Vinexpo Americas Miami - with Julia Locatelli

Is your 2026 as packed as ours?The MHW team gets back into the podcast studio to preview one of spring’s most exciting events - Vinexpo Americas. Host Jimmy Moreland welcomes cohost Cassidy Poe to chat with Julia Locatelli, Head of Marketing & Strategy for Vinexposium. Hear show highlights, advice for attendees, and more.

Head to the Vinexpo Americas website to register. MHW listeners can claim their free badge by entering code VAM26MHW at checkout.

Want to hear more from Julia and the Vinexposium team? Check out their podcast Voice of the Industry

More info about MHW at https://www.mhwltd.com/
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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to the MHW Mark Podcast, where we take deep dives into various aspects of the alcohol industry. My name is Jimmy Moreland. MHW is a US and EU beverage alcohol importer, distributor, and service provider. Welcoming back to the show. It's been a minute. Cassidy Poe, welcome.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Thanks, Jimmy. I'm happy to be back. Long time no see.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

It's good to have you back on the show. It's good to be back. I know everybody's been busy. 2026 is is it's making itself known, you know?

SPEAKER_02 0:36

That's for sure. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Now we've got, we do have a very timely calendar tide event coming up here. Can you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Yes. So we have Venexpo Americas coming up April 29th and 30th are the dates of the show down at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It's gonna be a great event. Uh, this is their second year in Miami. I was down there for the first one last year. So if it's anything like that, I'm very excited to see what they have in store for us this year. And for everyone to hear a little sneak peek of what the event will be like from our guest.

What Marketing Strategy Means Here

SPEAKER_00 1:13

And for extra homework, if what our guest today isn't enough for you, you can go back to last year, that's episode 42. We had uh another person from the same organization on the podcast. So there's an extra 20 minutes of listening on top that you can do there. But really important to make sure that you check the uh the show notes if you are planning on attending, because there's some important links that might even save you some money in the show notes. So be safe and have fun and do great business at the show. All right, our guest today is the head of marketing and strategy for Vin Exposium. Welcome to the show, Julia Locatelli.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Thank you, Jimmy. Hi, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Thanks for coming on the show. It's good to have you here. Can you tell us a little bit? You know, I I've told folks who listen to the podcast that I have an MBA, which I'm a podcast host, so I'm not really putting it to great use. But when I was getting my MBA, one of the job titles that many of my classmates were gunning for, that they were shooting for, was head of marketing and strategy. That was, you know, a goal for a lot of them. Can you tell me sort of what a day-to-day head of marketing and strategy person does in general and specifically in the BeValk industry for a company like VinExposium?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

My role is really to just shape and drive the global marketing and communication strategy for VinExposium. Um, and we do that for our international portfolio of brands, and that includes our event brands, but also our corporate brands, but also that includes our media, which is voice of the industry that we launched um two years ago now. Um so on a day-to-day basis, that means I'm I'm orchestrating campaigns across markets. I'm aligning a lot of different stakeholders in various markets, and I'm constantly refining how we tell our story. Um, our role is really to stand out in a very competitive industry, especially now. So, this is what my days look like.

Vinexposium And Voice Of The Industry

SPEAKER_00 3:16

And last year we had your colleague, Grace Gazole, on the podcast. But for folks who are who are busy or who can't be hands-free to go back and listen to it right now, can you share just a little bit more about VinExposium, about the events, about Vin Expo Americas?

SPEAKER_01 3:32

So I would describe Vin Exposium as a year-round partner to the wine and spirits industry. It's not just about trade shows and events. Obviously, this is you know the bulk of what we do, but it's really about um creating ongoing momentum for all the professionals working in the industry. We organize international gatherings like Vinexpo America's or Wine Paris, but we also um release content through our voice of the industry media ecosystem, and that's our own podcast, uh, but also our magazine online and in print. So our role is really to bring people together, to give them the insight that they need to make informed decisions, and the idea is to help them stay connected, understand where the market is going, help them navigate changes, whether that's consumer expectations, uh sustainability, uh, and innovation. And in the case of Vinexpo Americas, I think our mission is to do exactly that in the Americas, combining mature markets like Canada, the US, but also emerging consumption markets like Colombia, for instance, or Mexico.

What Changes In Year Two

SPEAKER_02 4:45

I love that last point you made, Julia, about how I, well at least personally, I feel like everything that you guys put into Voice of the Industry is also really honed in on at Vine Expo Americas. I had the pleasure of attending last year. The first time it was in Miami, which was really exciting. It was so much great educational content coming out of that too, which was cool to learn a lot and be a part of. But I'm curious, since last year was such a great event, are there any ways that the event's evolving after the first year?

