Sept. 2019 – wine2wine is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere. Now in its 6th edition, this year wine2wine will be held on November 25th and 26th in Verona, Italy. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and other wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine businesses worldwide. wine2wine features engaging and relevant seminars and interactive workshops on a wide range of themes. One of the most fascinating themes is ‘Uniting New Technologies and Wine’. For its 2019 edition wine2wine has invited some of the most innovative thinkers to demystify topics such as augmented reality, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence tools and wine apps. Wine producers can expect to leave wine2wine with an actionable manifesto, focused on what digital wine trends can enrich their wine businesses.
The increasingly complex technological innovations that have come to characterise the modern wine world are in many ways a response to global economic change. The wine industry faces complex challenges and opportunities, linked to increasing global competition and recurrent economic crisis. These wider dynamics, coupled with rapid technological innovations, are reshaping how wine production and distribution are organised, the nature of the value creating process, and ultimately how wine businesses interact with consumers.
Many new technologies have emerged as responses to the challenges faced by the wine industry, designed with the intention of protecting and enhancing the value and profitability of wine. However, their complexity, cost and perceived inaccessibility, risk leaving many wine producers behind. wine2wine this year will feature critical dialogues on how the wine community can embrace technologies in a way that protects the rich heritage of wine and winemaking and renders these innovations more inclusive.
It is overwhelming to keep abreast of the world of new technologies and yet the immense potential they present makes it a critical necessity. From blockchain technology, to augmented reality, to artificial intelligence tools, to the latest wine apps: an exciting line-up of technology experts have been recruited to demystify these innovations and bring wine2wine attendees up to speed on the latest trends. The aim is to highlight the digital wine trends that can truly enrich wine businesses.
The use of augmented reality for wine branding has seen substantial growth within the past two years. The organisation behind the first augmented reality wine experiences for Treasury Winery is the California-based studio, Tactic. Hannah Luxenberg Tono (Producer at Tactic) will be talking about “The future of brand storytelling with augmented reality”. Hannah has been an early pioneer in virtual reality production and manages renowned interactive augmented reality applications such as 19 Crimes and Jack Daniel’s AR. Hannah will emphasise how new technologies like augmented reality can be harnessed for brand storytelling. She will discuss the rise of the digital revolution, brand emphasis, technology applications for augmented reality and how to retain users.
Maureen Downey known as ‘The Sherlock Holmes of Wines’ is the Founder of Chai Consulting and a respected blockchain expert. Downey is the foremost global authority on wine fraud, counterfeit wine and fine wine authentication. Ms. Downey is considered one of the top women in wine and can currently be seen combating counterfeits in the Netflix film, Sour Grapes. In her wine2wine seminar titled: “Blockchain: Revolutionizing how fine and rare wines and spirits are protected, traced, and traded”, Downey will talk about the potential benefits of adopting blockchain based solutions for proving the authenticity and provenance of a bottle for its entire lifespan. In a 2018 interview on social vignerons, Downey notes that “currently, top estates are NOT tracking provenance of individual wine bottles … And you cannot blame them – they are focused on making great wine, not investigating counterfeits and fraud!” However, blockchain technology offers a solution to the increasingly serious problem of fraud, “We can now definitively authenticate secondary market bottles and display the positive results by certifying bottles in the blockchain”.
André Ribeirinho is an award-winning food, wine and travel entrepreneur and a Digital Marketing Consultant. He will be talking about how harnessing new technologies can help wine producers to attract new consumers to wine. Wine faces an increasingly dynamic range of competitors who Riberinho claims are “stealing new consumers by engaging and acquiring them in effective ways”. Facing a significant reduction in global consumption, wine needs to find its way and start attracting young consumers to the category. He will be sharing strategies that make use of various new technologies that have proven successful in attracting new consumers. Wineries can expect to leave his session with the tools to do it on their own!
Attendees at wine2wine 2019 will be spoilt for choice with numerous engaging sessions on ‘new technologies and wine’. Heini Zachariassen (Founder of Vivino) will be providing insights into “How to use wine apps to reach consumers directly”, drawing on the experience of Vivino’s worldwide wine marketplace that engages a community of 30 million users. Rodrigo Sepúlveda Schulz (co-founder and Managing Partner at Expon Capital) will be talking about “Blockchain technology and artificial intelligence tools for the wine business”. Adam Teeter (CEO Vinepair) and Joshua Malin (President Vinepair) will present on “Using Data To See What Consumers Are Drinking Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow”.
This year wine2wine is emphasising the importance of ensuring that wine professionals can leave each session with a list of clear, implementable takeaways to strengthen and enrich their wine businesses. It is hoped that this special track of ‘Uniting New Technologies and Wine’ will result in a manifesto of actionable digital wine trends that can truly reinvigorate wine businesses.
Tickets for wine2wine are now available at the following link: https://www.wine2wine.net/tickets/?lang=en
Companies interested in exploring sponsorship opportunities for wine2wine can visit our website or request additional information by contacting: sponsor@wine2wine.net.
About: wine2wine is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually in Verona, Italy, since 2014. wine2wine 2019 will take place on November 25th and 26th. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts. The forum takes place over two days and features keynote sessions, seminars, and interactive workshops which aim to equip participants with practical tools to improve their business. Speakers are renowned experts in their field and among the brightest minds in the wine world from Italy and abroad. Additional information is available at www.wine2wine.net or by emailing info@wine2wine.net.
