Interview with Frank Schindler, Director ProWein Düsseldorf.

ProWein Düsseldorf is opening a new chapter. With its relaunch this September, the trade fair is responding to current industry challenges and setting important impulses for its continued transformation. There is also fresh momentum on the personnel side: In October 2025, industry expert Frank Schindler took over as Project Director of the world’s leading trade fair for wines and spirits. In this interview, Mr. Schindler shares his vision, new concepts, and the future of ProWein Düsseldorf. 

ProWein Düsseldorf 2026 is being reimagined, both visually and conceptually. What can visitors and exhibitors look forward to?

Our aim is to make ProWein Düsseldorf even more convenient and accessible for trade visitors. This includes an expanded hotel booking platform offering exclusive discounts, as well as a shuttle service that connects central locations in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands directly with Düsseldorf – and back again in the evening.We’ve also launched the Buyers & Concierge Team, ensuring that top international buyers from key markets are on-site. To connect exhibitors and buyers even more effectively, we have significantly enhanced our matchmaking tool, Fair Match.Another major addition is the ProWein Agora, a new platform for trends, innovations, and future-focused topics. It will host inspiring keynotes, visionary talks, and thought-provoking sessions that extend far beyond the industry itself.

And this is only the beginning. Many more innovations and highlights are planned in the coming years, making ProWein Düsseldorf even more attractive, forward-looking, and relevant. Our goal is to give the industry the momentum and the right framework to take action, shape the future together, drive innovation, and generate business – fully in line with our new motto: “Shape. Create. Elevate.”

You also announced a new hall concept. What does that mean in practical terms for exhibitors and visitors?

Halls 1 to 7 are being restructured to offer the same exhibition space with much clearer and shorter walking routes, significantly increasing visibility for exhibitors. Our rapidly growing ProSpirits segment will also gain new prominence: For the first time, it will occupy two full halls – a clear signal of the dynamism and importance of the global spirits market.

We are rethinking the overall concept of the fair as well, aiming to inspire visitors with a festival-like atmosphere and memorable experiences that bring current trends to life. In Hall 5, for example, ProWein Zero will spotlight non-alcoholic wines and spirits, accompanied by interactive tastings.

Another highlight awaits in Hall 4: Under the theme ProWein Sparkling, visitors can embark on an effervescent journey of discovery with its own bar, impulse tastings, and inspiring sessions.

You have an impressive career spanning several decades in the wine industry. How will you apply your experience to the redesign of ProWein Düsseldorf?

I’ve been at home in the wine world for 25 years and have visited trade fairs across the globe as a visitor, buyer, distributor, and producer. This gives me the ability to view a fair from multiple angles and understand the needs of each stakeholder.

In my new role, I’m experiencing yet another perspective that makes many things even more tangible. Producers want visibility and the right audience; buyers look for relevance and efficiency – two sides of the same coin. ProWein Düsseldorf’s task is to bring those two sides together. Today, this is primarily achieved through digital solutions: it’s about structuring and simplifying data to enable effective matchmaking.

What are you personally looking forward to most when ProWein Düsseldorf 2026 opens its doors in March?

In recent years, I’ve increasingly gravitated toward solving structural and organizational challenges. Being able to pursue this passion at ProWein Düsseldorf is a great privilege, because this truly is the “most wonderful industry in the world” to me.And I – together with the entire ProWein team and Messe Düsseldorf – don’t simply think about the next event. Our goal is to build a sustainable pathway that delivers real value for the industry.That’s why I’m especially looking forward to the moment in March 2026 when the doors open and we can see and feel our visitors’ reactions – the result of our planning, our passion, and countless hours of dedicated work. When the halls fill and our vision comes to life.For me, the personal exchange with exhibitors, partners, and visitors in this special atmosphere is essential. Honest, open conversations create clarity – and a shared glass of wine creates the closeness needed to spark great ideas. That’swhatmakes ProWein Düsseldorf so specialto me.

ProWein Düsseldorf will take place from 15 to 17 March 2026.
More information and tickets are available at www.prowein.com

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