REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE V D’OR AWARD COMMITTEE 2024
Article 1 – Principles and aims of the V d’Or Awards
The V d’Or Awards are organised by Vinexposium, Société par Actions Simplifiée [simplified joint stock company] with share capital of €2,922, with its registered office at 10 rue Condillac – 33000 Bordeaux, registered with the Register of Trades and Companies of Bordeaux under no. 822 686 192 (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”), and have the aim of honouring the most ambitious business initiatives in terms of performance, responsibility and collective spirit (hereinafter referred to as the “Initiatives”), awarding a “V d’Or Award” trophy to them each year.
By seeking the view and expertise of a wide committee of professionals, and by organising the V d’Or Awards ceremony as part of the Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024 event organised in February, the V d’Or Awards aim to encourage the construction of a sustainable future for the wine and spirits sector and highlight ambitious initiatives to a wide international audience.
The V d’Or Awards are awarded after a vote by the members of the College of the V d’Or Awards, and during a dedicated awards ceremony held on the eve of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024, attended by all Nominees. This will be simultaneously broadcast on the digital portal of the Vinexposium group. The projects selected will also benefit from dedicated visibility over the three days of the Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris event.
Entry as members of the V d’Or Award Committee entails unreserved acceptance of the clauses of these Regulations and the decisions handed down within the framework of the V d’Or Awards.
By seeking the view and expertise of a wide committee of professionals, and by organising the V d’Or Awards ceremony as part of the Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024 event organised in February, the V d’Or Awards aim to encourage the construction of a sustainable future for the wine and spirits sector and highlight ambitious initiatives to a wide international audience.
The V d’Or Awards are awarded after a vote by the members of the College of the V d’Or Awards, and during a dedicated awards ceremony held on the eve of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024, attended by all Nominees. This will be simultaneously broadcast on the digital portal of the Vinexposium group. The projects selected will also benefit from dedicated visibility over the three days of the Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris event.
Entry as members of the V d’Or Award Committee entails unreserved acceptance of the clauses of these Regulations and the decisions handed down within the framework of the V d’Or Awards.
Article 2 – Composition and missions of the V d’Or Award Committee
The V d’Or Award Committee is chaired by Michel Chapoutier, co-founder of the V d’Or Awards alongside the Vinexposium group.
The members of the V d’Or Award Committee are appointed by the Chair from among the representatives of the 6 professional categories composing the College of the V d’Or Awards.
The V d’Or Award Committee verifies the validity of the applications and validates the Initiatives selected to be submitted for the first vote of the College of the V d’Or Awards.
The Committee also has a role of identification of remarkable Initiatives in the sector, and may, on its own initiative, propose that the representative of a company enter an Initiative for the V d’Or Awards, with their eligibility remaining subject to the conditions laid down in Article 3.
The V d’Or Award Committee is also responsible for examining and validating applications for admission to the College of the V d’Or Awards.
Lastly, the V d’Or Award Committee has a role of ambassador for the V d’Or Awards, and its members may in this way be required to communicate and speak on behalf of the V d’Or Awards.
2.1 Study and validation of the Initiatives selected
The V d’Or Awards are open free of charge to all wine and spirits professionals operating in the BtoB and/or BtoC marketing chain, which can present one or more products, materials, experiences, services, solutions, initiatives or economic models (hereinafter referred to as the “Initiatives”), through an international call for entries, in accordance with the following conditions (hereinafter referred to as the “Participants”):
– Participants must not be a member of the V d’Or Award Committee or the College of the V d’Or Awards,
– They must accept these rules without restriction or reserve,
– They must have sent their entry before October 1st 2023 at midnight (French time),
The Initiatives must imperatively:
– have been implemented, officially announced or produced significant results after 1st January 2022,
– belong to one of the categories listed in Article 2.3 of these rules,
– demonstrate a responsible and sustainable approach to people and the environment
The conditions of participation are cumulative.
2.2 Terms of participation:
Entries for the V d’Or Awards are made online, in the dedicated section of the website at www.vinexposium.com/en/vdor. Participants can submit their entry by completing the information requested in the online form.
Participants must prepare and provide, for each of the Initiatives presented:
– the responses to the online questionnaire,
– at least one visual,
– observable and measurable elements that make it possible to understand the concrete results of the Initiative,
– the logo of their company, and the logo of their Initiative if applicable, in high definition, in case they are selected as finalists.
The entry forms must be completed, finalised and confirmed no later than October 1st 2023 at midnight, in the format requested on the web platform set up by the Company on the website www.vinexposium.com/en/vdor.
