Chapter 17: Vinexpo China
Translator: May Wiggins Editor: Efydatia
The International Convention Center (ICC) enjoyed a very good location. People could access it very easily. The moment Qin Guan and his roommates got off the train, they saw the center bustling with people.
The exhibition had not begun, so most people were staff of wine manufacturers. With the small note in hand, Qin Guan found the assembling place. His roommates followed him, and suddenly stopped blinking.
Besides the three girls that had been there on training day, the wine dealer had hired two more female models from a model agency. Seeing their long beautiful legs, Qin Guan’s roommates could not help but drool.
The director of the part-timers handed out an exhibition program to all the female models and gave everyone a few additional tickets.
After giving the tickets to his roommates and telling them not to cause any trouble, Qin Guan followed the director to the exhibition hall.
It was still early, so the exhibition was only open to staff. They all fetched their clothes from the director and went to the staff room to change. Qin Guan was the only boy there. By the time he got changed, all the girls had taken their places.
The director saw Qin Guan wearing the suit and walking out of the fitting room towards the exhibition stand. He looked like a royal boy from Europe, vividly conveying elegance.
He waved to Qin Guan and asked him to come over to the wine cabinet at the hall center, where a swivel chair, a wooden wine rack and several goblets could be seen, creating an appropriate wine-tasting atmosphere.
Each member of the wine-tasting staff held a wine plate, on which several refined glasses had been put, waiting to pour wine into. They held the glasses close to their chests, arms or thighs and walked around the hall. If they saw anyone who seemed interested, they would get them a drink and lead them to the booth.
Both wine and spirits were exhibited at Vinexpo China. The major goal of the exhibitors was to attract distributors and agents across China.
The exhibition opened at 9 a.m. and all exhibitors were ready to promote their brands.
If one passed the rotating ticket office at the entrance and walked through the square, they could see the central hall of ICC in the very middle. As distributors and agents from all over China entered the hall, a silent war started.
Everyone was dazzled by the bright lights, colorful backgrounds, crystal wine glasses, the staff walking back and forth, and the graceful or bold music playing.
The Bateau marketing man was embattled. He had a stack of leaflets in hand, and gave one to each potential customer. Five members of the wine-tasting staff had suffered yawl scratches to their thighs. Holding their wine plates in hand, they walked to different aisles in stilettos.
Qin Guan’s roommates approached his stand as soon as they entered the hall. They pretended to care and suggested that they have lunch together right before disappearing into the crowd.
Qin Guan straightened his collar in an effort to get more comfortable. The exhibition lights shined down on the wine cabinet, creating a beautiful image. It was too warm for him, though.
Looking at the three-piece suit he was wearing and the cheongsam of the girls, Qin Guan could only sigh.
Lots of visitors had entered the hall by 9.30 a.m, and many agents were standing in front of the booths, staring at the brands that interested them. If they wanted to know more, they would take a seat and talk about the details with the marketing personnel.
The Bateau booth enjoyed a good location that attracted a lot of wine distributors to have a look.
When the distributors and agents came close, they saw a young man in a dark grey suit leaning against the wine-tasting table at the central booth. The brown wooden rack held dozens of bottles of wine, and the light reflected by the crystal glasses formed a number of halos on the young man, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Seeing quite a few visitors approach his booth, Qin Guan immediately put on an elegant expression. Checking that Qin Guan was ready, the marketing man gestured for the visitors to look at him.
The visitors turned to the wine-tasting table where Qin Guan was leaning, thinking to themselves, “Where does this young man come from? He looks like he has very good taste. Maybe he’s an old customer of Bateau invited here for the promotion?”
If Qin Guan had known what they were thinking, he would have yelled at them, “Absolutely not! It’s just a part-time job, okay? A hundred yuan for the whole day!”
The marketing man was thrilled, and he started to introduce the wine to the visitors in excitement. The agents were quite satisfied. They were convinced that the wine was high quality.
After the initial communication, many distributors came to the wine rack where Qin Guan stood and tasted the wine with him before they left. Qin Guan used his amazing memory and put into practice what he had learned from his training teacher.
When the agents saw Qin Guan’s smooth, graceful wine-tasting procedure, they were even more convinced that this brand was top quality.
In just one morning, five agents from different cities had signed an initial agreement with Bateau. The marketing men were all thrilled and every single one of them would come and pat Qin Guan on the shoulders as they passed by.
Qin Guan was not as excited as they were. It was too warm for him to be wearing a three-piece suit, so he decided to ask the director to allow him to at least take off the jacket.
The director thought it over. Patting Qin Guan on the shoulder, he said encouragingly, “Okay. Can you keep it on just this morning? You know, the majority of the visitors are agents from different cities, and the Givency suit can fully convey our product’s philosophy. Could you please hold on for a little while?”
Qin Guan was fully aware of the director’s feelings. Fortunately, it was almost noon time, so he just needed to put up with it for a short time.
The Bateau booth was quite popular that morning, but at 11:40 a.m. all the working staff could finally take turns and take a rest. Qin Guan declined the takeaway ordered by the working assistant; instead, he went out with his roommates for lunch.
Wang Lei had finished his morning work early and was waiting for them outside. The boys met, planning to glut themselves at Origus.
Why did I use the word glut, you ask? Maybe the reader needs an explanation. Origus was a quite cost-effective pizza buffet restaurant.
Students had a certain strategy when it came to glutting at ORIGUS. Before they went there, they would starve themselves until they were too weak to walk, so they’d have to walk in by supporting themselves with their hands against the wall. When they finished their meal, they would be so full that they’d also have to walk out by leaning against the wall.
Qin Guan took off his suit jacket and hang it on a hanger in the lounge. He just wore his shirt and waistcoat to lunch, because he didn’t want to stand out too much.
In order to celebrate his success at his part-time job, Qin Guan announced that he would get the check. The boys discarded all courtesy and went in first. The meal cost Qin Guan 168 yuan altogether. “Gee, this is cheap!” he thought. When he gave the receipt to the waiter, he saw that all his roommates had already started helping themselves. He took a seat, watching each of the boys holding a plate and stacking food on it. When they came back to the table, Qin Guan saw New Orleans roast chicken wings, roast drumsticks, barbecued pork and pork ribs seasoned with minced garlic on their plates.
He told the boys calmly, “Can you please have some veggies?” They all answered, “How can we satisfy our appetite with veggies?”
Qin Guan pursed his lips. It occurred to him that at the time, people did not know how to eat healthily. He could only fetch a plate for food and get himself a cup of juice.
When he went back to the table, the chicken wings that had been piled up like mountains had all become chicken bones. As Qin Guan picked up a slice of pizza, he saw his roommates bring a second plate to the table.
Qin Guan looked around and noticed that the waiter’s face had turned quite stern. He could do nothing but give them an awkward smile. In the blink of an eye, the boys had already brought a case of beer over and started their third round of eating.