CONNECTING A MAJOR EUROPEAN TRADE FAIR TO AFRICA'S WINE MARKETS

THE Customer: A major european trade fair organizer

THE CHALLENGE

A major European trade fair organizer, host of one of the world's leading wine and spirits trade fairs, recognized Africa's growing relevance as a market for wine and spirits but had limited existing contacts to importers and distributors on the continent. With the next edition approaching, the team needed to identify which African markets were worth engaging, and which specific importers, distributors, and buyers could be invited as delegates. AVA was commissioned to close this gap: to analyze the relevant markets and identify suitable partners for the trade fair.

OUR SERVICE

AVA conducted a market analysis across the African continent, examining wine and spirits import volumes, consumption patterns, and trade flows. This resulted in a prioritized short list of nine wine nations, selected on the basis of market size, growth dynamics, consumption structure, and market access. A dedicated deep-dive on South Africa was added given its double role as Africa's only globally relevant wine producer and a key import hub for international wines. Building on this, AVA identified, validated, and compiled a curated contact list of over 30 importers, distributors, and buyers across the priority markets, combining existing AVA relationships with newly vetted market actors, and conducted direct outreach to gauge interest in participation.

THE RESULT

The client now has a validated, ready-to-use contact base for the upcoming trade fair edition, complete with individual profiles and first feedback on each contact's interest and potential role — from importers and distributors to sommeliers, educators, and event curators. Numerous contacts, including several leading figures in their respective national wine scenes, have already signaled interest in attending. The project gives the client a clear, actionable foundation to move from initial outreach into concrete planning of delegate participation, side events, and speaker formats.