Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse and Overseas Events Director Grace Ghazale reflect on Vinexpo Asia’s return to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands for the first time since 2023 and what the market looks like for international visitors, including Australia, this time around.
Last year’s event was held in Hong Kong, and Lameyse said since then geopolitical and economic tensions have created a challenging trade environment in the past 12 months which can be felt across the wine and spirit industries.
“In Hong Kong there was so much buzz, we were more focused on the market for China. Although we do have Chinese buyers, Singapore is about Southeast Asia. This is a different market in terms of maturity, in terms of potential as of today and potential tomorrow.
“But all the signals that we received over the last six months are not super positive, because of the business climate at the moment, which is very and highly dependent on two countries, number one is USA, and number two is China.”
In terms of the effects on Australian wine, Lamesye believes the renewed relationship with China is creating better opportunities compared to most.
“Australian wines are like any kind of wine now – it’s difficult. Fortunately, the Chinese market is here to safeguard it. For everybody, for all the countries, for all the wine producers, it’s a challenge. So, Australia in many ways in a better position than the rest of the crowd but facing the same challenges nonetheless.”
Overseas Events Director Grace Ghazale agreed with Lamesye’s sentiment
“We know that the first year in Singapore was kind of exceptional, because it was the return of the shows after COVID. Now this year is about setting the mark for everyone’s future in a new landscape,” she said.
Ghazale added that the role of Vinexpo is to create a space for the market to meet and face more than one challenge at a time.
“A show reflects a market, and especially when you are in the wine and spirit industry, the market is evolving super-fast. A show tends to pick them up fast and must stay above them. We are being hit by geopolitical issues, new regulation and taxes, but we also must talk about the next generation.”
She added; “It’s the biggest challenge for us now to adapt ourselves to the next generation for wine. It’s too easy to say they don’t like wine – no. It’s about how we communicate with them about wine.”
Despite market challenges, Lameyse told The Shout that he is confident in the business being done as he paused to listen to the expo around us.
“You know, there is one way for me to measure if this works or not. Of course, the number of people attending the show is important, but it’s also the level of sound that you can have hear.”
He continued: “There is a lot of talks between people in the hall, which is positive. And this is what we want. We want people to see each other, connect, discuss, obviously, taste wine and do business.”
In terms of what he hopes people will take away from the expo, its positivity for the future and a sense of pride in their hard work.
“It’s very simple. I like to see smiles on faces because I think it’s what we need. Wine by itself, is a fantastic product. It carries a lot of values, a lot of sharing components.
“All the people on the show floor are passionate about this product. But the sparkle is missing. The sparkle is doing business, selling wines, buying wines, this is what we miss collectively. Once we have that sparkle, the smile is back.”
Ghazale added that is what makes these events special is the work that happens once its over. “It’s not about just about discussing, it’s when you go a bit further and plan for our future. The purpose of this event will leave the room with the people as they are connecting and networking and distributing their products. That’s the spirit of it.”