Steering Committee thanks speakers, sponsors, volunteers and registrants

Napa, CA, January 11, 2018 – The Steering Committee of the 2018 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium is pleased to announce this year’s summit has sold out. A schedule of thought-provoking Keynote speakers, practical workshops and sponsor sessions, as well as Town Hall-style meetings, await  registrants attending the 11th annual summit on DTC sales and marketing.

“Our slate of timely topics and skilled speakers has once again generated an enthusiastic response, and our second consecutive sellout,” said Stephanie Wycoff, 2018 chair and estate director, Seghesio Family Vineyards. “The Steering Committee thanks everyone involved in planning this annual conference to fund the successful consumer outreach and PR work of Free the Grapes!”

Free Livestream of All Five Keynote Presentations

For the first time, the DTC Wine Symposium will livestream all five keynote presentations at no cost. While the livestream will not include Workshop Sessions or Sponsor Sessions, the following keynotes may be viewed online at http://dtcwinesymposium.com/live-stream, courtesy of Free the Grapes!

  • Day 1: Wednesday, January 17, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
    • Grapes to Grass: How Will Wine and Cannabis Work Together?
    • First Peek: 2017 DTC Shipping Data
  • Day 2: Thursday, January 18, 8:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
    • Applications of Mixed Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things for the Wine Business
    • State of the States: A Legislative Update on DTC Legislation
    • CEO Roundtable: Driving Through Fire, Frost and Competition Toward Success

“Each year we attract a wider audience; last year, wineries from 15 states and four countries attended, but we still had to turn away a lot of people. So this year we are expanding access to at least the keynote sessions,” said Jeremy Benson, executive director, Free the Grapes!

The two-day conference, now in its 11th year, takes place January 17-18, 2018, at the Hilton Concord Hotel. For more information, visit http://dtcwinesymposium.com.

 

About the Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium

The DTC Wine Symposium is presented by and a fundraiser for Free the Grapes! The event has raised more than $1 million for Free the Grapes’ PR campaign, and the Coalition for Free Trade’s legal work (CFT “retired” in 2014 after achieving its goals). These two groups have worked closely with industry lobbyists and regional associations to streamline onerous regulations and to increase the number of legal states from 17 to 44, which represent nearly 94% of the US population. The DTC Wine Symposium is the primary fundraiser for Free the Grapes! and provides funding to continue its role streamlining regulations, opening new states and defending existing statutes which support legal, regulated DTC wine shipments.

 

Media Contact: Ben Palos, Benson Marketing Group, (707) 254-1167, palos@bensonmarketing.com

 

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