Napa, CA, September 14, 2020 – Presented by and a fundraiser for Free the Grapes!, the popular Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium will take place virtually, January 19-22, 2021. Now in its 14th year, the Symposium is the annual, national conference on winery DTC sales and marketing. www.dtcwinesymposium.com
The 2021 Steering Committee has re-imagined the Symposium, planning a slate of pre-recorded and live, multi-media presentations and case studies provided by speakers from both within and outside the wine industry. Information on registration, as well as topics, speakers and new interactive sessions will be available on the Symposium’s website in October.
“January’s Symposium promises to fulfill its dual goals in novel ways,” said Jeremy Benson, executive director, Free the Grapes! “As a virtual conference, we will be able to engage more DTC managers and winery owners across the U.S. than in past years, while still raising operating funds for Free the Grapes! The Symposium provides 70% of our funding to help open new states and streamline onerous DTC shipping regulations, such as New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware and other states where we are active,” Benson added.
Call for Speakers
Prospective speakers are encouraged to read and respond to the Workshop Session Request for Proposal, now available at https://dtcwinesymposium.com/program/speakers/. The deadline for initial presentation concepts is September 30.
Sponsorship Information Forthcoming
Interested trade suppliers may email dtcwinesymposium@gmail.com to receive the Sponsor Package in October. New benefits this year will include opportunities to run webinars and video, engage attendees through the event app, as well as present exclusive Sponsor Sessions as in years past.
Stay Updated!
For more updates:
- Subscribe to the Free the Grapes! newsletter: https://freethegrapes.org/take-action/for-trade-professionals/
- Follow the DTC Wine Symposium @DTCWS and on LinkedIn.com/company/dtc-wine-symposium
The January 2020 summit—the fourth consecutive sold out conference — attracted 500 sponsors, speakers and registrants from 15 states. The event’s program included 60 speakers, 17 Workshops and Sponsor Sessions, 2 Roundtables and 2 Town Hall-style sessions. Ninety-three percent of post-event survey respondents recommend the event.
About the DTC Wine Symposium
The DTC Wine Symposium is presented by and a fundraiser for Free the Grapes! The Symposium has raised more than $1 million for Free the Grapes’ PR campaign, and the Coalition for Free Trade’s legal work (CFT was “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, winery DTC shipping states from 17 to 45, which represent 95% of the US population.
