Sonoma State University

Exclusive Advance Notice: Inaugural Wine Business Innovation Summit – Tuesday, May 19

Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:01am

TO: Campus Community
FR: Damien Wilson, Faculty Director, Wine Business Institute

We are excited to announce the Wine Business Institute’s Inaugural Innovation Summit, taking place in the Student Center, on Tuesday, May 19.

This landmark event comes at a pivotal moment for the wine industry. While the current market faces a period of sustained contraction, many of our supporters, alumni, faculty, and researchers are thriving by pioneering new paths to growth. The summit will showcase their success stories, offering a roadmap for navigating today’s complex market through innovation.

So – why should you attend?

This summit is expected to attract high-level executives from across the local wine business community. For members of the Sonoma State community, this event represents a premier opportunity to build meaningful professional connections with our local wine business network and engage directly with the leaders shaping the future of the wine industry.

Our Featured Speakers:
We are honored that this event will be headlined by two of the industry’s most prominent voices:

  • Stephanie Gallo, Chief Marketing Officer at Gallo Family Wines and regarded as the wine world’s most influential executive; and
  • Jeff O'Neill, Founder and CEO of O'Neill Vintners & Distillers and a renowned Sonoma County wine-branding maven.

This is an exclusive campus pre-announcement:
We are sharing this news with the Sonoma State campus a week before the formal public announcement. Our goal is to give our faculty, staff, and students the first opportunity to express interest. This will allow organizers to hold an appropriate number of tickets aside before the general public ticket release.

Ticket Information:

  • Public and faculty: $75 per ticket. Tickets available via the SSU Box Office
  • Staff and students: To ensure this event is accessible to our campus community, we are offering a discounted rate for staff and students. Please email [email protected] to express your interest in attending; the final discounted rate will be determined based on the volume of interest and seats required.

We look forward to seeing the Sonoma State community well-represented at this inaugural event.