2023 Agenda

The OCWC23 planning committee is busy preparing another top quality agenda for its fifth annual conference. Topic streams include: sales & marketing, operations, regulatory, retail, direct-to-consumer, wholesale, viticulture, sustainability, and more. If you are interested in presenting at the Ontario Craft Wine Conference, please email info@ontariocraftwineries.ca. 

Please see below for our OCWC22 Conference Agenda:

2022 Agenda

Day One

9:00 a.m.    OCW Welcome

9:15 a.m.     Keynote Presentation
Eugenia Keegan, Jackson Family Wines 
Sponsored by Swiftpost

10:30 a.m.  Session 1
Five Sales & Marketing Strategies that will Make or Break Your Year
Ben Salisbury, President, Salisbury Creative Group – Shattering Sales Strategies for Wine & Spirits
Sponsored by Niagara Economic Development

11:45 a.m.   Session 2
Designing Your Retail Space
Cynthia Loiselle-Seguin, Shopify, Denis McCutcheon, Dzine4 and moderated by Suzanne Janke, Stratus Vineyards
Sponsored by AO Wilson Ltd.

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:00 p.m.  Session 3
Diverse Reflections in the Wine Industry: Let’s Talk About Change
Panel session led by Vinequity team: Carrie Rue; Olivia Siu; Dr. Nupur Gogia; Beverly Crandon
Sponsored by Farm Credit Canada

2:15 p.m.   Session 4
New Ways To Sell Wine: Emerging Sales Channels
Jennifer Huether, MS, Fresh City; Marisa Renaud, BlackSquare; Anahita Pouget, Andrew Peller Ltd.
Sponsored by Last Call Analytics

3:30 p.m.  Session 5
Spotted Lanternfly: Early Detection, Impacts and Tools for Prevention
Dr. Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA, Emily Posteraro, Invasive Species Centre, Brian Walsh, Penn State College of Agriculture
Sponsored by Ontario Grape & Wine Research Inc.

4:15 p.m. OCW Remarks

4:30 p.m. Fireside Chat with Christopher Waters, The Globe and Mail and Eugenia Keegan, Jackson Family Wines

Day Two

9:00 a.m.    OCW Welcome

9:15 a.m.     Keynote Presentation
Geoff Labitzke, Kistler Vineyards
Sponsored by Swiftpost

10:30 a.m.  Session 1
The New Sense of Place
Rebecca Mackenzie, Culinary Tourism Alliance & Magdalena Kaiser, Wine Marketing Association of Ontario
Sponsored by VQA Wines of Ontario

11:45 a.m.   Session 2
Sustainability – Who Cares?
Sandra Taylor, Sustainable Business International
Sponsored by MNP

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:00 p.m.  Session 3
Performance Management – Post-Pandemic Style: How to manage and retain employees in the “next normal”
Fran Bonomi & Michelle DeLuca, DJB HR Advisory
Sponsored by DJB

2:15 p.m.   Session 4
Big Questions You Should Consider Before Jumping Into Small Formats
Justyn Szymczyk, Strategic Advisor, USUAL; Anita Birus, Amcor Capsules, Brent Snowden, Kinsbrae Packaging 

3:30 p.m.  Session 5
Consumers & Voters in a Post-Pandemic World
David Coletto, Abacus Data
Sponsored by TD

4:15 OCW Remarks

4:30 p.m.  Fireside Chat with Christopher Waters, The Globe and Mail, and Geoff Labitzke, Kistler Vineyards