French President Hollande opens Vinexpo 2015

By Erin Smith

Published: 15 June, 2015

French President François Hollande opened the 18th bi-annal Vinexpo 2015 yesterday.

It was the first time in history that Vinexpo was opened by an active official head of state.

The President opened the fair with a statement that largely reflected on Bordeaux and the greater French wine and spirits industries and their importance to the global business of wine.

"”Today Bordeaux is not only the Capital of the region, it is an exhibition venue for the whole of France, the capital of the world of wines and spirits," said Hollande.

He added: "We must sustain the industry's growth and its position worldwide: We are the number one and we need to remain it."

Vinexpo's chief executive officer, Guillaume Deglise escorted the President around the fair. Security was exceptionally tight during the president's visit.

Chief executive officer of Vinexpo, Guillaum Deglise

Deglise and the president visited with exhibitors and visitors alike for nearly two hours. Deglise said, "It was a bit tough in the beginning, but it was good fun and an honour."

There was a massive crowd of photographers and reporters taking pictures while body guards moved with Deglise and the President through the venue.

The show is expected to see up to 48,000 visitors over the five day fair. Sunday was "quite" according to some exhibitors as many were travelling to Bordeaux yesterday.

Deglise has been brought on as a new head and has made changes to the fair including a new layout in Hall 1 in an effort to refressh the show.

Additionally, several evening events are hosted throughout the city of Bordeaux in an effort to bring attendees and exhibitors together for networking events. One such example is the event 'The Blend: Taste the Unexpected' events which are hosted from 10 pm-2 am every evening throughout the fair.

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