SPEAKER_01 5:17

It is definitely evolving because we added two co-localized events alongside Binexpo Americas. The first one is B Spirits. For those who attended our show in Paris in February, you've probably come across the Be Spirits Hall dedicated to Spirits, mixology, beer, and cider. So we are replicating this format in Miami. The second one is Bino, dedicated to no alcohol drinks, because this is definitely a segment or category that's growing and that's garnering a lot of interest across the different markets that we are targeting. So this is going to be the two new additions to the event. But going back to Venexpo Americas and its collocation of events, um, I think the second year is just really about validating what we've seen in the first edition. Obviously, it comes with higher expectations, especially in a more complex economic and geopolitical context. You know, things are a bit difficult for everyone. And exhibitors and producers are looking for clear return on investment. Visitors are expecting a bigger experience, richer experience, and something that is both efficient and enjoyable. So concretely, we've um developed our offering. Um, we've got lots of new key brands and prestigious brands alongside upcoming uh names. But in terms of content, because you mentioned uh the session last year, I think what uh people need to know is um the QuickTalk formats that we've developed and that we are encouraging people to attend because it's really shaped around the time that people have on sites. We know that people are here to do business, we know that they have meetings, very little time. Uh, so we've decided to come up with more opportunities to attend short snackable sessions of 30 minutes, and so this is this is um an opportunity to attend more sessions throughout the day on different topics, and that's new format that we're pushing through.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

I love how you said snackable. That's that's a good word for it. Especially, I mean, I went to a couple last year, so I know it gets very busy. I was only supposed to have a few meetings, I wasn't there for sales purposes last year, and I ended up with a full schedule, so really is important to have those quick snackable sessions. Everyone gets to learn a lot.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Yeah, I mean, we we know that people have less attention span. We know that 45 minutes gets a bit, you know, it kind of gets a bit long. And we know that in between meetings, if you can, you know, squeeze those 30 minutes, it's it's valuable information. It's you know, experts that take the time to present what they know about markets, what they know about trends, um, their research. And I think this is the ideal format for everyone in business.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Julia, why do you think in-person events are still so important for the beverage alcohol industry?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

I think that in this industry, relationships are everything. You know, you're not just buying a product, you're building trust uh with future business partners, you're meeting people to understand their positioning, you're assessing the quality firsthand from facings. Um, and having lived through COVID just really prove that the digital world just can't deliver in the same way. I think today's context reinforces my belief that if you want to make business and if you want to generate value, you have to meet face to face. If I go to an event, I'm here for a purpose, and I can meet with the entire value chain, all the stakeholders are here. I think I can have a more meaningful conversation in the span of two days than in a series of Zoom calls. And you know, I get to test amazing products, so for me it's a win-win. And you know, doing it in Miami especially is it's a great opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

For brands who are listening, at the time that this podcast goes out, are tickets like our spots still available for brands, I would assume not exhibitors, but if people just want to go, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Yeah, for exhibitors it's a bit more complicated, except you know, if you're in the US and you can bring your own samples, that's great because you've you don't need to clear customs, etc., transport time. But if you're a brand coming from abroad, it's a bit more complicated because you have all those steps to follow. But if you're a visitor, obviously there's still time uh to get your tickets.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

So for brands who are attending, whether as an exhibitor or a visitor, how can they make the most out of their time at the event? Like how do they access these quick bite sessions? Uh is there a portal? Is there an app?

Sessions QuickTalks And Masterclasses

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah. So um if you want to be able to fully enjoy the show, I think preparation is key. Um and that's what really makes the difference. I like to think about the 8020 rule. So if you prioritize 20% of the factors to produce the best results, uh in that case, I think the the 20% is all the tools that we put forward for visitors and exhibitors to organize themselves and to prepare, you you're probably going to get amazing results. Um so you mentioned an app. We do have an app, but um, in terms of preparation, we have a platform, a business matching service to contact uh prospects, um, whether they are exhibitors or you know buyers that you're trying to reach. There's a messaging system in place, you can browse the catalog, you can browse the products, you can have a look at price points, different price points, different origins. Um, it's a really nifty tool. You can filter things out. And you can organize yourself in advance, you can contact producers, you know, existing partners that you already work or worked with, or new producers you haven't reached out to yet, or you don't know the products. So I think, yeah, preparation is definitely important. The offer is diverse. Uh, we have uh mentioned earlier that we have um some emerging producing regions like uh Lebanon, Kazakhstan, um, but we also have different types of products. So, like spirits, not just wine, in the spirits, there's a diversity of typology of products. So if you want to be able to target or explore, you can do both. Um, I think preparation is key. Uh we also have a great collective of prestigious brands. We have Baron de Rothschild, uh, we have Les Gran Chais de France, that's for the French accent there. And I think uh having that opportunity to explore, discover upcoming producers and well-established prestigious brand, uh, you need to organize yourself in advance.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

