Press Releases
Welcome to the Press Room
Conference: March 29-April 1, 2011Trade Show: March 30-31, 2011
Location: Richmond, VA
Wineries Unlimited 2011 newslinks:
Bloomberg Businessweek web site, 4/28/10
Virginia Business web site, 4/29/10
Hagarty on Wine- Wineries Unlimited 2010; No limit on value of annual wine industry powwow, 6/10/10
Official Press Releases:
Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Bob McDonnell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2010
Contact: Stacey Johnson
Phone: (804) 225-4260
E-mail: Stacey.Johnson@Governor.Virginia.Gov
Governor McDonnell Announces Wineries Unlimited to Move to Virginia in 2011
Estimated to Bring Over 2,000 Visitors and $1.5 Million in Revenue to Virginia
RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that the Wineries Unlimited trade show will relocate from Pennsylvania to Richmond, Virginia in 2011. Wineries Unlimited is the second largest vineyard and winery conference and tradeshow in North America. It is estimated that the 2011 event will bring over 2,000 visitors and $1.5 million in revenue to Virginia.
Speaking about today's announcement, Governor McDonnell remarked, "We are thrilled that Wineries Unlimited has decided to move to Virginia. Virginia wines have seen their standing in the domestic and global marketplaces grow in recent years and having Wineries Unlimited in Virginia will help us as we continue our efforts to promote Virginia wines both here and abroad. This is also a chance for us to showcase our first class wineries to people from across the nation. It is estimated that this event will also bring 2,000 people from across the United States to Virginia and almost $1.5 million in new revenue to the state. Tourism and support of the wine industry were two priorities of my ‘Jobs and Opportunities' legislative agenda. It is excitement for tourism growth and wine expansion in Virginia that helped us convince Vineyard & Winery Management to relocate the Wineries Unlimited trade show to the Commonwealth. I look forward to this trade show returning to our great state for years to come and creating a lasting partnership with Vineyard & Winery Management."
"The outpouring of enthusiasm and excitement we've received in the State of Virginia - from the wine industry up to the governor - has been tremendous," said Robert Merletti, publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, and president of Vineyard & Winery Services, Inc. "Virginia vintners are eager to learn the latest winegrowing techniques as well as establish beneficial vendor relations."
"The needs of Wineries Unlimited will be well served in Richmond," said Ann Heidig, president of the Virginia Wineries Association. "Governor Bob McDonnell is very supportive of the Virginia wine industry as well as state agriculture and tourism."
Annette Boyd, marketing office director of the Virginia Wine Board, said the move will create new opportunities for Virginia wineries: "Our growers and producers will have better access to the information provided by Wineries Unlimited, and the event will help showcase their wines to colleagues from other states."
"Richmond lies in the center of Virginia's rapidly-growing wine industry and is a prime location for Wineries Unlimited," said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (RMCVB). "Wine industry representatives will enjoy our big-city amenities and small-town charm as well as Virginia wine."
More information about the Wineries Unlimited trade show and conference can be found here: http://wineriesunlimited.vwm-online.com/index.asp
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Miki Hodge (mhodge@vwm-online.com, 303.530.0205 x24)
Wineries Unlimited Moves to New Location and Time Frame
Santa Rosa, California (April 28, 2010) -- Wineries Unlimited, the second largest vineyard and winery conference and trade show in North America, is moving to the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia after a 34-year run in eastern Pennsylvania. Wineries Unlimited 2011 is scheduled for March 29 - April 1, a period that is approximately three weeks later in the season than recent shows. The new venue offers several advantages while the more southerly location and later dates are expected to provide better weather conditions for attendees traveling from other states. Wineries Unlimited (www.wineriesunlimited.com) has been produced by the wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management since 1976.
According to organizers at the magazine, the Greater Richmond Convention Center (www.richmondcenter.com) provides several amenities:
• a centralized location that services the entire Eastern wine industry
• a modern facility with substantial resources and room for expansion
• a wide variety of lodging, dining and entertainment options and price points
• a layout that will enhance conference sessions and the trade show (all exhibitors will be united on one level)
• easy access to freeways (I-95 and I-64), Richmond International Airport, and Washington, DC
In addition, Virginia has a growing wine industry with active tourism and trade organizations that welcome the move.
"The outpouring of enthusiasm and excitement we've received in the State of Virginia - from the wine industry up to the governor - has been tremendous," said Robert Merletti, publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. "Virginia vintners are eager to learn the latest winegrowing techniques as well as establish beneficial vendor relations."
"We are thrilled that Wineries Unlimited has decided to move to Virginia," said Governor McDonnell. "Virginia wines have seen their standing in the domestic and global marketplaces grow in recent years and having Wineries Unlimited in Virginia will help us as we continue our efforts to promote Virginia wines both here and abroad."
McDonnell also said that the estimated 2,000 people and $1.5 million in new revenue the event will bring to Virginia are consistent with the tourism and wine industry priorities included in his "Jobs and Opportunities" legislative agenda.
