A 20-year veteran of the champagne industry since 1998, Guillaume Deglise's association with Vinexpo started in his capacity as a customer of the global wine show exhibitor when he worked firstly at Bollinger and then Laurent-Perrier - two champagne houses - which helped him to understand the requirements of the other side.

He approached Vinexpo five years ago on the strength of his experience and an unshakeable passion for the business. "The reason I wanted to tap into and remain in this industry has everything to do with my interest, and I very much like to work in the industry with a strong passion."

In terms of management philosophy, Deglise believes that identifying a proper project and associating every employee with it is the way to take the group forward. Working seriously and conscientiously, but without making oneself too serious is his advice for Vinexpo's staff.

"Business will not be a challenge. Having good workers with me is very important because you can never solve all the problems alone," he insists.

Vinexpo press officer Camille Malavoy told China Daily she has full marks for her boss as he's imbued with energy and responsibility.

Deglise calls himself a workaholic "when you really enjoy what you're doing. Being busy all the time is fine".

Looking back as the company's top strategy maker, he reckons that making Vinexpo "very international" had been the best decision he had made, through which new exhibitions have started around the world and that the brand will go down as the authoritative reference for the entire wine business.

Two new shows are on the cards for Vinexpo over the next two years - in New York and Paris.

"When the show is already established, it's much easier; otherwise you need to know the exhibition center, the promotion plan and many other details," explains Deglise.

"You must convince people to come to your new show, and this is our main challenge."

For the wine industry, being knowledgeable is the key to success as early entrepreneurs race to put their plans to the test.

But this industry is never a comfort zone, he says, and his teams constantly face challenges amid a competitive internal environment and aggressive players coming into the fray. Thus, being able to identify a company's own project is very significant.

He tells young startup owners to take heart in their business endeavors. Having full confidence in projects is a good beginning and, at the same time, well begun is half done when it comes to the secret of successful entrepreneurship.

In the past two decades as Vinexpo came across inspiring stories that have positioned Vinexpo Hong Kong as the benchmark trade show in the Asia-Pacific, Deglise had also accomplished his career change - from chateau trading to wine event organizing - a wine lover who has paved the way for Vinexpo's globalization, combined wine trading with frontier technology, and a witness to various changes in every aspect of society in the wine industry.

joycesun@chinadailyhk.com

Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise believes that the tie-up with Alibaba Group’s Tmall would be a win-win game. Parker Zheng / China Daily

(HK Edition 06/15/2018 page9)