Messe Düsseldorf is expanding to Japan with the launch of ProWine Tokyo from 2024. It is acquiring the ‘Wine’ segment from the existing Wine & Gourmet and will organise this as ProWine Tokyo.
Koelnmesse, meanwhile, is organising an event focusing on gourmet food and ISM Japan, which covers the supplementary product ranges of sweets and snacks. ISM Japan will kick off in 2023 for the first time and be based on the style of the world’s leading trade fair for the industry, ISM in Cologne.
Both above events from the German organisers will be co-located to create synergies and they will also benefit from the appeal of the Japanese food fair FABEX. Organised by special-interest publisher Japan Food Journal. FABEX is held on an annual basis concurrently with a series of other trade fairs for gourmet food and beverages at the Big Sight exhibition centre in Tokyo.
By combining FABEX, ProWine Tokyo and ISM Japan, organisers believe visitors will be able to enjoy a larger and more specialised range while providing serious growth potential, not least due to the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union that entered into force in February 2021.
Wine & Gourmet – powered by ProWein will be held from 12 to 14 April 2023 in parallel with ISM Japan. The following year the Wine segment will then officially be launched as ProWine Tokyo – always concurrently with the big FABEX and its other four food trade fairs: Dessert Sweets & Bakery Festival, Food & Drink OEM Matching Expo, Japan Noodles Industry Fair, and Premium Food Show. The latest edition of this industry meeting in 2019 was attended by 917 exhibitors from 19 countries as well as 78,024 trade visitors.
“On account of the partnership with FABEX we are operating in a very appealing setting. Koelnmesse has laid the foundation for successful business in Japan, which we leverage to generate growth. All in all, we are very confident that we can create added value for the sector with ProWine Tokyo,” says Michael Degen, executive director Messe Düsseldorf and chairman of the Board Messe Düsseldorf Japan.
“By extending the event to include ISM Japan and combining ProWine Tokyo with our gourmet focus – all of this embedded in the FABEX, which enjoys high attendance and high reach – we are creating an optimal offering for our customers from the respective sectors and a unique platform for Japanese retailers at the same time. It is a win-win situation,” adds Denis Steker, senior vice-president International of Koelnmesse GmbH.
The organiser of FABEX, the Japan Food Journal, also welcomes the current development at the trade fair location Tokyo. “The Japanese food & beverage market has an above-average demand for quality. We are therefore very pleased that our customers will in future be able to benefit from the pooled competence of ProWine Tokyo and ISM Japan,” says Katsuki Hirayama, vice-president of Japan Food Journal.
After the USA and China, Japan is the world’s third-biggest economic market with a unique, very demanding food and drink culture. For 2022 the per-capita turnover for wine is forecast at around €66, which is above the global per-capita mark of €37 (Source: Statista).
In addition, Japan is the sixth-biggest confectionery market in the world and considered a high-growth trendsetter. Due to its high safety and hygiene standards, Japan often serves as the first access to the Asian market. The Asia-Pacific region promises strong growth with an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% for the forecast period 2020 to 2025.
Photo shows, L-R: Michael Degen (executive director of Messe Düsseldorf), Makoto Takagi (managing director of Koelnmesse in Japan), Akiko Ohara (general manager of Messe Düsseldorf Japan) and Wolfram N. Diener (president & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf); Credit: Messe Düsseldorf
