What do Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, economist and Nobel laureate, Christopher Pissarides, Max Trejo, Secretary General of the International Youth Organization, Anna Chilton, biodiversity specialist at Nestle, Ulf Sjödin MW (SE) of Systembolaget, Laura Catena, Rob McMillan of what was the Silicon Valley Bank, and Meininger’s Robert Joseph all have in common?
They are all speakers at the Wine Future conference in Coimbra, Portugal on 7-9 November 2023.
Other leading figures include: Ntsiki Biyela, the first black female winemaker in South Africa and winner of a Woman Winemaker of the Year award in that country; Mark Squires of the Wine Advocate, Natalie Wang of Vino Joy News, the leading publication covering the Chinese wine market; Paul Schaafsma the man behind best-selling celebrity wines like Kylie and Gordon Ramsey; industry analyst Liz Thach MW; and Justin Noland, AI pioneer at Treasury Wine Estates.
Topics addressed at the conference
- Educating the new generations on consuming alcohol with moderation and responsibly
- TikTok, Discord, and Paid Influencers – Reaching New Customers
- The Competition is Winning – Learning From and Embracing Ideas From Alternative Drinks
- Evolve or Die – Embracing Advanced Technologies to Thrive’
- Wine Tourism Evolution – From Cellar Door to Virtual Tours
The 2023 event, organised by Chrand Events, hosted by Wines of Portugal, and with Meininger’s International as a key media partner, is the fourth in a series that has included events in Hong Kong and Rioja. Previous speakers have included Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson MW, Francis Ford Coppola, Angelo Gaja, Steven Spurrier, Margareth Henriquez, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and former US Vice President, Al Gore.
Seeking insight from outside the industry
The choice of Bruce Dickinson as a keynote speaker reflects the Wine Future tradition of seeking insight from outside the industry. Apart from being a world famous rock musician, Dickinson is a qualified commercial airline pilot and an entrepreneur with experience in sectors including brewing and aviation.
Nobel laureate, Christopher Pissarides will provide an economist’s view of the way the wine industry fits into the broader global context, while Max Trejo will help in the essential task of bringing younger consumers to wine.
Sustainability and the environment
Sustainability and the environment are also a focus, and alongside the conference sessions, half of the ticket revenue will go to The Planet Future Foundation. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘raising awareness towards the importance of protecting the environment and fighting the current climate crisis’ by organizing expeditions and trips, creating documentaries and holding conferences for companies and academic institutions.
Wine Future is set to be one of the most important events of its kind and a unique opportunity for participants to network with leading industry members from across the world. It will also allow everyone present to discover a wide range of Portugal's newest and most exciting wines.
Early Bird tickets are available from Wine Future.