Any entry that is incomplete or does not fulfil the criteria set by the Company will be systematically rejected.
Participants must solemnly swear only to communicate accurate and true information, and notably to avoid any omission or imprecision that could lead to an erroneous judgment. In case of proven irregularity, the V d’Or Award Committee reserves the right to withdraw the capacity of Nominee from the company in question or to withdraw a trophy already awarded, and explain this decision in the media.
Participants furthermore must solemnly swear not to make direct contact with the members of the V d’Or Award Committee and/or the College of the V d’Or Awards and communicate to them any element of any nature about their Initiative, outside of the web platform designed for that purpose.
Entries are open to relevant Initiatives in one of the following 6 categories:
1. Export strategy
2. Brand experience
3. Business solution
4. Responsible marketing
5. Collective initiative
6. Knowledge-sharing initiative
It is specified that one Honorary V d’Or Award will also be awarded. Selection for that award will take place off the platform, as the V d’Or Award Committee will access the information directly internally.
Participants may present one or more Initiatives, as the number of entries per candidate company is not limited. Any company presenting several Initiatives must complete one entry for each Initiative presented.
Nevertheless, a same Initiative may only be presented in one category.
2.2 Examination and validation of applications for admission to the College of the V d’Or Awards
2.1 Conditions:
Wine and spirits professionals can apply to become Members of the College of the V d’Or Awards from one of the following 6 professional categories:
– Producers: representatives of companies practising a significant activity of production or trading and marketing of wines and spirits internationally (equal to or greater than 25% of their average annual turnover during the 5 years preceding their request for admission).
– Distribution buyers: procurement or general management roles of companies practising a significant activity of import, distribution, wholesale or BtoB agents (a minimum of 250 references of wines and/or spirits bought on average during the 5 years preceding their request for admission).
– Retail buyers: procurement or general management roles of companies practising a significant activity of supermarket, wine merchant, restaurant, hotel, bar or delicatessen in BtoC (a minimum of 250 references of wines and/or spirits bought on average during the 5 years preceding their request for admission).
– Collective organisations: representatives of collective organisations dedicated to the wine and spirits professions (trade organisations, syndicates, associations, groups, etc.) with over 50 members on average over the 5 years preceding their admission.
– Technical and scientific experts: experts, researchers, observers, consultants, trainers and teachers, and scientific and technical journalists practising all or part of their expertise in the wine and spirits sector with a significant technical and/or scientific contribution for the industry.
– Economics and marketing experts: experts, researchers, observers, consultants, trainers and teachers and journalists practising all or part of their expertise in the wine and spirits sector with a significant economic and/or marketing contribution for the industry.
Candidates for the College of the V d’Or Awards:
– Must accept these Regulations without restriction or reserve,
– Must have sent their application via the dedicated platform no later than October 1st 2023 at midnight (French time),
Applications to become a member of the College of the V d’Or Awards must be submitted online, in the dedicated section of the website: www.vinexposium.com/en/vdor. Candidates may submit their application by completing the information requested in the online form.
Candidates must prepare and provide:
– a supporting document demonstrating that they fulfil the conditions of one of the 6 professional categories presented in Article 2.1.
Applications for admission to the College of the V d’Or Awards must be submitted online, by expressly submitted an application for admission on the website www.vinexposium.com/en/vdor no later than October 1st 2023 at midnight (French time).
Applications for admission will be analysed by the V d’Or Award Committee. The decisions of the V d’Or Award Committee on applications for admission are discretionary and not open to appeal.
In case of rejection of the application for admission, the V d’Or Award Committee is not in any way bound to justify its refusal. A refusal decision will not under any circumstances give rise to the award of damages.
The composition of the College of the V d’Or Awards is strictly confidential, until the winners will be announced on February 11, 2024.
Article 3 – V d’Or Awards timeline
– Deadline for applications for admission to the College of the V d’Or Awards: October 1st 2023 at midnight (French time),
– Examination of applications by the College of the V d’Or Awards and scoring to designate the Nominees: 16 to 27 October 2023 at midnight (French time),
– Announcement of Nominees: from 21 November 2023,
– Vote of the College of the V d’Or Awards to select the winners: 2 January to 12 January 2024 at midnight (French time),
– Announcement of the Winners and award of the V d’Or Award and Honorary V d’Or Award trophies: 11 February 2024, the day before Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris.
Article 4 – Confidentiality
The Members of the V d’Or Award Committee must respect the confidentiality of the information of all types provided by the owners of Initiatives, without limitation of duration, and notably the personal and professional data.
