We could not hold the Wine Tourism Conference without the support of our sponsors, below.
Elite Sponsors
For the past 17 years, the mission of Touring & Tasting Marketing and Media has been promoting tourism to the wine regions of North America. Their award-winning national publication Touring & Tasting has earned the reputation as “The Definitive Guide to Wine Country” – providing an indispensable resource for anyone interested in traveling to wine country and the wine country lifestyle. Touring & Tasting works closely with tourism entities, vintners associations, wineries, tasting rooms and accommodations throughout the country.
The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau promotes Sonoma County as America’s premier wine, spa and coastal destinations. Conference participants will have the opportunity to visit some of Sonoma County’s top wine tourism sites on Friday after the conference.
Local Partners
The Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University is the first and only university program in the United States to focus exclusively on the business aspects of the wine industry. Created through a partnership between the university and the wine industry, the program offers a specialized curriculum targeted on the business challenges of the wine industry, including courses in Wine Marketing, Wine Finance and Accounting, Human Resources Management, Wine Business Strategies and Wine Production, Operations & Distribution. The Wine Business Institute will be helping to establish the content at the conference.
Wine Institute is the association of more than 1,000 California wineries and wine-related businesses that initiate and advocate state, federal and international public policy to enhance environment for the responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine. The organization also works to enhance the economic and environmental health of its communities, home state and the nation through leadership in sustainable winegrowing, an international marketing program to promote California wine exports and a partnership with California Travel and Tourism to showcase the state’s wine and food offerings. Wine Institute is supporting the Wine Tourism Conference by helping with conference content and outreach.
Sonoma County Vintners is a non-profit organization committed to promoting the wines and wineries of Sonoma County. Since 1946, the association has focused on building awareness of its diverse appellations and the resulting distinctive wines. With more than 170 members ranging in size from small, family-owned wineries to large-volume corporations, Sonoma County Vintners comes together to educate, invite and entertain the public with its industry, region and lifestyle.
Legendary Napa Valley is the website of the Napa Valley Destination Council, a non-profit organization supported by more than 1,400 visitor-serving businesses in Napa County and designed to promote Napa Valley’s position as North America’s legendary wine, food, arts and wellness destination. Legendary Napa Valley is supporting the Wine Tourism Conference by sponsoring the Wednesday Welcome Dinner.
Napa Valley Vintners is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents nearly 400 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry.
The Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma, CANVAS, is a dynamic organization comprised of outstanding leaders in the hospitality community. CANVAS Members continually provide guests to Napa and Sonoma with the best possible experiences. We are proud to have such dedicated and loyal individuals participating in the programs facilitated by CANVAS that benefit our Community
The WineCountry.com network (which includes Sonoma.com and NapaValley.com) attracts a variety of travelers with an affinity for superior accommodations, food, wine and personal services. On the site, you’ll find myriad topics, including wineries, top-notch wine country inns and resorts, luxurious spas, wine events and festivals, shopping, as well as detailed information on wine-related travel, including how to plan a wine country getaway, wedding or meeting. For cooks, the site features recipes, wine pairing suggestions and specialty foods resources.
Premier Sponsors
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is your gateway between Northern California destinations and major cities across the U.S. and the world. Located 12 miles from downtown Sacramento and always open, service is available from 12 major carriers. The airport is one of the major access points for the Sonoma and Napa wine areas.
The Wine Bloggers Conference is an annual gathering of over 300 wine bloggers and other wine industry members who are interested to learn more about social media marketing. Now in its fifth year, the 2012 conference will be held August 17-19 in Portland, Oregon. Zephyr Adventures, organizer of the Wine Tourism Conference, is the organizer of the Wine Bloggers Conference.
Vineyard & Winery Management is a leading trade publication serving the North American Wine Industry designed specifically for today’s serious wine business professional. An industry standard for over three decades, this trusted independent trade publication has a subscriber base of over 6,500 dedicated readers. In fact, recent circulation numbers indicate 75% of readers are wine business owners, presidents, and company CEOs.
Winejobs.com is a resource for both job seekers and employers. Since the online job board is specific to the wine industry, employers will find only the most serious and qualified job candidates. With more than 5,000 jobs posted in 2011, Winejobs.com is unmatched in usage by those seeking to advance their career or grow their company in the wine industry.
dlvr.it provides bloggers, publishers and brands a way to instantly syndicate content and expand their reach on the social web and into new channels. Their tools make it easy to manage and measure the flow of content everywhere your audience is. dlvr.it publishes your media, your blogs, all your content to your social channels, ensuring your audience sees it instantly. dlvr.it was created by the team behind content stream management and advertising pioneer Pheedo.
WineSur.com is a bilingual digital media outlet designed to target the global wine community. It was born in Mendoza, Argentina, in 2007. Its mission is to contribute to the exchange of ideas and information in order to show the world the Argentinian viticulture, promoting their wines and tourism.
Event Sponsors
Lake County Winery Association: Quality grapes, visionary winemakers, and high elevation terroir make Lake County one of California’s premier viticultural regions. With 35-plus wineries and almost 9,000 acres planted in winegrapes, the area is one of the fastest growing wine regions in California. This ultra sustainable region features five distinct AVA’s located around the largest fresh water lake in California and proudly boasts the cleanest California air. Visit the Lake County wine region and taste the ‘wines with altitude.’
Twin Pine Casino & Hotel is Wine Country’s First-Class Ticket to World-Class Fun. Located in Middletown, California, the hotel is conveniently situated at the northern gateway of the world-famous Napa Valley. The state-of-the-art facility with its unique turn-of-the century winery theme has over 92,000 square feet of guest space. The casino features 516 of the hottest slots along with first class accommodations: 59 deluxe rooms including 3 luxury suites.
Conn Creek Vineyards was among a small group of wineries leading a renaissance of the Napa Valley, and played an important part in establishing Napa Valley’s reputation as a fine wine growing region. Their AVA Room Barrel Blending Experience provides guests a rare opportunity to learn about, taste, and blend wines from the many distinctive regions that make up Napa Valley. This experience was awarded the Most Innovative Winery Experience Award from the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
Sunset’s mission is to be the indispensable and authoritative guide to living in the West, to inform and inspire readers about everything that is useful, fresh, and compelling in travel, gardening, home design and cooking. The Sunset brand represents trust, adventure, innovation, and evokes a passion for experiencing the beauty and diversity of the West. Sunset reaches 4.7 million in print and 856,000 online each month, influencing a bigger concentration of wine drinkers in the U.S. than any other media outlet and delivers more travel prospects than any other magazine. Stop by the Sunset booth to pick up a copy of the First Annual Sunset International Wine Competition Guide.