Is this the beginning of the end for wine fairs as we know them?

ProWein has just concluded, and the numbers are in. In 2025, the event saw 42,000 visitors and 4,200 exhibitors. However, in 2023, there were over 49,000 visitors and 6,000 exhibitors participating in the fair. A considerable decline. Meanwhile, the 2025 Paris exhibition was hailed as an overwhelming success. Looking ahead, Vinitaly is approaching, and I anticipate that it will follow the same trend as ProWein. Many of the small producers we work with have already informed us that they will not be attending Vinitaly, citing high costs and a lack of leads as their primary reasons for opting out. Some have invested the funds they would have spent on attending the fair into creating accommodations, allowing them to host clients and potential partners directly at their winery.

Some fairs, in response to declining interest, have resorted to increasing exhibitor fees, which only exacerbates the issue by discouraging even more participants. This cycle leads to further attrition, as the fundamental purpose of these fairs - connecting producers with importers and buyers - is increasingly called into question. I am uncertain about the percentage of visitors who were industry professionals versus those who were merely wine enthusiasts looking to learn more. However, exhibitors attend these fairs primarily to establish business contacts and secure leads and rarely will attend all of them. If they are unable to achieve that objective, they will either stop attending fairs altogether and invest the funds differently or switch to a different fair, which, this year, meant choosing Paris over Pro Wein.

There was a time when trade fairs were the only occasion for producers and importers to connect, for producers to showcase their wines and importers to taste them. The internet had not been invented yet, and fax machines, if anyone remembers them, were the fastest means of transmitting price lists and brochures. Moreover, shipping wine samples across the world was prohibitively expensive. However, times have changed. Today, every winery has its own website in several languages that provides comprehensive information about its productions and history. Shipping samples has become far more affordable, and virtual meetings can replace costly and time-consuming in-person gatherings. As a result, fairs have gradually lost their original significance.

Organizing a trade fair is a year-round effort that demands significant investment from organizers. The overhead costs are substantial, and when wineries pull out, new exhibitors must be recruited to fill the vacant spaces. Over the past few years, we have seen numerous attempts by the fair organizers to keep the event financially viable by diversifying offerings, such as dedicating halls to artisan beer, food, spirits, and, more recently, low- or no-alcohol beverages. As soon as a new trend emerges, fair organizers allocate space for it. After all, when space becomes available, it needs to be filled. For a fair to be sustainable, it must at least break even. If it fails to do so, it risks being downsized or even cancelled altogether.

A prime example of a fair that struggled is the London Wine Fair. It originally aimed to compete with other major wine fairs, even before the emergence of Paris, but it has never quite managed to carve
out a clear identity. Over the years, the event has undergone constant changes, losing many exhibitors and gradually shrinking into a much smaller, almost insignificant event for the wine industry. Many articles analysing the success of the Paris wine fair highlighted the convenience of its location, its accessibility, and, of course, the quality of its food offering. However, London is also easy to reach, boasts some of the world’s best restaurants (not just French cuisine), and the spoken language is English, making moving around even easier for international visitors. Despite these advantages, it has never succeeded, suggesting that its success is not dependent on location or food offerings.

Expanding and increasing the variety of products at fairs may seem like a short-term solution to boost revenue, but it often dilutes the event’s core identity and damages its brand. This approach makes the fair less focused and more fragmented, which can ultimately be damaging in the long run. In fact, as major fairs struggle, new ones have emerged, smaller, more specialized events catering to specific audiences. These niche fairs have successfully drawn exhibitors and attendees away from the main events.

I stopped attending Vinitaly several years ago. As a specialist in Italian wine, it was the only fair we attended, but over time, it lost its business value. The event gradually shifted from a professional gathering to more of a social occasion, a chance to catch up with friends and acquaintances. While networking is important, the rising costs made participation increasingly difficult to justify. In recent years, expenses for hotels, flights, and food in Verona during the four-day fair have skyrocketed due to the city’s limited accommodation options.

The decline of major trade fairs raises important questions about their future. Can they adapt to changing industry dynamics, or will they continue to lose relevance? While some will inevitably survive by evolving, others may struggle to remain viable. What is clear is that the traditional model of wine fairs is no longer as indispensable as it once was. Producers, importers, and buyers now have multiple ways to connect, and if fairs cannot deliver tangible business opportunities, their role in the industry will continue to diminish. As we move forward, the fair organizers must reconsider how these events fit into a modern, digitally connected world. The question is not just whether fairs will survive, but how they will need to transform in order to remain relevant in an evolving landscape.