American Express to Present Wine Buyer Behavior Research Findings at 2011 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium.

Where Else Do Winery Direct Consumers Purchase Wine?

NAPA, Calif. -- Marc Andre Roy of the Business Insights division of American Express will present a brief study at the 2011 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium examining the aggregated buying habits of winery direct customers - club and Internet purchasers - and trends in their purchase behavior in traditional retail channels, addressing the question: Where else do winery direct customers purchase wine? The annual summit on wine direct marketing and sales takes place next Wednesday, January 19, at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel and Spa, Santa Rosa, California.www.dtcwinesymposium.com

Why Attend?

In addition to American Express' presentation, reasons to attend the summit include:

* What to Expect in 2011 on HR 5034: Steve Gross, Director of State Relations at the Wine Institute, will give a "state of the states" update on DTC shipping legislation including what can be expected of the successor to HR 5034.

* Advertising Kingpins: The Symposium has added a second keynote panel featuring several big guns of advertising on how to tackle the challenges faced in the evolving wine marketplace.

* How Do Your Vendors Stack Up? A sold-out trade show of 31 companies will allow registrants to review competing vendors for pricing and services all in one place, all at one time.

* It's All Relevant: Afternoon workshop topics will provide useful ideas for all levels of the industry whether you're a tasting room manager, marketing coordinator or the CEO.

* Big Name Sponsors: A long list of sponsors make this event possible including keynote panel sponsors FedEx and WTNServices, American Express, and Gold Level association sponsors Napa Valley Vintners and Wine Institute, plus new trade sponsors: Wine Business Monthly, Landaal Packaging, PakSource, Inc., and Provino. See the full list at http://www.dtcwinesymposium.com/sponsors.html

The Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium is presented by and a fundraiser for Coalition for Free Trade and Free the Grapes! These two organizations have worked tirelessly with local winery associations and industry representatives to increase the number of legal direct shipping states for wineries from 17 to 37 in the last decade.

Registrations are $375 per person and can be made online at www.dtcwinesymposium.com.