Oregon Wine Month 2023 – What’s to Come
Oregon Wine Month is one of the most highly anticipated events on the Oregon wine board program calendar. In 2012 May was deemed Oregon wine month by the Governor and each year the event has continued to grow both nationally and internationally among consumers and trade.
The program for Oregon Wine Month 2023 is a robust one, engaging tourism, media, consumers, and producers, as well as distribution partners and retailers. It will also include an education programming for both trade and consumers. In this session, OWB program Directors and industry specialists, Vanessa Haddick and Danny Brager dive deep into where national and local consumer and trade opportunities lie for category growth.
Speakers Bio
Vanessa Hadick is the founder and managing director of Double Tap Marketing, a digital marketing agency to the wine industry based in the Willamette Valley. Growing up in the wine industry in Monterey, California, Vanessa has held marketing roles in London, Monaco, the United States, and Australia over her wine career. After working for Constellation Wines (US) and Treasury Wine Estates (Australia) as brand manager for 30+ luxury and estate-based wineries, she moved to Oregon in 2015 to be a part of its incredibly collaborative wine community, overseeing marketing for Sokol Blosser Winery. Vanessa holds a B.A. in international relations and gender studies from UC Davis, an MBA from Portland State University, and is passionately committed to environmental and social sustainability in business.
Danny Brager has a wealth of experience in the U.S. Beverage Alcohol industry, analyzing trends over many years. He formerly headed Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice Area in the U.S, leading teams that supported relationships with Nielsen’s clients as well as key industry groups and the media. In his current consulting role, Danny provides data-driven analysis and insights to Beverage Alcohol companies seeking to translate information into fact-based insights in support of their goals. Each year, he presents at a large number of notable industry and company events, and is a frequent thought leader contributor to the media/press. His informed opinions are highly respected by the beverage alcohol industry. Danny is also a Special Advisor to the Wine Market Council, and is Managing Director of Category and Consumer Insights at Azur Associates, founded to bring comprehensive advisory and consulting services to wine and spirit companies, including mergers & acquisitions, route to market, and strategic advisory support. Danny was born in Calgary and moved to Toronto where he graduated from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He relocated to Mission Viejo, California in 1993 where he now resides.
David DeWitt has over two decades of experience in wine retail, distribution, and working for the Pacific Northwest’s largest supplier. His roles have been in sales, management, and marketing. With a proven track record in multi-channel trade and business development for both international and domestic wineries, he has a robust understanding of the industry. Serving the wine industry has allowed him to travel to many of the world’s premier winegrowing regions. David, a Michigan native, graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration and Environmental Studies. While attending college David fell in love with Oregon wine.
Neil Fergusson joined the Oregon Wine Board in 2021, bringing a unique range of experience in communications, marketing, and journalism to the table. Neil’s work in the world of agriculture and commodity promotion has given him a passion for telling the stories of farmers and producers through creative and results-driven initiatives. As Marketing Manager, Neil handles the Oregon Wine Board’s consumer-focused initiatives, including social media and tourism. Neil earned a B.A. in English and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin, where he lived for ten years before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Based in Portland, Neil enjoys exploring the beautiful state on his bicycle, seeing live music, visiting wineries, and discovering new culinary experiences.
