The upcoming Alcohol Beverage Importers & Distributors (ABID) Conference, which is taking place in New York City on May 13-14, is the place to be for small- and mid-size importers & distributors looking for a competitive edge in today’s hyper-competitive wine marketplace. With that in mind, the sponsors of the event, Beverage Trade Network, have put together an all-star lineup of speakers and panels designed to make you a smarter, more effective participant in this vibrant marketplace. Here are just a few of the things that you will learn over the course of the two-day event:

How to become more operationally efficient?

Jeff Sartino, VP of Sales and Marketing for Lanterna Distributors, will walk you through a very specific series of steps of how to make your business run smoother and more efficiently than ever. You’ll learn the inside scoop on depletion reports, credit terms, portfolio building, warehouse management, and inventory management. In addition, Jessica Brady, Marketing and Sales Development Manager for JF Hillebrand USA, will give you important insights into the wine shipping & logistics business. 

How to boost your bottom line?

Bill Sciambi, Co-Founder, and Chairman of Verity Wine Partners will give you a hands-on look at what you can do to make your distribution business become more profitable. Participants will be given a checklist of action items that they can implement immediately.

How to get your wines into the nation’s top on-premise establishments?

Sharyn Kervyn, Wine Director of The Capital Grille, will share some of the unique strategies that you can use to get your wines into national restaurant chains. And Gary Clayton, Founder of CompassPoint Imports, will give practical advice on how importers and distributors can pitch their products to cruise lines, airlines and other companies within the U.S. hospitality sector.

How to market and sell to young millennials?

Holly Higuera, Director of Through the Grapevine Imports, will analyze the buying habits of young millennial wine drinkers and explain in very specific ways how you can reach this all-important demographic. These millennial drinkers are more open to new brands, new varieties and, new regions – and you can capitalize on this sales opportunity.

How to get your products onto the shelves of retailers?

Stephen Fahy, Senior Buyer for The Wine Library, will provide straight talk on how distributors can train their sales reps to sell to wine retailers. He will give examples of elevator pitches for new brands and share the untold secrets of merchandising in the retail wine sector.

And, of course, the ABID Conference in New York will provide plenty of opportunities for networking and meeting the other participants of this event, who are also looking for new insights, partnership opportunities, and new sources of competitive advantage. At the same time, you will be able to ask very specific questions that you might have about growing your business during special Q&A panel sessions. This is your chance to walk away with real, actionable insights that you can start using immediately. 

The import & distribution sector in the U.S. is more competitive now than it has ever been. Industry-wide consolidation has empowered the largest importers & distributors while making it harder for smaller and mid-sized importers & distributors to gain traction. The ABID Conference has been created to reverse this balance of power. Attending the upcoming ABID Conference in New York City is your chance to get in front of important new trends and learn the secrets to making your import or distribution business more successful.