The date has already been set: Vinitech-Sifel will be held at Bordeaux Exhibition Centre from 26 to 28 November. The world’s leading event for innovation and exchange in the wine, arboriculture and vegetable production sectors, the 24th edition of this biennial event will be held under the new presidency of Bernard Farges, a renowned spokesman for the sector and Chairman of the National Interprofessional Committee for the French Wine Industry (CNIV). Based on its 2024 Roadmap, the three-day Vinitech-Sifel Show will focus on an extended range of downstream solutions (intended for professionals in the marketing professions), and a programme designed to bring professionals together and inspire them with forward-looking solutions.
The international trade show for innovations and forward-looking solutions
Held every two years since 1977, Vinitech-Sifel provides an unmissable opportunity to promote new production solutions and techniques, with three days of meetings and discussions on the latest news, major challenges and key prospects for these sectors.
2024 will be no exception with 900 exhibitors present, 45,000 professionals attending, 80 countries represented, more than 70 conferences, forums, scientific and technical seminars held, and a programme dedicated to forward-looking issues such as crop diversification and the agro-ecological transition. A scientific and technical committee – co-chaired by Christophe Riou, Managing Director of the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (French Wine and Vine Institute) and Sébastien Cavaignac, Director of INVENIO – is in charge of organising this major rendezvous, putting together the conference programme and selecting the winners of the “Innovation Trophies”.
This commitment to co-construction with the industry has been reinforced by the recent appointment of a Show President from the sector.
Bernard Farges, President de Vinitech-Sifel
Chairman of the National Interprofessional Committee for the French Wine Industry (CNIV), Vice-Chairman of the Bordeaux Wine Trade Council (CIVB) and now President of Vinitech-Sifel, Bernard Farges is also a Bordeaux winegrower with a passion for his trade and a strong commitment to his industry. Accepting the presidency of the Show enables this leading figure in the winegrowing world to cast his expert eye over the key aspects of an event that he knows is eagerly awaited by his peers.
I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me, and delighted to serve as the new President of the Vinitech-Sifel international trade show, an event whose significance to our industry, in the throes of major restructuring, I fully appreciate. In line with the many issues we face, this key event will help to guide stakeholders’ decisions. Thanks to its scale and international prestige, it inspires and connects the different professions, provides a framework for sharing knowledge and opens up new perspectives. The forthcoming event will be very important, because after months of crisis, questioning and effort, we need to develop forward-looking solutions… And the response to this renewal will inevitably be collective.
Bernard Farges, President ok Vinitech-Sifel (left) and Emmanuel Viollet of Beam team
From production to marketing: a 360-degree offering for all sectors
Emmanuel Viollet comes from the events sector and joined Beam (organiser of the show) almost two years ago as Vinitech-Sifel Show Manager. His experience in organising industry-specific trade shows has given him a keen insight into the markets and their ecosystems, which he is now putting to good use for the Vinitech-Sifel show. His roadmap, in line with the Scientific and Technical Committee, reflects Vinitech-Sifel’s development strategy: supporting everyone involved in the wine, arboriculture and vegetable production sectors by offering them solutions and innovations to meet the technological, economic and environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.
To this end, the 2024 edition will feature a fifth exhibition sector dedicated to marketing (logistics, distribution, consulting, management, marketing, etc.) ─ a complementary downstream addition to the Show’s traditional sectors: Cultivation Techniques, Wine Cellars and Warehouses, Bottling and Packaging, Services and Training.
“This initiative is the result of an analysis of needs and is consistent with our efforts to support the development of these sectors. Competing with “New-World” wines, disrupted by changing consumer habits, or engaged in a process of diversification… in addition to considering or reconsidering their production practices, professionals must also develop their marketing strategies. These distribution issues pose major challenges for them.
In practical terms, we are striving to put together a comprehensive range of offerings, from packaging through to sales, for industry players seeking to promote and distribute their products. In high demand, this target group mainly comprises direct-selling winegrowers, sales and marketing managers working in the sector, cooperative wineries, merchants and bulk importers“ explains Emmanuel Viollet.
