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TED-style DisruptWine Talks to be central focus of the 2014 DWCC conference

Published:  13 August, 2014

A series of what are being billed as "DisruptWine Talks"  will be one of the key new features at this November's Digital Wine Communications Conference taking place in Montreux, Switzerland.

A series of what are being billed as "DisruptWine Talks"  will be one of the key new features at this November's Digital Wine Communications Conference taking place in Montreux, Switzerland.

The series of mini talks will only be eight minutes long but are designed to inspire and provoke a reaction from the audience and  "challenge how they see the world" 

Lined up to take part in the DisruptWine Talks  are Eric Levine of CellarTracker, Edgar Kampers of Qoin, a community currency business, Google's Hamish Nicklin, Jennifer Burke or 9068Creative, Felicity Carter of wine business magazine, Meiningers, and Gabriella Opaz of Catavino, one of the founders and organisers of the DWCC event.

The organisers hope the talks will help move the debate around wine communications away from wine tasting notes and point scores and look at the changing face of journalism and the need to embrace new ways of connecting with your audience.

In its brief to the DisruptWine Talk speakers, the DWCC has set them this challenge : "For too long the wine industry has stared into its collective navel and lost touch with what's happening in the real world. While we have idly debated the importance of tasting notes and 100pt scales as sales tools, the rest of the world has embraced peer to peer communications and crowdsourcing.

"We would like you to change people's thinking. Push our understanding of where we are today or where we might be tomorrow. But most importantly, force us to look at things from a new angle. Leave us asking questions and challenging our assumptions."

Delegates will get the chance to quizz each of the speakers after the session which takes place on the opening day of the three day event, the seventh DWCC, which takes place between October 31 and November 2.

Another key feature of the conference will be a tutored Grand Tasting of Swiss wines by Jancis Robinson MW and Wine Grapes co-author Dr. José Vouillamoz, focusing on four grape varieties: Chasselas, Petite Arvine, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

Jancis Robinson MW, the esteemed British wine critic, is set to be the keynote speaker at 2014's Digital Wine Communicators Conference, to be held in Montreux, Switzerland, later this year.

Other keynote speakers include leading sommelier, Paulo Basso,  Marc Roisin, co-founder of the Wine Business Information Summit, wine critic, and consultant Robert Joseph, Arnaud Daphy of Wine Mosaic, Nomacorc research scientist Maurizio Ugliano, social media experts Christian Payne and Judith Lewis, Damien Wilson of the Burgundy School of Business and Harpers editor, Richard Siddle. 

As well as debates around new ways of communication the conference will also include a number of set piece tastings.

This will include a walk-around tasting with up to 40 Swiss wine producers, which will be backed up by two Swiss wine masterclasses highlighting ancient varieties and iconic Swiss wines, led by Dr. José Vouillamoz and Paolo Basso, Best Sommelier of the World 2013.

There will also be standalone tastings as part of a pre-conference event on October 30 on Cru Bourgeois, moderated by wine journalist and Bordeaux specialist, Panos Kakaviatos, with the Alliance de Cru Bourgeois,  and Amarone and Tokaji.

To attend the event costs €250 for bloggers and €450 for full trade price. The conference is sponsored by Swiss Wine Promotion and Harpers Wine & Spirit is the UK media partner.

It is organised by social media company, Vrazon.

More information on the agenda and how to attend is available at the DWCC website.

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