FENAVIN breaks into the international circuit of wine trade fairs with the IFEDI trade fair complex, in an edition marked by business, modernity and innovation

Caballero says that we all have to be very proud because this important event "is a collective work that we can indeed boast about"

May 2023

The National Trade Fair on Wine has opened the doors of the best edition in its history because its content is finally up to the level of its continent. The Ciudad Real Provincial Government, presided over by José Manuel Caballero, has managed to respond to the main deficiency that the enclosure presented, where modern, accessible and functional pavilions have relegated the previously canopied areas to oblivion. The IFEDI trade fair complex has entered the trade fair circuit with a great international presence, with the best Spanish wine trade fair in the world recording a frenzy of business and commercial activity since the early hours of the morning.

“We were actually aware of the power of FENAVIN, because all of the editions have been successfully completed, but also that its main weakness was its infrastructure,” said Caballero, who confessed to being “very happy because what has been achieved is transferred to the present and for the future”. And he added that he is one of the politicians who considers that the best contribution to citizenship is to improve what you find and we have achieved a first-class trade fair complex, “together with IFEMA representing the best infrastructure from Madrid to Cádiz”.

During the inaugural ceremony, the President of the Provincial Government and of FENAVIN, José Manuel Caballero, had words of gratitude for the Town Hall of Ciudad Real and for the Chamber of Commerce, “which are our allies and strategic partners”, for financial entities, “that give more content” to the event, for the representatives of the sector and for all those who contribute “to putting a bottle of wine anywhere in the world.”

He has likewise highlighted the involvement of the Director of the trade fair, Manuel Juliá and the work of the provincial institution’s staff and the small and medium sized companies that make the trade fair possible. In this sense he underscored the efforts of the construction companies, which have endured the effects of a pandemic and a war that has made material significantly more expensive.

FENAVIN does not strictly belong to the Provincial Government, according to Caballero, but rather it is everyone’s heritage, “as it is a collective work that we can all boast about.”

It is an event that has to be above any interest that is not working for the wine sector of the province and of Castilla-La Mancha, as well as for all those who directly or tangentially benefit from its strength. He has not hesitated to allude at this point to the responsible position of the opposition group of the Provincial Government in the decisions adopted with regards to FENAVIN.

Caballero has also verbalized his gratitude “to all the men and women of the land who love wine and who believe that in wine there is an economic and social resource that has to do with our history, our culture and our identity.” And, above all, he has highlighted the confidence in the trade fair of the Regional Government and of the Government of Spain.

In that pertaining to the President of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page, who was in charge of cutting the inaugural ribbon, he has recognized his absolute involvement with FENAVIN, even before reaching the presidency of the Regional Government. In the words of Caballero, he has contributed to overcoming “the previously unfortunate situation during which there was no institutional presence at FENAVIN and there were also attempts to weaken the trade fair with other initiatives that undoubtedly failed because they did not make sense.” He also clarified that although the economic contribution of the Board of Communities is very important, intangibles such as the support and trust of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha are far more valued.

At another point of his speech, Caballero agreed with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture when he stated that it is essential to give the impression of wine linked to food, as the image of FENAVIN appears next to the Alimentos de España brand, which gives it a great international projection.

The President of the wine sector trade fair has not failed to remember all those involved in the process from the vine to the table and to the national and international markets, because they are the ones who have made a great effort to modernize since the very first edition of FENAVIN. “At the time wine being sold in the province reached 99 million Euros, while today we are close to 400 million Euros,” he added.

FENAVIN is certainly not a mere illusion, but is in fact pure business. This is the opinion of the President of the trade fair, who has described the figures for this edition as “dazzling” and the expectations as “very good”. Almost 2,000 wineries, of which 900 are from the region and almost 350 from the province of Ciudad Real. Thousands of national buyers and buyers from 102 countries and close to 10,000 commercial contacts closed before the inauguration of this great monographic exhibition event on Spanish wine give rise to thinking about another new unprecedented success harvested by the trade fair and promoted by the Provincial Government of Ciudad Real.

There are of course challenges still to be met, but Caballero assures us that “we are strong and in a position to confront them because we have a government that is close to the interests of the sector and that has the capacity to fight for it.” And he concluded by saying that today we have nothing to envy, because we have the necessary level and power to generate a representative and quality wine.

On his part the President of the Regional Government, Emiliano García Page, highlighted how FENAVIN is without a doubt the best trade fair in the wine sector in Spain and most certainly in Europe as well, and a source of pride for the region due to its organization, team and facilities, thus demonstrating that the agri-food sector was not only a sign of identity, but an economic power.

In this sense Page recalled how Castilla-La Mancha produces 10% of the world’s wine, while the 55% that Spain exports comes from the region, underlining the capacity for projection and growth that demonstrates the dynamism and power of the sector.

Page congratulated the President of the Provincial Government for the new infrastructure that the trade fair now has, which represents a work of serious, legitimate ambition, as well as for the claim of Ciudad Real in the economic and business field in the trade fair sense that does not close its doors.

The President of the Board of Communities of Castilla-La Mancha reaffirmed the Regional Government’s support for FENAVIN, “a trade fair that has crossed borders” and which, as he pointed out, is a waterfall of self-esteem for the wine sector and the agri-food sector as a whole and for our region, highlighting the commitment of the Regional Government so that this trade fair can be the gateway, the battering ram, the dissemination element, the presentation card of the region as a whole when it wants to talk about wine in Spain and throughout the world.”

The Secretary General of Agriculture and Food of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fernando Miranda, underscored the importance of trade fairs such as FENAVIN that “allow us to go further and provide economic value to our country and its people”, considering wine as a factor of territorial roots and the fight against depopulation, with its own value like our landscapes, and that has to do with sustainability and modernity.

Miranda also referred to wine as a key part of our gastronomy, emphasizing how wine is part of our way of life. In this sense, he pointed to the use of community funds in defense of the promotion of wine and the culture of wine as the star product of our diet.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out the need to support this type of trade fair to make us known and to sell our products with regards to the culture of wine, always around a moderate and responsible consumption that helps to socialize and make friends and family. Finally Miranda pointed out how FENAVIN is part of the present and future, and of our image in the world, and remarked how “the best that we have we have right here.”

On her part the Mayor of Ciudad Real, Eva María Masías, welcomed all those visiting the new edition of FENAVIN and the city of Ciudad Real. She said that the Town Hall has always supported the trade fair because they know the important repercussions it has for our economy. And the organization of this edition has stood out for the effort and tenacity and commitment that has been put into achieving innovative and modern pavilions. Masías also underscored the promotion of the local economy by FENAVIN and the projection it represents for the capital.

The Director of FENAVIN, Manuel Juliá, indicated that “beyond the sea of data” that surrounds the National Trade Fair on Wine, it is important to convey two ideas: the first, that “FENAVIN loves wine”, and the second that thinking of its experience after twelve editions, is that “FENAVIN is beauty.”

Showing himself to be tremendously happy for having reached this twelfth edition, he highlighted the fact that it is celebrated for the first time without canopies. With the new infrastructure that makes up the IFEDI trade fair complex, he affirms that the trade fair is also guaranteed in the future.

And at this point, in which it has been amply demonstrated that the essence of FENAVIN is business, Manuel Juliá affirms that the trade fair has reached the border of what it can offer, “now comes the time to perfect all the elements that we have. Thus, all that remains is to tell them that being here is a great pleasure”, he concluded.