Wednesday morning’s anticipated State of the Industry will once again feature Mike Veseth of The Wine Economist as the moderator, along with speakers Danny Brager of The Nielsen Company, Glenn Proctor of Ciatti Wine Company, Jeff Bitter of Allied Grape Growers, and Marissa Lange of LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards. This standing room only session delivers incredible value for attendees who want to understand the market dynamics of the past year and are seeking insight into the market trends that will define the year ahead.

Thursday’s general session will focus on technology and is also moderated by Mike Veseth of The Wine Economist. Speakers for Technology Thursday: From Drones to Chatbots; How the Wine Industry Is Embracing Digitalization include Bob Coleman of Treasury Wine Estates; Nick Dokoozlian of E. & J. Gallo Winery; David S. Ebert of Purdue University; Nick Goldschmidt of Goldschmidt Vineyards; Liz Mercer of WISE Academy; Miguel Pedroza of California State University, Fresno; and Will Thomas of Ridge Vineyards. This TED-style session will be fast paced and examine how the digital world is influencing today’s decisions, how it will impact the industry tomorrow and where the future will take us. Developed for all Unified attendees, this session is guaranteed to get you excited about the industry of tomorrow.

Thursday morning will also feature the Spanish-language integrated session. This session, The Wine Industry in the Age of Information, Automation and Diversity in the Workplace, will discuss data collection, data use systems and automation in both the vineyard and in the winery. Two workshops in Spanish will follow the integrated session and these will each include a tasting. Speakers will also discuss the use of social media and digital platforms for wine marketing, and how to promote and sustain diversity in the workplace.