They acknowledge that it is strictly prohibited to reproduce or reuse, in whole or in part, on their own behalf or that of a third party, the information brought to their knowledge within the framework of their participation in the V d’Or Award Committee.
They also undertake to guarantee the confidentiality of the deliberations of the V d’Or Award Committee and College and not to disclose the result to the owners of Initiatives, and more generally to any third parties.
Article 5 – Impartiality
The Members of the V d’Or Award Committee must be impartial. Respect for the principle of impartiality entails that every Member of the Committee abstains from participating in any way in the examination of an Initiative or an application to join the College of the V d’Or Awards, if there are links with the owner of the Initiative or the candidate relating to the personal life or professional activities which could influence its decision. A member of the V d’Or Award
Committee who has reason to think that his impartiality could be cast into doubt or who considers, in all conscience, that he cannot respect the required impartiality, undertakes to inform the Company thereof and refrain from taking part in the selection of an Initiative or a candidate to the College of the V d’Or Awards.
Article 6 – Data Protection
The personal data gathered about each member of the V d’Or Award Committee are collected and processed in compliance with the data protection legislation.
The data collected are for use by the Company only. They may be communicated to any service providers and subcontractors the Company uses for the purposes of the organisation and/or management of the V d’Or Awards.
Since the data collected about each member of the V d’Or Award Committee are essential for their participation in the the V d’Or Award Committee, exercise by a member of his right of withdrawal before the end of the V d’Or Awards shall entail automatic cancellation of his participation.
Each member of the V d’Or Award Committee has a right of access to and rectification of his data and, if applicable, a right of withdrawal, a right of objection to the processing of those data, a right to erasure and restriction of processing, and a right to portability of the data, which can be exercised at any time, by post at the following address: Vinexposium – Les V d’Or – 10, rue Condillac – 33000 Bordeaux, or by email at [email protected]. Each member lastly has a right to file a complaint with the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL).
The personal data shall be kept for the duration of the V d’Or Awards 2024, then for a period of 5 years after the member’s last manifestation of interest. The data necessary to establish proof of said relationship, those necessary to execute these Regulations, and those necessary for the
Company to respect the legal and regulatory obligations to which it is subject shall be kept in compliance with the legal provisions in force.
Article 7 – Modification
The Company reserves the right, at any time and without notice or any obligation to justify its decision, to shorten, extend, postpone or cancel the V d’Or Awards, and to modify all or some of the conditions of access and/or the terms of implementation of the V d’Or Awards in case of force majeure or events outside of its control, for which it cannot be held liable and for which no compensation can be claimed of it on this ground.
In such circumstances, the Company shall endeavour to inform the Candidates and Members thereof promptly.
Every Candidate or Member shall then be deemed to have accepted such modification merely through participating in the V d’Or Awards from the effective date of said modification.
Article 8 – Languages of the V d’Or Awards
The full Regulations of the Competition are published in English and in French. In case of discrepancy between the translations, the reference text shall be the French text.
Article 9 – Consultation of the Regulations
The full Regulations are available on the dedicated V d’Or Award platform. The Regulations can also be obtained free of charge on written request to the following address: Vinexposium – Les V d’Or – 10, rue Condillac – 33000 Bordeaux.
Article 10 – Disputes – applicable law and jurisdiction
Participation in the V d’Or Award Committee necessarily entails unreserved and unrestricted acceptance of these Regulations by each member.
If one or more stipulations of these Regulations are held to be invalid and/or inapplicable, the other clauses shall retain all their strength and their scope.
Candidates unreservedly accept that the mere fact of participating in the V d’Or Awards compulsorily subjects them to the French laws, notably for any dispute that may arise owing to the V d’Or Awards or which may be directly or indirectly linked thereto, without prejudice to any rules of conflict of laws. The Company and the Candidate must endeavour to amicably resolve any dispute arising at the time of the V d’Or Awards . In the absence of agreement, the dispute shall fall to the jurisdiction of the Commercial Court of Nanterre.
In any event, when a breach of these Regulations is ascertained, the Company shall have the right to exclude the Candidate or Member in question, without such Candidate or Member having any entitlement to compensation and without prejudice to any damages the Company may claim.
Any dispute or complaint relative to the V d’Or Awards must be submitted in writing and sent to Vinexposium by post, and cannot be considered after 11 February 2024.
No response shall be given to any telephone or written request concerning the interpretation or application of these Regulations, the mechanisms or terms of the V d’Or Awards, or the nomination of the Nominees and Winners.
SIGNATURE