ALSACE SCORES A MAJOR HIT WITH ITS MILLESIMES ALSACE DIGITASTING®!
July 07, 2021: The Millésimes Alsace Digitasting®, the first event of its kind produced by a wine region, marked a milestone for this small but mighty region in northeastern France. The virtual trade show which took place in early June was conceived and executed entirely by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace (CIVA or Alsace Wine Board). The show offered a combination of videoconferences and real-time tastings. With 10,000 wine sample kits sent across the world and 3,750 international visitors, participation in this year’s fair surpassed attendees at the previous in-person Millésimes Alsace event five times over, clearly establishing Alsace as a leader in the development of next-generation wine events.
Results that Speak for Themselves
Even before the show kicked off, success was assured. Within the first week of registration, more than 900 French and international trade professionals (importers, retailers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, distributors, etc.) had signed up. Excitement continued to build with the announcement of participating Alsace producers: more than 2,000 virtual meetings were scheduled. Thirty percent of registrants were French, and international response truly showed the excitement surrounding the event with 2,700 international attendees from 55 countries. Participants from the top five export markets – US, UK, Italy, Canada and Taiwan – were joined by visitors from emerging markets such as Peru, India, Nepal and Paraguay.
Global Impact for a Local Project
Supported by the entire Alsace wine industry and led by the CIVA, the Millésimes Alsace Digitasting® was a collective initiative. A major innovation for the wine industry, the event was produced entirely in Alsace in collaboration with partners from within a 46-mile radius around event headquarters. Logistics and transport, digital design, sample box production and bottling, photo and video production were all carried out locally. Conference panelists included Alsace residents and industry experts from all over the world, from California to Canada to Switzerland.
CIVA President Didier Pettermann expressed pride in the achievement. “For several years now, Alsace has been reinventing itself and this successful initiative was one more way of showing the world that Alsace is now more than ever a leading player in the international wine scene.”
Philippe Bouvet, CIVA Marketing Director, concurred. “We had great ambition for this event and the results exceeded our expectations. We conceived the Digitasting® as more than a trade fair; we wanted to remind the industry why Alsace is a world-class wine region. And we succeeded — our international visitors were impressed by the overall event quality, the wine sample kits, the online platform, and especially the know-how of our Alsace producers.”
Exhibitors were as enthusiastic as the visitors with the results. Wine producers made contacts that would not have been possible without this show. In the opinion of many professionals, this event marked a milestone, and they are looking forward to a second edition.
The CIVA is considering the possibilities of another Digitasting® according to CIVA Director Gilles Neusch, however, the need for in-person contact remains strong. He shared, “We had planned to reinvent ourselves before opting for this virtual event and we are still evaluating the results. Many relationships initiated through the fair will continue to develop. Given the scale of this endeavor, we will first evaluate our key learnings for the future.” Stay tuned!
