Having represented a Caribbean wine business at VinExpo Paris in 2020, Francoise Faye understands first-hand the importance of every conversation that takes place during an international exhibition.
Interviewed by HR Aspects Magazine, Francoise explains that while businesses invest heavily in exhibiting, they often overlook one of the most valuable assets on the stand—the confidence of the people representing the company.
Observations from the exhibition floor
“In 2020, Francoise explained: “I attended Vinexpo Paris as Area Sales Manager for the Caribbean for Lasserre Papillon, a Bordeaux-based wine merchant.
My role included supporting their Caribbean client Partners in Wine Barbados, by sourcing wines, developing supplier relationships and negotiating with international producers.
“I had the opportunity to meet producers and buyers from across Europe,” Francoise explains. “I was continually impressed by the quality of the wines and the passion behind the brands
Francoise continued: “During this time, I was becoming aware that successful international conversations depend not only on language, but also on understanding different communication styles and cultural expectations”.
“I also noticed that some conversations with international visitors didn’t always develop as naturally as they could.”
Alongside her commercial role, Francoise had also been coaching professionals in Business English, giving her a unique perspective on the challenges many international teams experience.
She recognised the real challenge: It was to do with confidence, not knowledge.
“It wasn’t a question of vocabulary or technical knowledge,” she says. “Most people knew their products exceptionally well. The challenge was actually their lack of confidence”.
Francoise explained: “When you’re speaking in a second language, it’s often more difficult to ask thoughtful questions, tell your story naturally or build the relaxed conversations that create lasting business relationships.”
She firmly believes that every exhibition presents an opportunity to strengthen not only customer relationships but also team confidence.
A question for business leaders
Francoise encourages business leaders to reflect on the importance of team confidence:
If an important international buyer visited your stand tomorrow, would every member of your team feel confident leading that conversation?
An Innovative Solution
These observations led to conversations with David Lomas of M3 Media Group, whose online Thought Club discussions have helped business leaders to develop stronger commercial conversations for several years.
Together, they recognised an opportunity to apply the same discussion-led approach to international business communication.
The result was Thought Club International – an online programme that brings together wine and hospitality professionals from across Europe to discuss genuine industry challenges in English.
Rather than traditional language lessons, participants can build confidence through practical business conversations, sharing ideas with peers while strengthening their understanding of how to handle exhibition visitors and how to communicate more effectively with buyers, distributors and customers worldwide.
Building stronger international partnerships
“As confidence grows,” Francoise concludes, “so does the quality of every conversation. And better conversations are where your stronger international partnerships can begin.”
