ProWein offers a unique opportunity for producers to market their wines to an international audience
Elaine Chukan Brown
SINCE ITS ADVENT IN 1994,ProWeinhasbecomeoneofthelargest trade and industry events for wine and spirits in the world. In 2018, the event in Düsseldorf hosted 6,870 exhibitors from 64 countries. More than 60,000 trade visitors from over 133 countries attended the event during three days in March. Of those visitors, more than 70 percent serve as top or middle management in trade businesses, capable of making significant buying decisions.
In exit surveys for the event, 85 percent of attendees stated that they use ProWein as a platform for ordering wine and spirits. Half of those surveyed reported having located new suppliers there this year. Direct contact between these trade professionals and producers makes ProWein an incomparable networking opportunity. It is also, as a result, a key site for sharing current information on trends and innovations in the world of wine and spirits. At its core, ProWein is an opportunity for the world’s wine and spirits profes- sionals to conduct business.
In the last several years, there has been a surge in the relevance of ProWein for North American businesses in particular. ProWein organizers have paid attention and done the work to not only create space for more North American exhibitors, but also provided the tools to assist in their ability to do business. As the event’s relevance has increased, so too has the importance of North American regional bodies and wineries being present at the event as a way to show off their global reputations. Wineries have also found that, with advanced strategy, the sheer size of ProWein helps ease their ability to secure their place in international markets.
In the other direction, North American-based importers have begun using. ProWein to increase their access to new wineries while also strengthening their on-going strategy for established ones. Finally, with so many producers and regions present from all over the world, ProWein has become the ultimate networking opportunity for public relations companies, for building other sorts of wine events and competitions, and for retailers, sommeliers and media to taste wine from all over the world.
Marketing North American Wine
Because of the global nature of the attendees, ProWein offers a unique opportunity for producers to market their wines to an international audience. North American wine has seized on the opportunity with wines from both the United States and Canada steadily increasing their participation in the event.
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