The Wine Industry Leadership Conference, a free group of webinars produced by the Wine Industry Network, is set for next Wednesday (February 9, 2022) at 9 am Pacific time.  Follow this link for more information and to register.

The program is divided into three parts that are relevant to just about everyone in the wine industry.

Session 1: Economic Forecast – What to Expect in 2022 will fill the hour between 9 and 10 with critical analysis of U.S. economic conditions from Sonoma State University Professor Robert Eyler follow by my analysis of some of the implications for the wine industry. I am calling my presentation “Wine and the Big Squeeze,” which may give you some idea of what I see ahead.

The ten o-clock hour is devoted to Session 2: Talent Retention – Keeping A Strong Team Intact featuring commentary by Sandra Hess, Founder / DTC Wine Workshops; Joel A. Miller, Owner & Principal / Chateau HR Consulting; and Karen Alary, Managing Partner / The Personnel Perspective.

Session 3: Successfully Transitioning Your Winery to New Leadership follows from 11 to 12 am and features Greg Brewer, Founder & Winemaker / Brewer-Clifton; Peter Mondavi Jr, Co-Proprietor / Charles Krug Winer; and Mario Zepponi, Principal / Zepponi & Company.

Moderators for the three sessions are George Christie, President & CEO / Wine Industry Network; Stacy Briscoe, Managing Editor / Wine Industry Network; and Kim Badenfort, Director of Marketing Services / Wine Industry Network.

The presentations are being pre-recorded so that the speakers can respond to questions and comments in real time during each session, which promises to make this a more interactive experience than the typical Zoom webinar.

I appreciate the Wine Industry Leadership Conference’s focus on practical business issues facing the industry today and the impressive lineup of speakers. Hope to see you there.