Details

The Wine Tourism Conference – 2011 will take place November 16-17 in Napa, California at the Napa Valley Marriott.

Cost, Payment, Cancellation, and What is Included

The cost of the conference is $350. Payment is required in advance by credit card. If you must cancel your registration, your payment is 50% refundable through October 16 and not refundable after that. Please note if you are traveling from outside the area, you can insure against losing your conference registration fee (and your airplane tickets) by purchasing trip insurance.

The conference includes multiple wine tastings, one banquet dinner, and outstanding content. Not included in the conference price are your hotel, breakfasts and lunches, and transportation to and from Napa.

Arrival and Departure

Registration begins at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, November 16 and the conference begins at 10:00 AM. The conference ends at 4:30 PM on Thursday, November 17. We will have optional excursions to wine country on Tuesday, November 15; Thursday evening; and Friday, November 18 at an extra cost.

If you are flying in from outside the area, we suggest you arrive the day before. The closest commercial airport is the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa. You can also look at flying into San Francisco (1.5 hours drive time), Oakland (1:15), Sacramento International (1:15). There are a variety of shuttle and other options to get to Napa but your easiest option might be renting a car.

Host Hotel

Our host hotel is the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa located at 3425 Solano Avenue in Napa, California. The hotel is located in the heart of Napa near the premier wine growing and wine tourism region of Napa Valley. With outstanding accommodations and over 20,000 feet of event space, the Napa Valley Marriott is the perfect choice to host the Wine Tourism Conference – 2011. We have a group block of rooms reserved for Wednesday and Thursday, November 16 and 17, at the excellent rate of $139 per night. We also have a handful of rooms reserved at this rate for Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Please note this block is limited and might already be sold out. If so, you should try to get the best rate you can or consider a number of hotels within walking distance including the Hilton Garden Inn, Redwood Inn, and Chablis Inn.

Pre-Conference and Post-Conference Excursions

On Tuesday, November 15 we will offer a special Sonoma Vineyard Walk for conference attendees. Sonoma Vineyard Walks are a wine country attraction created by conference co-organizer Zephyr Adventures, which runs active wine, beer, and food tours around the world. The walks are designed to get visitors out of the tasting rooms and into the vineyards, where much of the beauty is and, as winemakers will tell you, all the important things happen in wine. The guided walk will include lunch and a tasting at Michel-Schlumberger, located in Wine Creek Canyon just off Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. The walk starts at 1:00 PM and is free for conference attendees (normally $125 for the public). You must be pre-registered to join – we will contact you shortly by email to give you the opportunity to register and to share rides from the conference hotel in Napa.

On Friday, November 18 our partners at Legendary Napa invite you to participate in Flavor Napa Valley. Flavor Napa Valley is a “four-day extravaganza of farm-to-table fine cuisine, world-class wines, and the fun that is had when these elements come together”. It is a series of wine and food events, many of them being held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Events are ticketed and so you should purchase tickets on your own and have your own transportation. This is the inaugural festival and net proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund at the CIA. You can learn more about post-conference activities available in the Napa Valley at legendarynapavalley.com.

Weather & Dress Code

Dress is “wine country casual”. What does that mean? Really, you should dress as you feel comfortable. For daytime sessions, jeans or shorts and a polo shirt are fine. For the evening dinner, many people will dress up a bit. The average high temperature in Napa in November is a pleasant 67 degrees. However, nights can be cool and there is always a chance of rain. Remember to dress appropriately if you plan to visit wine country during your stay.