Nearly 2,000 attendees are expected for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) 69th Annual Convention & Exposition. This year’s convention, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from April 2-5, 2012, will offer larger exhibit halls and an impressive lineup of distinguished speakers, cutting-edge informational sessions, hot new tastings and exciting competitions.
This year’s convention brings together beverage-alcohol suppliers and distributors, as well as industry executives, mixologists, brand ambassadors and lifestyle professionals.
Convention highlights include:
General session speakers:
- Nando Parrado, author of “Miracle in the Andes,”
- Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics,”
- Kit Codik, CEO and co-founder of Liquor.com and
- John Hofmeister, founder and Chief Executive for Citizens for Affordable Energy and former president of Shell Oil Company.
Events:
- Opening Night Reception and Taste of the Industry, showcasing new products and brand extensions,
- Hot Brands Awards presented by Impact Magazine,
- The Lifetime Leadership Award presented to Vern Underwood, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Young’s Market Company, LLC and
- The Sidney Frank Award presented to Mark Brown, CEO of Sazerac Company, Inc.
The exhibit halls will be the place to be as three live competitions will highlight innovative products, original cocktail recipes and top mixologists.
The Wine & Spirits Tasting Competitions, sponsored by The Tasting Panel Magazine, on Tuesday, April 3rd,
- Call For Cocktails: Mixology Competition on Wednesday, April 4th and
- Wholesaler Iron Mixologist Competition on Wednesday, April 4th.
Tony Abou-Ganim, author of The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails, will emcee the competitions. Judging the competitors will be a mix of acclaimed mixologists, journalists and industry executives from around the nation.
New to the convention this year, WSWA is partnering with the U.S. Drinks Conference to premiere the first annual U.S. Beverage Alcohol Forum (USBAF), offering educational sessions focusing on social media, brand activation, industry trends, brand building, and the latest industry trends.
Live updates of convention events will be available on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WSWAConventionBlog. WSWA-TV will be broadcast live from the convention floor to bring viewers the latest convention news, as well as interviews with exhibitors, suite holders and competition winners.
We’re excited to be once again providing press coverage for WSWA with CraveLocal, and hope to bring you insight on great new liquor brands and wines coming to retailers near you.
For a complete schedule of events and additional information, please visit www.wswaconvention.org.