Robert Beynat, founder of Vinexpo and former director of the trade fair, has passed away. According to reports in various French media outlets, he died on January 24th.
Beynat conceived the idea for Vinexpo while working as an economic development consultant for the Bordeaux Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry, according to the Bordeaux regional magazine ‘Echo.’ In 1981, he founded Vinexpo as the first wine trade fair in France. Beginning in 1997, he expanded the format to the United States and Asia. He led the trade fair until his retirement in 2013.
Under Beynat's leadership, Vinexpo experienced a glamorous era, according to ‘Echo,’ with grand parties in Bordeaux and at the châteaux, celebrity guests, and significant positive economic impact on the city of Bordeaux.
Born in Casablanca in 1948, Beynat held a doctorate in economics and was a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) in Bordeaux.
