November 15th – ProWine Shanghai, the leading trade fair for the wine and spirits sector in mainland China, was again held concurrently with Food & Hospitality China (FHC) this year from November 8 – 10. ProWine Shanghai not only celebrated its tenth anniversary – the trade fair was also a clear statement for the successful return of global exhibitors to the Chinese market after the pandemic.
A total of 27,363 trade visitors attended ProWine Shanghai 2023 – an 81.7% increase compared to the previous event. 51.8% of the professionals came from cities outside Shanghai, in particular buyers from the hospitality and food service industry as well as numerous importers and dealers. This underlines the relevance of ProWine Shanghai as the leading trade fair for the industry in mainland China.
Peter Schmitz, Director of ProWein at Messe Düsseldorf and in charge of all ProWein World events, stated: “We are very happy that ProWine Shanghai 2023 was staged with such a high international attendance after the pandemic. I would like to thank all our partners, exhibitors and visitors who have accompanied us over the past ten years and made a decisive contribution to the success of ProWine Shanghai.”
Ian Roberts, Vice President Asia at Informa Markets, added: “With the 27,363 visitors of ProWine Shanghai 2023 our cooperation benefits from both ProWine Shanghai and the concurrently held FHC, China’s leading trade fair for food and hospitality. We also saw a marked increase in the number of restaurants, bars and hotels using us as a platform.”
The rising demand on the Chinese wine market has also benefitted the anniversary edition of ProWine Shanghai. Many nations and regions were again represented, including Germany, California, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Austria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Chile, Georgia and Japan. In addition, a wide variety of French wine-growing regions were presented under the umbrella of Business France. ProWine Shanghai was not only a platform for international producers – 88 wineries based in China also used the opportunity to present their products at ProWine Shanghai. Altogether, over 660 boutique wine estates and premium vintners from 32 countries and regions were represented. This represents a 45% increase compared to the previous staging and demonstrates that the Chinese sales market is again becoming more of a focus.
Adrien Calatayud, Manager of the French pavilion, explained: “Business France has participated in all ten consecutive editions of ProWine Shanghai. Many French companies have used this professional trading platform to succeed in finding importers and partners in China. We are optimistic in view of the growth of the Chinese wine market and would like to win over Chinese wine lovers to the charms of French wine.”
Gergely Goreczky, CEO of the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency, commented: “We are very pleased to take part in ProWine Shanghai right after the pandemic, three years after our last participation. Our wineries have launched many new products and we have negotiated with several promising importers at the event. We are delighted with the enthusiasm of our Chinese friends for Hungarian wines.”
Trade visitor Liu Jin, General Manager of Fuzhou Fubaidao Food Co. Ltd., said: “At ProWine Shanghai 2023 we have witnessed the comeback of many companies from overseas and tasted wines from wine estates from the old and new world. The wines procured at ProWine Shanghai live up to the needs of bistros for their wine selection.”
The exhibits at ProWine Shanghai were complemented by an extensive ancillary program. All three trade fair days offered high-caliber tastings and Masterclasses by renowned industry experts, opinion leaders, trade organization and associations at the exhibitors’ stands or at the forums. The new ProWine SWEET BAR was a special highlight. Dessert (sweet) wines are becoming increasingly important on the market and address mostly younger consumers.
The next staging of ProWine Shanghai will take place from November 12 – 14, 2024 at SNIEC (Shanghai New International Expo Center). For further information on visiting or exhibiting at ProWine Shanghai 2024, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.prowine-shanghai.com and www.mdna.com; Follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/mdnachicago/
