A Vinitech not catastrophic but not blissful

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t's no worse than if it were worse can we hear sighs in the aisles of the Bordeaux Lac exhibition center this Thursday, November 28 as the exhibitors leave the Vinitech-Sifel show (November 26-28). Necessarily affected by the wine crises, the show is not sunk: with 750 exhibitors (stable compared to the last 2022 edition, without reaching the objective of 850 stands) on an enlarged surface area (+7,000 m² with the hall 3, which ventilated the aisles of hall 1 where available areas were visibly unused) and a significant crowd (which has not yet been quantified). In short, Vinitech saves the furniture, which was not a given.

“We have felt a lot of worry in recent weeks before the show, due to a very particular context, with a heavy atmosphere” reports Emmanuel Viollet, director of the Vinitech-Sifel show, who notes the smiles seen in the aisles among the visitors: “a show allows you to get out of your business, find solutions, present opportunities and gain new perspectives. Our exhibitors were expecting a very complicated show. The visitors who came had plans, this shows the need to come together. »

If the exhibitors met report more relational rather than contractual contacts, Emmanuel Viollet defends a relevant commercial tool for meeting “its customers and those of others. This is not the case with open doors. » The director of Vinitech recognizes that for exhibitors it is always difficult to measure their return on investment: “there are the orders themselves, the notoriety and recognition of the brand… And the exhibitors who participate in the show finance the future of the sector, by opening a place for debate and exchange which could not stand otherwise. »

For its next show in 2026, the Vinitech show plans to step up its marketing support offering: the new center opened in 2024 to monitor the adaptation needs of the wine industry.