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50 WINES&VINES January 2018 UNIFIED SYMPOSIUM A s North America's largest event for the wine industry, the Uni- fied Wine & Grape Symposium is known for its winemaking and grapegrowing content as well as two giant exhibit halls and the State of the Industry address, where business executives learn about key trends impacting wine sales. When the Unified cel- ebrates its 24th year later this month, public relations professionals will have several note- worthy sessions of their own to choose from. The changing landscape of social media, website engagement and user analytics will be front and center during "How to Be Smart and Effective with Influencer Marketing," a session scheduled for Jan. 23 to shed light on where wineries can get the most return on their mar- keting investment dollars. Lise Asimont, director of grower relations for Francis Ford Coppola Winery and chair of the Unified Program Development Committee, told Wines & Vines, "The influencers in our mar- ket now aren't the influencers we had before. In years past, an influencer would have been a well-respected critic, a top sommelier, a big Cabernet wine buyer, a large distributor. "Now the influencers are bloggers, they're lifestyle gurus. People look to Pinterest, they look to Instagram, whereas before it was: Wine Spectator gave us this great score." Bridging the gap between conventional and influencer marketing is winemaker Julie Lumgair of J. Moss Winery, who will moderate the Jan. 24 session "From Traditional Wine Media to Lifestyle-Driven Outlets." In addition to garnering dozens of awards for her wines, Lumgair is an expert in brand management and a former Fortune 100 executive who uses her media savvy to serve as a brand ambas- sador and instill a "clear, targeted message that educates and sells at many levels." Amy Hoopes, president of Wente Family Estates, will moderate the Jan. 25 marketing session "Direct to Consumer: The Big Picture." With a huge export program and devoted con- sumers across the globe, Wente has a strong- hold in the direct-to-consumer sales landscape. But wineries don't need to have a dedicated marketing staff and be fluent in DtC sales to take home useful information from this session. Speaking in the Silicon Valley Bank State of Marketing Sessions Stand Out at Unified Speakers to focus on direct sales and new generation of wine influencers By Kate Lavin 2018 UNIFIED WINE & GRAPE SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 TIME EVENT 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Registration 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker Luncheon Gina Gallo of E. & J. Gallo Winery (Separate registration fee and ticket required.) 2 – 3 p.m. How to Survive the Sales and Marketing Pressure Cooker Marketing and PR session 2 – 4 p.m. Cabernet Sauvignon at All Price Points Joint grapegrowing/winemaking session 2 – 4 p.m. The Changing Regulatory Landscape Business and operations session 3:15 – 4:15 p.m. How to Be Smart and Effective with Influencer Marketing Marketing and PR session 4:30 – 6:30 p.m Welcome reception WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018 TIME EVENT 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Registration 8:30 – 11 a.m. State of the Industry General session 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Trade show exhibits open 1 – 2 p.m. Powdery Mildew Money Tree Grapegrowing session 1 – 2:15 p.m. Red, White and Sparkling: Optimizing Wine Aromas from Harvest to Bottle Winemaking session 1:15 – 3:15 p.m. From Traditional Wine Media to Lifestyle-Driven Outlets Marketing and PR session 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Identity Flexibility - A Look at Changing AVAs Business and operations session 2:15 – 3:45 p.m. Winemaker Experiences with Vineyard Mechanization: How I Learned to Love Machines in the Vineyard Grapegrowing session 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Red Wine: Color and Tannin Development and Management Winemaking session 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Regional wine tasting THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 TIME EVENT 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Registration 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Trade show exhibits open