2023 return confirmed: March 8-9 at New York’s Javits Center
PORTLAND, Maine – March 11, 2022 – With an ambitious goal to reunite the global beverage alcohol industry and foster a return to business as usual, Vinexpo America and Drinks America debuted this week in New York. When the co-located shows closed doors yesterday after two days of intense work, more than 380 exhibitors representing the products of 30 countries had taken advantage of what are now North America’s premier trade-only expos.
The programs held March 9-10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, drew wine and spirits industry professionals from around the world and key buyers and decision makers from 42 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., Canada and Mexico. All were there to discover new products, sign contracts, learn about important trends and reconnect with their commercial networks after a challenging two years, often spent apart because of the pandemic. International diplomats were also onsite, keen to support their constituents and encourage trade.
“The pent-up demand for in-person connections has been palpable,” said Beckie Kier, Diversified Communications’ group event director for Vinexpo America | Drinks America. “So many attendees and exhibitors have remarked to us that the time spent together has been revitalizing and invaluable in reconfirming relationships and broadening networks.”
Conferences and intimate group discussions dug into hot topics for North America during the week. These included: U.S. beverage alcohol trends; drivers of and misconceptions about consumption; the growing prevalence of low and no alcohol products; the expanding role of technology; supply chain disruptions; distribution and channel strategy; changes sparked by COVID; and career support for the industry.
One noteworthy trend that pervaded multiple discussions: the accelerated move to online ordering since the beginning of the pandemic. Noted Drizly Chief Operating Officer Cathy Lewenberg in a conference session on tech trends: “Less than two percent of off-premise sales were going through digital channels as we headed into 2020; now its 67%.”
Master classes offered in-depth tasting sessions for products around the world, spotlighting Japanese alcohol, wines of France, Czech Republic and Chile, and concluded with a Riedel Wine glass seminar.
Addressing the return to business for the industry, Abramo Saleh, owner of Bordeaux Tradition, a Rhode Island-based importer and distributor, commented, “It’s really nice to see everybody back. It’s great to have that sense of normality. We took it for granted before, but now it’s like – hallelujah.”
Buyer insight
Olivier Kielwasser, category lead, wine for BevMo! spoke about the energy at the show and the benefits of a high-impact two days at Vinexpo America: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm. People are really happy to meet suppliers and clients and to make deals. I’ve been able to reconfirm some deals on past wines that I evaluated – meeting in person really helped make that happen. And I’ve been able to find some new wines that we’re interested in bringing into California. This is the one venue on the East Coast where you can come once a year, and in two days find all of these wines that would otherwise take six months. It saves you a lot of time.”
Input from exhibitors
“At the beginning of the project we were expecting 40 exhibitors and today we have over 60 exhibitors…this is a very important event for them to connect with importers and distributors,” said Sandrine Krummenacher, Manager of French Pavilions for Business France, which led a contingency to New York to support exporting opportunities in North America.
Francisco Dotto, export area manager for Bodega Dante Robino commented, “Our friends and colleagues from Argentina who didn’t make it this year have asked for our feedback, and we’re recommending that they come next time. We had a lot of faith in New York, and we see it’s a great show.”
“We’ve made interesting contacts as people discover our family house production of cognac,” added Alexis Lykhota, export manager of Distillerie des Moisans in France, which produces Cognac Moisans, Roland Bru Cognac and Deau Cognac. “It’s interesting to see the passion for French products. A lot of people are curious about cognac and happy to discover and understand our master blend.”
Tanaka 1789 x Chartier is a new line of sakes developed and blended by sommelier and aromas specialist, François Chartier. Its International Marketing and Sales Director María Laura Ortiz remarked, “I’m really glad to be here because it’s my first fair after the pandemic. I love the profile of the professionals that have been here, and I already have a least two new contracts.”
2023 Plans
Vinexpo America | Drinks America will return to New York’s Javits Center March 8-9, 2023.
About Vinexposium
Owned jointly by Comexposium and Vinexpo Holding, Vinexposium is the world’s leading organizer of wine and spirits trade events. Vinexposium offers an enhanced range of high-performance events, tailored to different market segments, with a portfolio of iconic and recognized events: Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, WOW! Meetings, Vinexpo America & Drinks America, Vinexpo Hong Kong, WBWE Asia, Vinexpo Bordeaux, Vinexpo Shanghai and WBWE Amsterdam, as well as Vinexpo Explorer and World Wine Meetings.
About Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities, and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products, Diversified Communications connects, educates, and strengthens business communities in over 15 industries including: renewable energy, healthcare, natural and organic, food and beverage, and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA, with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third-generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.divcom.com