"The needs of Wineries Unlimited will be well served in Richmond," said Ann Heidig, president of the Virginia Wineries Association. "The move confirms that our wine producers and wine regions are on the map."
Annette Boyd, marketing office director of the Virginia Wine Board, said the move will create new opportunities for Virginia wineries: "Our growers and producers will have better access to the information provided by Wineries Unlimited, and the event will help showcase their wines to colleagues from other states."
"Richmond lies in the center of Virginia's rapidly-growing wine industry and is a prime location for Wineries Unlimited," said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (RMCVB). "Wine industry representatives will enjoy our big-city amenities and small-town charm as well as Virginia wine."
The last four editions of Wineries Unlimited were held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in suburban Philadelphia while a number of previous shows were located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Wineries Unlimited 2010 took place March 9-12 with attendees from 30 states as well as Washington, D.C. and four Canadian provinces participating in four days of seminars and two days of trade show exhibits. Total attendance was 2,343.
About Vineyard & Winery Management
Networking the wine industry since 1976, Wineries Unlimited is a division of Vineyard & Winery Services, the publisher of the leading independent wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management magazine (www.vwm-online.com) and Winedex (Wine Industry Index). Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation also produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, Tasting Room Profitability, Wine Club Summit, and Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as three wine competitions (Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, and West Coast Wine Competition).
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Wineries Unlimited Delivers Greater Attendance and Powerful Keynote Address
Santa Rosa, California (March 31, 2010) -- Wineries Unlimited, the second largest vineyard and winery conference and tradeshow in North America, concluded its 2010 program after surpassing last year's attendance and presenting an inspiring keynote address by famed grape grower Andy Beckstoffer of Napa Valley. Produced by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine since 1976, Wineries Unlimited (www.wineriesunlimited.com) was held March 9-12, 2010 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in metro Philadelphia.
Sixteen hundred wine industry personnel (78 more than 2009) from 30 states as well as Washington, D.C. and four Canadian provinces participated in four days of seminars and two days of trade show exhibits. Total attendance was 2,343 including trade show personnel.
Beckstoffer, the president of Beckstoffer Vineyards and the most highly regarded independent wine-grape grower in Northern California, delivered his keynote address "A California Wine Story: Can it happen again in the East?" to a sellout crowd at the Wine Theme Luncheon in accord with the conference theme of "Balancing Quality and Costs for Profit". Beckstoffer said Eastern winegrowers could attain the success of their Napa Valley counterparts if they choose to do so.
"The enthusiasm of vintners from the East Coast and Midwest was especially refreshing this year," said Robert Merletti, the publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. "Many of them seemed genuinely moved by Andy Beckstoffer's address, and I believe some will accept his challenge and reach the high bar that he set."
Thursday Session and Friday Workshop
Elizabeth Slater of InShort Marketing and Paul Wagner of Balzac Communications, two of the most gifted wine marketing consultants in the US, conducted five hours of sessions on Thursday, March 11 that covered the background issues of marketing theory and the U.S. wine market.
Building on that foundation, the pair demonstrated how to use a variety of specific tactics and tools as they followed the theme of "Building Community Around Your Brand" during the daylong Friday workshop.
Trade Show
The "buyers' trade show" for the Eastern wine industry, Wineries Unlimited offered two days and over 100,000 square feet of exhibitor space on two levels of the convention center with 221 exhibiting companies, 315 exhibitor booths, and 743 product representatives.
Repeat exhibitor Richard Wagner of Keg Club Inc/Schaefer Kegs, Branford, Ontario said his firm made several good contacts and that Wineries Unlimited attracts quality people from the US and Canada.
Five-time exhibitor Balint Gaspar of Stave Worldwide, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the importer-distributor of French and Hungarian oak barrels, stainless tanks, and winery hardware, said he will return in 2011. "If you're going to exhibit at one show in the East, then Wineries Unlimited is the one to attend because it attracts wineries up and down the east coast," he said.
Ed Marchetti of Aftek Inc, the distributor of filtration equipment in Rochester, New York, is a 20-year veteran of the trade show. "We developed several good leads and generated lots of interest," he said.
Silent and Live Auctions
An event record of $18,278 in donations was raised to benefit scholarship programs of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture's eastern section.
Official event sponsors included Nomacorc, Pall Food and Beverage, TCW Equipment, Baltimore Glass Decorators, Carlsen & Associates, Arton Etching and Imprinting, Susquehanna Glass, and City Winery.
About Vineyard & Winery Management
Networking the Eastern wine industry since 1976, Wineries Unlimited is a division of Vineyard & Winery Services, the publisher of the leading independent wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management magazine (www.vwm-online.com) and Winedex (Wine Industry Index). Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation also produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Tasting Room Profitability, Wine Club Summit, and Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as three wine competitions (Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, and West Coast Wine Competition).