Academics and scholars from around the world will descend on Brock University’s Goodman School of Business – in the heart of Ontario’s wine country – for the international Academy of Wine Business Research (AWBR) conference June 12-15.

This is the first time the event has landed in Canada, having been held previously in Australia, California, France, Italy and New Zealand.

The AWBR is a global body focused on research into economic, social and management aspects of the wine industry. The conferences attract top wine business researchers and wine industry leaders engaging in critical discussions in a friendly and open atmosphere.

Besides visiting Niagara wineries, delegates will take part in group discussions and workshops examining a range of issues related to wine business. The sessions will be led by experts from around the world, including Brock/Goodman marketing professors Antonia Mantonakis and Carmen Cullen, and sensory scientist Isabelle Lesschaeve, research director-consumer insights and product innovation at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

Topics up for discussion include branding, tourism, consumer behaviour, sustainability, strategy, innovation and packaging/labelling. For instance, Mantonakis will team up with University of Miami researcher Keri Kettle to reveal their new findings that, in some circumstances, labels bearing a winemaker’s personal signature enhance the wine’s perceived quality and value.

Don Cyr, Dean of the Goodman School of Business, will open the conference with welcoming remarks, and delegates will also hear addresses from several industry leaders from Niagara, including Chateau des Charmes Winery president Paul Bosc Jr., Henry of Pelham Winery president Paul Speck; and wine writer Linda Bramble. Attendees will also hear from Bonnie Winchester, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.