The 2014 New Zealand Winegrowers Romeo Bragato Conference is one of the largest events on the wine industry’s calendar. It will be held in Blenheim’s Marlborough Convention Centre from August 27 to August 29. Attendees will include growers, wine makers and marketers from around New Zealand and this year they will be experiencing an event that has made some changes.
In addition to the traditional focus on research, technical issues and networking, the conference this year will cover succession, sustainability and exporting.
Sustainability is one of the functionality areas for New Zealand Winegrowers. Chief Executive Philip Gregan said sustainability has “been talked about a lot and the challenges they are facing out there in the vineyards so it is relevant to what’s happening on the ground now for wineries and growers and that is what the conference is about. It’s about awareness of issues and what’s impacting the industry and what it means for them at the grassroots end.”
Succession is an increasingly topical issue. Mr Gregan noted that “the industry was born in the 1980s and now, 30 years on, the founders are looking to pass their business down, so what’s the next step for them?” An expert panel will offer their thoughts.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be Sir Ray Avery, a renowned Pharmaceutical Scientist, well-know author and New Zealander of the Year in 2010. He will be speaking about “customer-centric business strategies for the wine industry”. There will also be a session on the ”first steps to exporting.”
For more information see – http://www.bragato.org.nz/home.php
