GUIYANG, China – The 2015 World Alcoholic Beverage Alliance (WABA) One Year Inauguration Anniversary Conference took place this past September 10 in Guiyang in conjunction with the 5th China International Alcoholic Beverages Expo. One year ago over 300 representatives of the alcoholic beverage industry convened to discuss ways to work more collaboratively; ensuring growth of the industry whilst implementing more practices that reduce our ecological footprint. This year many political leaders were in attendance to present their opinions concerning the alcoholic beverage industry and to pledge their support towards the Organization. Opening the ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the inauguration, the Deputy Governor of Guizhou MENG Qi Lang said “WABA is a remarkable initiative and a game changer for the global alcohol industry. It is the first non-profit alcohol organization aimed at global collaboration among members as well as an online platform aimed at ensuring ease of connection between the source of the product and the consumer.” Also in attendance were the former Executive President of the Romania Socialist Party and Romania Wine Association Executive, Ms. Denisa Vasilescu; Consul General of France in Samoa Ms. Zita Martel; and Inaugural CEO of Wine Institute of New Zealand, Mr. Terry Dunleavy etc.
Vice president of WABA and president of the China Alcohol Circulation Association Mr. Wang Xin Guo delivered WABA annual working report during the Conference. He noted WABA’s tremendous growth over the past year and the solid foundation which has set it up for success in the future.
Speaking in front of the audience and world media, Terence Dunleavy, vice-chairman of the Alcohol Culture and Society Committee at WABA’s Institute for Research, presented the organisation’s first white paper titled —The Development Report of Global Alcohol Industry. The 200 page white paper is an authoritative detailed analysis of the Chinese Liquor (Baijiu) market with additional sections focused on the global grape wine industry and liquor. It contains laws of alcohol market development, makes conclusions and predictions concerning future trends of the global alcohol industry. Also contained within the report are research publications by the China National Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Center; AQSIQ of Import and Export of Food Safety; China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment: Food Safety Traceability Information Monitoring Index System Project Group.
Key events of the conference included the unveiling of WABA’s New Modern Website; the signing of a cooperation agreement between WABA and the Global Commercial Newspapers Union to solidify WABA’s presence on the global media stage; and the issuance of the Certificate for Pioneer Enterprises of Traceability Systemto combat the counterfeiting of local and imported products.
At the end of the event WABA’s President Dr. Ante Simonić thanked all government officials, VIP’s, and members for attending this year’s Conference. He said that WABA had grown so much over the past year in strength and popularity that he now gets asked about WABA at meetings in the EU. In his closing remarks Dr. Simonic stated that “WABA is the next chapter for the alcohol industry” and “we must get on with creating the future”.
