Washington D.C., (May 23, 2018) – The wine and beverage world’s most celebrated minds gather in Washington, D.C. for SommCon,® an educational summit for industry professionals and serious enthusiasts held July 22-24, 2018.
The inaugural Washington, D.C. edition of the conference welcomes over 50 panelists and presenters, including an impressive selection of Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, professionals from the Society of Wine Educators, the industry’s top Beverage Directors and more. Some of the presenters joining SommCon® for the first time in Washington, D.C., include:
- Bob Bath, Master Sommelier and Professor of Wine and Beverage Studies at The Culinary Institute of America leads the session Garnacha Unveiled: From Carinena To The World
- Bree Boskov, Master of Wine, Winemaker and Educator presents the session 45th Parallels of New World Pinot Noir
- David Cohn, Dom Pérignon Ambassador leads the session Drinking Stars – The History and Details of Prestige Cuvée Champagne
- Michael Kaiser, Vice President of Wine America presents the session Impact of Public Policy on the American Wine Industry
- Brent Kroll, Proprietor/Sommelier of Maxwell Wine joins the panel Building Your Own Personal Brand
- Dave McIntyre, Wine Columnist at the Washington Post moderates the panel, Defining Local in the Mid Atlantic
- Andy Myers, Master Sommelier and Beverage Director of ThinkFoodGroup joins the panels Old & Rare Wines: Sourcing, Selling & Serving and Managing a Successful Restaurant Beverage Program
- Ira Norof, Director of Education and Events for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits leads the session, the Path to Spirits Certification Through SWE
- Michael Scaffidi, Chef Sommelier and Wine Consultant presents the session, Madeira: The Time Traveling Machine and also participates in the panel, Old & Rare Wines: Sourcing, Selling & Serving
- Erik Segelbaum, Advanced Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine and Wine/Beverage Director for Starr Restaurants, joins the seminar Managing a Successful Restaurant Beverage Program
- Jay Youmans, Advanced Sommelier, Master of Wine and Certified Wine Educator presents the panels the Iconic Wines of Virginia, The Rosé(y) Side of Languedoc, and others
SommCon® D.C. is only open to an additional 150 registrants, and for those in attendance, there are several ways to participate, including:
Full Conference Pass (July 22-24)
- Choose from over 30 educational sessions
- Networking Breaks and Hosted Tastings
- Admission to Opening Tasting Reception (Sunday, July 22)
- Full Conference registration is priced at $425 before June 15
Single Day Monday (July 23) or Tuesday (July 24)
- One day education conference access with choice of sessions
- Networking Breaks and Hosted Tastings
- Admission to Opening Tasting Reception (Sunday, July 22)
- Single Day registration is priced at $295 before June 15
SommCon® D.C. takes place July 22-24, 2018 at the Westin Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and SommCon® San Diego takes place November 14-16 at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego, California. For more information or to purchase conference registration, visit: SommConUSA.com.
Accommodations are available at the Westin Georgetown for SommCon attendees. Click here to make reservations.
ABOUT SOMMCON:® is a leading conference for sommelier-level education and training of wine professionals and serious enthusiasts. The conference brings together industry professionals of all levels to discuss, develop, and lead the conversation on the business of wine. SommCon’s education is built by sommeliers for trade professionals and serious enthusiasts who have a passion for wine and spirits and an unyielding quest for knowledge. Attendees learn and taste their way through educational classes and seminars complete with tasting breaks and networking opportunities. SommConis produced by Fast Forward, an event management agency specializing in productions for the wine, beer, spirits and hospitality industries, fastforwardevents.com.
