Next month, wine and beverage experts will gather for the Culinary Institute of America's Wine & Beverage Summit in Napa, California, May 5-7, 2024. We spoke to program director Mariam Ahmed about why education in business skills and leadership tools is important. She focuses on this year and the drink trends she thinks are the most appealing right now.
As this year's CIA Wine & Beverage Summit theme, “Business Savvy for Wine and Beverage Professionals,” points out, the landscape for wine professionals is changing, and how is wine education changing along with it? Is that changing? What notable innovations have you noticed and where are the biggest opportunities?
Educational institutions such as CIA, CMS, and WSET are well versed in the changing landscape of careers in the wine industry. As the industry changes, the education provided by organizations must evolve to meet the needs of the people they teach. More organizations will continue to pursue excellence in tasting to provide business skills, guidance and leadership tools to professionals. But the education sector shouldn't evolve solely by those with the most tenure or power in the industry. It's important to embrace more perspectives, especially those that represent where we are headed toward a more diverse consumer market than ever before based on his 2024 Census data. As an opportunity to influence and innovate in wine education, the summit will include an opening panel, “The State of Wine Education,” followed by think tanks collaborating with all participants.
Are there any particular areas within wine education that are seeing more interest, such as leadership, unconventional new career tracks, or the non-alcoholic/mocktail space?
Yes to all of these. There is also a growing interest in the language used to describe and sell wine, entrepreneurship, and media.
What are the most exciting trends in wine and beverages right now?
I keep a close eye on data regarding the drinking habits of Millennials and Gen Z. My job as a consultant is to find opportunities, but I think a lot of brands are nervous about truly connecting with these generations. But there are also resources like the report “Millennials and Gen Z: A Comprehensive Study of Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Purchasing and Consumption Behavior,” a joint venture between the podcast Business of Drinks and Research & Marketing Strategies. I'm not going to shy away from a challenge, and I'm interested in seeing how the wine industry chooses to respond to the moment and the trends that develop based on their actions.
What do you hope those attending this year's CIA Wine & Beverage Summit take away?
Our goal is to provide participants with the connections and tools to help them land their next role or take their career to the next level. As an industry, we have a responsibility to not only provide educational opportunities, but also create pathways for people to improve and support rewarding and sustainable careers in the drinks industry.
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