Top Digital, Economic Thought Leaders to Highlight Technology’s Impact on Wine Business and Brands at Wine Industry Technology Symposium

Napa, CA— On Wednesday, July 11, five top strategists from fields including economics, marketing and sales, and technology will give keynote addresses at the action packed 8th Annual Wine Industry Technology Symposium (WITS). From the internet’s role in the recent economic revolution to technology’s role in evolving wine industry strategy, the five speakers will highlight opportunities for growth and innovation in the wine business during the symposium’s general session. The session will open at 8:00 am with welcoming remarks from Lesley Berglund, co-chairman of WITS and co-founder and chairman of the Wine Industry Sales Education (WISE) Academy, and will end at 11:30 am.

Keynote speakers include Dave Maney, founder of ECONOMANEY, a firm specializing in economic projections and strategy. Maney, who also authors Economic Revolution, a weekly column in the Denver Post, will give an address titled “A Painful, Powerful, Internet-Driven Revolution.”

Additional addresses will explore the links between technology development and wine industry strategy. Jeff Dlott, Ph.D. and CEO of agribusiness solutions provider SureHarvest, will focus on process and technology innovations and their impact on the wine industry.

Jeff Tinker, Senior Vice President with Treasury Management National Sales Manager with Wells Fargo Bank, will follow with a look at how technology has played a role in evolving industry strategy.

Sean Moffitt, Founder and Chief Evangelist with Agent Wildfire, will focus on the use of digital and social media marketing to help brands accelerate growth using real life case studies across multiple industry segments.

Jennifer Caroll, National Sales Director with the popular online deal site Groupon, will highlight new ways that consumers interact with businesses at the intersection of local, social and mobile.

“This is our best lineup of keynote speakers since inception” said J. Smoke Wallin, co-chairman of WITS.  He continued, “I have had the privileged of interacting with our speakers and know they will each deliver incredible insights and thought provoking discussion that together will deliver real take home value to all attendees.”

Early bird pricing to attend WITS on July 11th will increase from $250 to $300 on June 25th.  Attendees can register at www. wineindustrytechnologysymposium.com.

About WITS: The Wine Industry Technology Symposium® (WITS) was created in 2005 by a group of wine industry and technology professionals to advance innovation and to address the unique information technology and services needs of the wine industry.  Join WITS on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn more.

For more information, please contact Katie Hunter of Charles Communications Associates at 415-701-9463 or Katie@charlescomm.com, or contact Waunice Orchid of the Wine Industry Symposium Group at 707-261-8716 or waunice@swgnapa.com

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