Corks Pop as Wine & Spirits Fair Achieves Impressive Results

The HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair celebrated its second edition and a new slot in the calendar with increased patronage.

The show, which was staged from 4-6 November 2009 at the downtown Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, featured 525 exhibitors from 34 countries & regions, attracted close to 12,000 trade buyers, representing a 36% increase over the previous event, which took place in Aug 2008 . Around 35% of the buyers came from outside Hong Kong , and, of those, 60% were from the Chinese mainland.

The final day of the show was also open to members of the public: more than 12,000 wine lovers came through the doors - a 23% increase over last year.

Asia in the Driving Seat  

The on-site survey carried out at the fair revealed the fact that 87 % of exhibitors anticipated that their business would grow in 2010; a similar number of trade visitors felt the same. Both groups said they were more optimistic over demand for wine in China and Asia than in other parts of the world. Hong Kong is ideally placed to benefit from this focus: 92% of exhibitors and 85% of trade visitors think the city is already or is shortly expect to be the wine trading and distribution centre for Asia.

Objectives Achieved

Over 90% of exhibitors agreed that their objectives had been achieved and were satisfied with the show; more than 80% reported having received orders at the fair or said they were in negotiations as a result of contacts made at the fair. Around 80% of exhibitors said they were likely to return in 2010.

Visitors were also overwhelmingly happy with the fair: 99% said they were satisfied with the show and 90% agreed that their business objectives had been achieved. A total of 90% said they were likely to return next year.

Exhibitors and buyers of the fair expressed their appreciation of the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair. Mr Phil Ingram, Senior Trade Commissioner & Deputy Consul-General (Commercial) of Australian Trade Commission from Australian Consulate-General was very excited, "This is a great show with good atmosphere, a lot of space and a steady stream of buyers. We have a total of 65 wine companies from Australia this year. The fair is a part of our marketing plan for promoting Australian wines to Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. It is a good place particularly to introduce our new wines to buyers. Hong Kong is really a hub of business."

Ms Anita Y.S. Ma, General Manager of Sopexa from France commented, “We have organised 20 wine companies from France this year. Everything is so nice at the fair from organisation to design of the fairground and booth setup. We are very happy and excited with the exhibition, especially with France as the Partner Country. The Hong Kong fair is an important trade fair and we expect to come again next year with even more participating companies."

First-time exhibitor, Mr Vladislav Railean, CEO & Founder of Association for Wine Export-Development & Promotion from Moldova said, " Moldova is famous for its red wine, fine wine and collection wine, with 80% of farmland covered by grapes and vineyards. This is our first visit to Hong Kong. The fair is wonderful and impressive. All amenities are world-class with easy access to the well-designed exhibition centre. The organiser is open-minded and provides kind and excellent assistance to us. We will make Hong Kong our main partner for business development and we would like to bring some of our wine companies to the fair next year."

One of the buyer, Ms. Lin Abbott, Founder & Vice President of Australia China Food and Beverage Association Inc., commented, “We have 45 companies here including wine importers and restaurant operators from Sydney and Melbourne to explore business opportunities. The fair is very well organised and offers us a great chance to taste wines from different countries such as Spain, Italy, India, Korea and Japan. It is a very rewarding experience.”

Mr Gianander Dua, Director of Hops Marketing from India mentioned, "This is my second year participating in the fair. There is an expansion in the variety of wine products on display with new exhibitors from countries like India and Korea. I've found some good Italian products as well as Korean and Hungarian wines. I cannot find a better fair elsewhere in the region."

Mr Bruno Vaillant, Director of Alfa International Pte Ltd from Singapore was another satisfied buyer. He said, “It is quite an impressive show. The traffic is good and it is great to see so many wine traders coming together here. We specialise in the import and distribution of fine wines in Singapore and Southeast Asian countries. At the fair, I have found several wineries from New Zealand, Australia and France for potential partnership. Hong Kong is going to be a hub for wine distribution, especially for North Asia. We will consider extending our business to Hong Kong too."