The landscape of industry wine shows is changing. Following the demise of Vinexpo Bordeaux after the pandemic, Düsseldorf’s Prowein became the number one destination for the wine trade. However, 2025 saw its visitor numbers drop for the third successive year to around 42,000.
Having spoken with several long-time exhibitors at Prowein, it seems hotel prices are a constant frustration for both smaller producers with limited budgets and international conglomerates with big teams. This, combined with competition from other trade shows, is seeing a migration of visitors away from Düsseldorf.
Under Rodolphe Lameyse, who took over as chief executive of Vinexpo in 2019, the brand merged with Comexposium to create a parent company, Vinexposium. Since then, his strategy has been to grow a series of shows across the world and there are now Vinexpo shows in Miami, Mumbai, Mendoza and Singapore, plus the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in Amsterdam and its flagship event Wine Paris.
“It’s unrealistic to create one show where everybody from around the world can attend,” Lameyse tells Drinks International. “So we now have Vinexpo shows strategically placed across the most influential markets, providing access to the whole wine trade.
“We launched India in the middle of the pandemic. Many people thought I was crazy and it’s true that the first two years were small, but I believe sooner or later the tax issues of the country may be resolved and it can become a serious market.
“The country has a middle-class population of 400 million, so it’s important we’re strategically placed for when the country’s potential is unleashed.”
Strategic positioning
This is just one example of Vinexpo’s strategic positioning, but Wine Paris has naturally emerged as its flagship event. This year the show attracted 52,622 trade visitors and more than 5,400 exhibitors, surpassing Prowein. The Parisian event also falls a week after the maturing Barcelona Wine Week, which brands are now piggybacking.
Lameyse adds: “In 2024 I said it’s now or never if we want to become an international trade show. We wanted to convince buyers that we’re more than just France and it’s worked. We’re getting momentum now and we want to continue growing.”
For the wine trade, Paris is a much more attractive proposition than Düsseldorf – not only is the nightlife more significant, but it can absorb the event easily and avoid hotel price hikes. For Prowein, many major international wine brands and buyers insist they will remain loyal, but with Vinexpo’s growing series of events dotted around the world, a major wine event is now accessible to a wider audience. As for those producers with deeper pockets, the decision now is which shows to prioritise and how to spread trade show investment.
