Speaking ahead of the prestigious conference that targets CEO, MD, owners and directors worldwide – due to be held in London on November 17-19 at the Shangri-La at The Shard and The Hurlingham Club – Reed, who is drinks division MD at William Reed Business Media, said the 2014 program featured an all-star cast of international speakers focused on the future of wine.
“We’ll look at wine from the angles of attracting new consumers, marketing to them and creating the right product for them, how that’s changing and what that means for players across the industry,” he said.
Traditional markets suffer squeezed margins
“Traditional markets are under pressure from squeezed margins and increased consumer choice. New markets are evolving – not without risk but with potentially big rewards,” Reed added.
“We’ll get the best minds in the trade to identify the biggest challenges and how the industry needs to shape up to succeed in a volatile future where change is the only constant.”
Recently appointed speakers who will hammer that message home include Jaime Araujo, strategic adviser to some of the world’s biggest wine producers, who will discuss if one should pursue a global market and when a local market will deliver a better return.
Former Screaming Eagle and Starbucks’ execs will speak
Other names on the roster include Charles Banks – venture capitalist and name behind California’s cult Cabernet Screaming Eagle – and Sandra Taylor, president and CEO of Sustainable Business International and former head of sustainability at Starbucks.
Taylor will reveal what coffee retailers can teach wine producers about commercially astute approaches to sustainability.
Speakers already confirmed include Mike Veseth, author and editor of The Wine Economist, Jean-Guillaume Prats, president and CEO of Moet Hennessy Estates and Wines, and Tyler Balliett, founder of Second Glass, which organizes the successful Wine Riot events in the US.
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