The interest in premium, and therefore expensive, products has probably never been higher, especially in developing markets where they are seen as aspirational purchases. So while the traditional premium markets such as Europe and the US continue to be stable, volume sales are increasing in developing markets such as Asia, notably China and India, Latin America and Eastern Europe; other new and developing markets include Kenya and Mexico. In the mature markets, while high-end buyers are opting for a value over volume strategy, mid-range consumers are choosing value for money by buying drinks from New Zealand, South Africa and Chile than those from the euro area.

These market trends only go to show that the learning from the global economic downturn is making companies adopt an increasingly clever and ingenious approach to all aspects of business. "Now, more than ever, it is vital companies have direct access to the senior executives who take the final decision on vendor selection and the ultimate sign off on all budgets. But reaching the decision maker is costly, time-consuming and hard to achieve. Now this is where the Drink World Congress assists business by guaranteeing targeted, face-to-face business meetings with people that count," says Sonja Merchant, Director, Drink World Congress.

Drink World Congress 2010-2011 is a unique four-edition event aimed at finding new initiatives, arranging direct access to decision makers and delivering tangible business results for the growth of the producers of spirits and wines worldwide. Between September 2010 and June 2011, the congresses will be held in Hong Kong (8-10 Sep 2010), Milan (03-05 Nov 2010), New York (16-18 Mar 2011) and in Moscow (08-10 June 2011).

Drink World Congress is the leading annual B2B event for the global alcoholic drinks community, bringing together hosted VIP buyers from specific regions around the world to meet with the world’s most sought after suppliers and makers of wine, spirits, beer and other alcoholic drinks to meet, exchange business terms and seal deals. This formula is successful because it is based on an unrivalled pre-qualified, pre-scheduled appointment system and effective networking opportunities.

Business Success Highlights of Drink World Congress

· Hosted Buyer System: each event will bring together 250 Hosted VIP Buyers from the regions of Asia-Pacific & the Middle East, Europe & Africa, the Americas and Eastern Europe respectively. At the APAC Congress, for instance, buyers will be from Hong Kong, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and such. View the list of buyer regions represented at each congress here: http://www.drinkworldcongress.com/s_meet.php.

· Pre-qualified Proactive Buyers: to ensure only the most prolific buyers attend the congress, all applicants are carefully screened. Once a potential VIP buyer meets the strict qualification criteria, they are registered in the congress program and completely hosted with all costs borne by the congress organizer. The congress is also attended by pre-qualified Executive buyers who are aggressively seeking suppliers to source their products and solutions.

· One-on-One Buyer Meetings based on Business Needs: suppliers are matched with buyers following a through examination of the former's business needs. Each supplier will attend guaranteed 20, twenty-minute one-on-one formal meetings with Hosted Buyers of their choice from the region. Suppliers select their meetings weeks ahead of the event thus maximizing their chances of winning new business.

· Speed Business Sessions: suppliers will meet all the buyers for four minutes each at this session, to exchange business cards and then arrange to meet later at the open networking opportunities.

· Open Networking Opportunities: the congress provides extensive networking opportunities over breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner throughout the three day congress.

· More Benefits: these include tasting sessions for your drinks, 1-minute supplier presentations, branding at the venue and more.

· Important Dates: very Early Bird Discounts for Suppliers end 22 December 2009; refer http://www.drinkworldcongress.com/supplier.php 

· Value-for-Money Investment: the format and value-for-money price point of the congress ensures suppliers have a focused business environment, unparalleled access to potential clients, thus saving time and money, and delivering exceptional business results.

Drink World Congress offers the best opportunity and business value for companies looking for trade, partnership, and collaboration opportunities with buyers of alcoholic drinks in the regions of Europe, Asia, Americas and CIS. For further information and to sign up, visit the congress on the web http://www.drinkworldcongress.com/ 

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