And Julia, the there's a program released for all of the speaking engagements like QuickTalks and everything else, too, right? So people can kind of plan their days around that also.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Yeah, absolutely. The program of sessions, uh, which is a mix of masterclasses, of conferences, of quick talks that I mentioned as well, uh, is available online on our website, and uh you can discover who the speakers will be, their sessions, their expertise, and you don't have to book sessions in advance. You can just show up to the session on time and have access. Our sessions are very educational, uh, some are more practical. We have masterclasses on province wine, volcanic terrors, we have cognac in mixology as well. I'm really excited for that. But some are really about keeping track of what's going on in the industry. We will have talks on retail, on e-commerce, on hospitality, and even on um no alcohol wines and mindful drinking. So everything very topical, looking at the context today. I think um gathering information and insights during those sessions is very valuable for businesses.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

And the masterclasses, how are those different from the Quick Talks? Like are they more like tasting experiences?

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, masterclasses are tasting based with a selection of products that you'll be able to taste live with a great demonstration and commentary from the speakers.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

It's awesome. I didn't get to any of those last year, so I'll have to make my way that way.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

I think I'll join you because um in the hustle and bustle of the event, I rarely have time to uh taste any wines, which is funny because I bet I work at I mean you know, I attend most of the events, but um business first. Yes, always.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

So I know um last year our director of business development, Michelle Street Bonette, got to speak about the US market. She's actually gonna be back at the show this year doing the similar topic. I'm excited to hear more about what kind of topics other people will be speaking on, if you can give us an inside scoop.

Speaker Highlights And Key Trends

Registration Code And Closing Toast

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm really looking forward to see Michelle's session, by the way. But other speakers will be talking about no alcohol wines and, for instance, uh mindful drinking. That's um I rem Ern, who is uh one of our ambassadors for Bino this year. I'm really excited to attend her session. She um is super knowledgeable about the no alcohol wine trend. She'll be talking about you know how this process has become now a trend, and if this is something that's going to live longer than just a trend. Um, so I'm looking forward to following that. Also, we'll have sessions that are very topical in the context that we know today. Uh, one of the sessions I'm looking forward to is um the US wine and spirits trends, retail and e-commerce and beyond. Um, this is definitely something that I encourage people to go and attend because I think it will be full of insight about what's going on today. Um, different distribution channels, different options and opportunities. Looking at how imports are going today, and I think it's great to explore new avenues, new opportunities to distribute wines and spirits.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

So, for anybody who is interested in registering to attend, the show is coming up quickly next week, April 29th and 30th, down in Miami Beach at the convention center. Julia, do you want to tell our listeners how they can register?

SPEAKER_01 16:01

So, visitors can get their badge on our website. That's Vinexpo-Americas with an s.com. And for MHW listeners, you will get your badge for free using the code VAM26MHW at checkout.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

And we'll make sure that uh we put those details in the show description in the show notes there. And our fun question that we always like to end with: what is your favorite cocktail or adult beverage, let's say?

SPEAKER_01 16:34

My favorite cocktail would be a point vert from La Loutre Bar in Paris, which is made with Venezuelan rum, peach liqueur, lime juice, basil syrup, and egg whites. But I'm really looking forward to having a margarita in Miami.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Now, what kind of bar would we ask for this? Paint the picture. Where am I where I'm ordering this cocktail?

SPEAKER_01 16:57

So you can order a point vert at a specific bar in Paris. It's called La Loutre, which it means the otter. It's one of many bars that have an animal as their own emblem. And it's one of my favorite bars in Paris.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Well, thank you so much, Julia Locatelli, for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Thank you, Jimmy. Thank you, Cassidy.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

And thank you, listeners, for joining us on the MHW Mark Podcast. And thanks again to Cassidy Poe for joining me in hosting.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

Thanks, Jimmy. Hope to be back on again soon.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

This podcast is produced by me, Jimmy Moreland, with booking and planning support by Cassidy Poe and Bridget McCabe. It's presented by MHW. Find out more at MHWLTD.com or connect with MHW on LinkedIn. Lend us a hand by subscribing, rating, and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen. We'll be back in your feed as soon as we can. We'll see you then. Cheers.