MORE SPACE and an increased focus on internationalization will be the hallmarks of this year’s Vinitaly event. Held in Verona in April, the 2017 edition of the show will cover 100,000 sq m, with a new hall being added to the event area. Several halls have recently been upgraded to accommodate the ever-growing number of trade visitors – 50,000 of whom flocked to the four-day event in 2016.

Major overall changes mean there will be an increased presence from Piedmont this year, thanks to the restructuring of Hall 10. Hall 8 has also been opened to the fair, and will accommodate Sardinia’s producers, as well as several small specialist shows including: Vinitalybio, Winegrowers and Terroirs and Fivi (set up by the Italian Federation of Independent Wine-Growers).

Meanwhile, international exhibitors at VinInternational will now be sharing their hall with Tuscany, thanks to the creation of a 4,000 sq m area that replaces two smaller structures that originally occupied the site.

The Tuscans will enjoy a new expanded area covering 1,600 sq m, while the rest of the space will host exhibitors from Australia, France, Hungary, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and others.

Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, says: “To enhance our appeal for exhibitors, in recent years we have implemented new services and ensured progressive upgrading of our exhibition halls which – well in time for the 2017 show – will provide even more space, allowing us to increase the number of wine cellars as well overall improvements to the layout of the exhibition centre.

In addition, Veronafiere’s business plan for the next four years envisages €72 million out of the total €94m for improvements to exhibition centre infrastructures, digital transformation and construction of parking facilities for more than 3,000 cars.”

EXPANDED HORIZONS The past few years have seen Vinitaly working hard to boost not only foreign visitor numbers but exhibitors too, and the signs from last year were extremely encouraging.

In 2016, of the 50,000 trade visitors to the show, 28,000 were international buyers from the wholesale and distribution network. Furthermore, they came from 140 countries, with significant growth in visitor numbers from Canada, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US.

Maurizio Danese, president of Veronafiere, said in a statement last year: “In 2016, we distinctly separated the business-to-business (B2B) from the business-to-consumer (B2C) events, expanded services and multiplied opportunities for meetings between exhibitors and international buyers during the show, while at the same time moving all consumer-related aspects to the Vinitaly and the City off-show event held in the city centre.

“The next step is to broaden the number of companies attending from abroad in order to open new business channels.”

Read more at source: The Drinks Business