Visitors to this year's Vinexpo Asia-Pacific were up 25%, according to final figures released by Vinexpo.
In total, 15,785 registered visitors attended from 24 countries, an increase of 25% on the 2010 edition.
In particular, trade visitors from Hong Kong accounted for more than a third of the visitors (39.7%), up 18.3% on 2010, whilst China visitors were up 38%.
The exhibition also saw increases from across Asia, including Taiwan (31%), Japan (30%), Singapore (14.5%), Macao (28%) and India (42%).
The figures also showed that 1,050 exhibitors from 28 countries were spread took up a total of 10,500 sq. m of stand floor space.
Speaking at the closing press conference, Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo, said that he was most pleased by the demonstration of a growing Asian market.
‘Our forecasts show that the Asian market will continue to grow – we expect a 4% increase in consumption by 2015. It is a very important thing. It’s not only the success of the show, but it’s a question of is there a market. Yes, the market is there and the market is growing fast.’
The growth in attendees prompted questions over whether future editions of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific would continue to be held in Hong Kong.
Dominique Hériard Dubreuil, chairman of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, said that a decision hadn’t yet been made and would depend on the results of a survey of exhibitors.
‘We know that Hong Kong is a good location, right in the heart of Asia, but we also know we have an issue with space so far so we will have to consider increasing the space because the fact that we increased the exhibition space by 25% and couldn’t meet the demand is something that we have to consider.’
The next Vinexpo exhibition will take place in Bordeaux from Sunday 16 to Thursday 20 June 2013.
Written by Decanter.com staff
