for her work as Japan’s first certified CIVC educator. Read more on that story here.