Minutes RMAVV Marketing Seminar & Meeting
Saturday March 29, 2003

Board & Guest Attendees - Nancy Janes, Dave McLoughlin, Mike Heck, 
Tim Merrick, Jeff Carr, Bret Neal, Amy Nuerenberg and guests and members of the RMAVV.

President Nancy Janes called the meeting to order at 8:38 am

Opening Comments (8:38am)
Nancy gave opening comments and welcomed members and guests, then introduced the 
first speakers: Cheri Lopez and Ron Vaughn.  Throughout the meeting Nancy 
introduced each of the speakers in turn.

Getting Placement in the Marketplace (8:42am)
Cheri Lopez, Store Manager, The Vineyard.  
Cheri gave a presentation on selling wine to and through her establishment a small, 
wine store in Cherry Creek that specializes in hand-selling wine.
Ron Vaughn, Co-owner, Argonaut Wine & Liquor.  (9:10am)
Ron also gave a short presentation on selling Colorado wine in his store, with a 
focus on selling to high volume stores with more of a hands-off approach.
The session ended with approximately 10 minutes of Q&A for both speakers.

Staff Training, Product Distribution, Wine Lists, Industry Trends (9:30am)
Brad Ritter, Pinnacle Distributing.  
Brad gave a presentation on selecting and working with a liquor distributor.  His 
talk included his perspective of having had experience as both a food and beverage 
buyer for hotels and restaurants as well as his current experience as a wine distributor.
The session ended with approximately 10 minutes of Q&A.

20 minute break (10:25am)

Colorado Proud restaurant program and other programs useful to the Wine Industry (10:45am)
Jim Rubingh, Director, CO Dept. of Agriculture, Markets Division.
Jim gave an overview of the Colorado Proud program, including how it came into 
existence, how it is currently being used, benefits and membership information.  
He handed out a restaurant brochure as well as current examples of decals for the 
members to review. Jim also covered export and value added programs with advice on 
how to obtain assistance in using these programs to promote your business.
The session ended with a brief Q&A.

Get More Media Coverage and Build Better Media Relation (11:15am)
Gayleen Ore, Dede Fay, Ore Communications and Nancy Muenker, freelance travel writer
Gayleen, Dede and Nancy shared a presentation in which they covered basic topics on 
developing and implementing Media Relations programs for your business.
The session ended with a brief Q&A.

Broke for lunch (12:10pm)

Brand Differentiation and Improving Perception of Quality (1:10pm)
John Recca, Adam Lussier, and Eric Clayman, BrandWerks Group.
John with assistance from Adam and Eric gave a presentation on defining brand, and 
maintaining quality and consistency in your image, for the wine industry.
The session ended with a brief Q&A.

Using Your Website for Marketing, Client Contact, and Online Sales (2:15pm)
Erik Anderson, Project manager, Paragon Marketing Group
Erik gave a presentation on using the Internet and a website to your best advantage 
in promoting your business.  He gave insights on the importance of "doing it right" 
the first time, consultant selection and understanding the opportunity the Internet offers.
The session ended with a brief Q&A.

10 minute break (3:15pm)

Business Meeting (3:25pm)
Nancy Janes, President, RMAVV
Nancy gave an update on activities and programs since the last RMAVV meeting.  She covered:
* Minutes from the November Board meeting were read, Davie Price moved to approve the 
meetings minutes, Mike Heck seconded, Nancy approved the minutes
* Specialty Crop Programs - Nancy gave an update on the Powdery Mildew Research program.
* January Board Meeting - Nancy gave an update on the issues discussed at the last 
board meeting including:
 o	The CWIDB quality initiative proposal for funding given by Jeff Carr
 o	Budget discussions
 o	Proposal to setup an office and hire a part time admin assistant
 o	CSU programs
 o	Discussion regarding having meetings in the front range
 o	Lobbying discussion
 o	State Association Council and Wine America attendance
 o	Winefest contract negotiations
 o	Staggering board terms by John Bauer
* Wine America & the State Assocation Council, Nancy summarized her participation 
in Washington March 18th through the 21st
* Winefest update, Nancy gave an update on the Winefest including:
 o	Brochure update
 o	Winemaker dinner update and discussion
 o	Space issues: permission from the City of Palisade to expand the festival 
area and reducing art vendors
* Budget update, Nancy gave an update on the current budget plans
* CWIDB Quality Initiate funding proposal, Nancy introduced Jeff Carr, Board Member 
of the CWIDB and Quality Board
 o	Jeff gave an overview of the proposed quality initiative including timelines, 
costs, program guidelines and request for funding of $18,000 from the RMAVV
 o	Jeff's presentation was followed by a brief Q&A
 o	Nancy asked for a show of hands of those who were in favor and against the 
RMAVV funding the initiative.  There was unanimous agreement in favor of offering 
funding as requested.
* There was approximately 15 minutes of Q&A and comments
* Nancy asked for any final questions or comments then adjourned the meeting at 4:41pm

Wine tasting social (4:45pm - ~6:30pm)

Respectfully Submitted				
Dave McLoughlin - Acting Secretary (Vice President)