Returning to Singapore for the second time, Vinexpo Asia’s full programme promises opportunity and excitement in an uncertain global market.
Rewind the clock three years, and the world looked very different. Social distancing was still commonplace, news channels regularly updated us on new coronavirus variants, and quarantine and testing was a routine part of international travel. It was a world defined by uncertainty, with long-established norms upended.
Thus, when Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium, made an announcement in May 2022, it was in keeping with a world turned upside-down. While Hong Kong had often been the home for Vinexpo Asia since 1998, its first post-pandemic show would instead be in Singapore. The fair
took residence at the iconic Marina Bay Sands from 23 to 25 May 2023.
Undoubtedly, the decision was informed by the pandemic; with much greater restrictions on travel to Hong Kong, Singapore emerged as an alternative international destination suited to the fair. Yet it was also a strategic decision to embrace southeast Asia and pursue some of the world’s most dynamic markets for drinks. Three years since the decision and two years since the inaugural show, that vote of confidence in Singapore has been vindicated. Vinexpo Asia’s Singapore show is here to stay.
Safe haven in a port city
Speaking with Lameyse in advance of the show, it is clear that Singapore has earned its place on the permanent Vinexpo roster. That is in no small part due to the actions of the CEO – having worked in exhibition management in Singapore for six years, he knows how to leverage the city’s assets for a major event. However, it also reflects Singapore’s increasing significance to the global drinks trade.
That is a story of economic struggles and volatile trade wars around the world, combined with the region’s growing strength. “The only area where you have a bit of quietness and market opportunities is southeast Asia,” says Lameyse. “So in 2025 it was very important to keep the momentum going in Asia.” That idea of momentum is one that Lameyse keeps returning to: while Hong Kong’s exposure to the Chinese market has risks, Singapore seems a palpably exciting hub to work from.
The figures back up that excitement. Although there are plenty of challenges facing the drinks trade in 2025, southeast Asia is routinely identified as a hotspot for growth. Drinks market insights firm IWSR predicts that beverage alcohol consumption in Asia Pacific will rise by 1.5% this year, and it identified Vietnam and the Philippines as high-potential developing markets in its recent assessment of trends for 2025.
Within southeast Asia, Singapore stands out as the perfect hub to capture those markets. While Hong Kong has historically proved to be a fantastic route to the Chinese markets, this second destination is opening southeast Asia like never before.
“Singapore ticks all the boxes,” according to Lameyse: it is regarded as a safe and secure market for businesses and, with its massive freight harbour and well-connected airport, is perfectly equipped for a large show. It also stands out thanks to its position in the drinks trade. Singapore is a leading hub for premium and super-premium merchants in the region, with its 47 Michelin-star establishments demonstrating strength in the on-trade too.
Faced with a notably unpredictably global outlook – he references both climate change and geopolitical instability – Lameyse therefore believes the trade has to take advantage. “If you are a wine merchant, generally speaking, you are confronted by many difficulties that you cannot do anything about,” he says. “You can only adjust, work and look for new opportunities.” Southeast Asia, it seems, should be high on that list of potential opportunities.
Packing the programme
Although 2025 will be only the second edition of Vinexpo Asia to be hosted in Singapore, the new fair has found its place in a well-oiled machine. With Vinexposium running events all over the world every year, the company’s philosophy is that expertise and knowledge should be shared across borders.
The process starts with the company’s flagship show, Wine Paris, which serves as the development ground for other shows. With resources and scale behind it – this year the show welcomed more than 52,000 visitors – Wine Paris acts as the global hub for activities, which are developed, refined and adapted around the world. Hence, although Singapore is a new venture, its programme is already packed.
Vinexpo Academy has become an essential part of any Vinexposium show, bringing together industry leaders, pioneering businesspeople and expert tasters under one roof. The 2023 programme in Singapore included sessions on consumer trends in South Korea, Hong Kong as a fine wine hub and the rebirth of Irish whiskey, as well as showcases from the world’s leading producers. This year, 36 masterclasses are planned across the three days, in addition to conferences, roundtables and a dedicated tasting hall.
The 2025 fair will also see the Singapore debuts of popular areas seen at other shows. Welcome to the Organic World (WOW!) has become a popular fixture in Hong Kong and will now present organic and biodynamic drinks in Singapore. Southeast Asian markets are developing prospects for sustainable beverages, with a younger generation showing increased interest. Thus, although it may not be as large a draw as it is in mature markets, a strong showing of organic and biodynamic wines can help promote and grow that market sector.
Other highlights for 2025 include Wines Unearthed, an award-winning showcase for producers seeking distribution, and an increased focus on no- and low-alcohol options. Even before considering the wealth of exhibiting nations – led by France, Italy and Australia, but also featuring Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and the UK – it is a diverse and full schedule.
Built for business
Even in 2025, with everyday life and the drinks industry largely returned to pre-pandemic norms, you can feel the echoes of the Covid years when speaking to Lameyse, in his passionate defence of meeting face to face, and presenting products and tastings in person.
“Our company is far more than just a trade show organiser,” Lameyse says. “Our unique position in the industry is that we gather people to touch on the most pressing topics.” You can sense, perhaps, that he was an international businessman before he was a wine professional; Lemeyse is laser-focused on building up the industry.
“My main aim is that our participants, whoever they are and wherever they live, leave Vinexpo Asia with a good sense of business,” he explains, “but also that our wine and spirits community is not just witnessing what’s happening in the world, but they are acting to find market opportunities.” It is a generous outlook, mixed with a realistic dose of self-interest. “The better the industry does,” he says, “the better Vinexpo will be.”
There is still, of course, the final push – two months of hard graft to make Vinexpo Asia the best it can be. It makes sense that Lameyse would still be as hard at work as ever. After all, his favourite part of any show is the day before, as the stalls are set up, producers rush about and the air is thick with the smell of paint. Even if messy, it is an intensely productive flurry of activity. And it is an approach matched by Vinexpo Asia: amid uncertainty and instability, it is committed to being productive and useful – a true tool for the industry.
Key information
Date: 27-29 May 2025.
Location: Marina Bay Sands.
Exhibitors: 1,100 exhibitors from more than 20 countries.
Visitors: 11,000 professionals from more than 70 countries.
Events: A programme of 26 masterclasses, as well as conferences, tasting areas and roundtables.
Full information available at the Vinexpo Asia website.
