Dijon Business School hosts an international university gathering on the wine industry
For four days, the Dijon business school, the Burgundy Business School (BSB) welcomes the international conference of the Academy of Wine Business Research (AWBR). 65 researchers are gathered, either in Dijon or online to follow the various interventions. The conference opens on July 5, 2022 with a day of round tables, open to professionals from the world of wine, who came to discuss with researchers in the “wine business”. They study everything that happens from the bottling of the wine to its consumption. The objective of this first day is to make the link between academics and professionals, before three days of conferences closed to the public.
Make the link between research and the professional world of wine
Still too few professionals in the wine industry are interested in university research regrets Steve Charters, professor wine marketing at the business school of Dijon. This day aims to create a link between these two worlds : “It’s very important for us to study useful subjects, but it’s also important for producers and companies to understand that there are things that researchers can show.” The goal is to help businesses grow.
Being sympathetic, friendly, is more important than the quality of the wine, but it is very counter-intuitive for winegrowers.
Steve Charters sees his role as a researcher as stepping back, and show another point of view to different professionals. For example in the field of wine tourism: “If you have visitors, the welcome is very important. Being friendly, friendly, is more important than the quality of the wine, but it is very counter-intuitive for the winegrowers”.
New avenues to explore
Among the professionals present, Jean-Yves Bizot, producer in Vosne-Romanet participate in the first round table. He keeps himself regularly informed of advances in research in the wine industry, a part of his work as a winemaker often not developed enough according to him.. “I expect researchers to bring an offbeat look. Not necessarily solutions, but lines of thought”, he says. 65% of the production of the five hectares he operates is distributed abroad, particularly in Asia, so he is particularly attentive to digital advances.
In the family of new technologies, NFTs (Non Fungible Token) are entering the wine industry. These digital certificates allow you to sell completely online : “these are digitized bottles, which make it possible not to move the objects and to know in what condition it will be stored, and therefore for a guarantee for the consumer”. In addition to transport, this system also avoids fraud. But this area is far from the exploitation of the vines, Jean-Yves Bizot is therefore counting on research to help him master this new sales system.