MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USA TODAY NETWORK Events, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), announces that the USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience 2019 tour kicks off Saturday, September 7 in Brooklyn, New York. Additional cities and dates include Detroit, September 14; Indianapolis, September 28; Cincinnati, October 5; Louisville, October 19; Las Vegas, October 26, in conjunction with MGM Resorts International; Scottsdale, November 2 & 3; Los Angeles, November 9; Chicago November 16 and closing in Naples, November 23.
“This marks the third year for USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience,” said Andy Yost, chief marketing officer for Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK. “Our readers already rely on us for authentic, expert content to tell the story of food in our communities and this is brought to life with USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience’s inspiring culinary showcase that connects participating brands with passionate audiences. We’re thrilled to continue to give consumers direct access to talented chefs, restaurateurs, wine and spirit experts and their products.”
USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is an engaging culinary exploration in each city of the tour where fans and connoisseurs alike taste and celebrate wine and food and see national and regional gourmet leaders at work. These events give sponsors the opportunity to directly and powerfully connect with patrons.
Martha Stewart will appear in Naples, presenting a limited-ticket seminar plus meet and greet, as well as a cooking demonstration for all Grand Tasting guests. In addition, all patrons can enjoy samples from Martha Stewart Wine Co.
Renowned chefs such as The Food Network’s Chopped stars Alex Guarnaschelli and Scott Conant, and Netflix Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski are special guests on the tour. Brie and Nikki Bella, also known as The Bella Twins of WWE fame and stars of reality TV show Total Bellas on E! Network, join the tour with their Belle Radici wine brand. Global wine authorities include SommSelect cofounder Ian Cauble, among only 274 Master Sommeliers worldwide and star of Netflix docufilm “SOMM,” and David Lynch, sommelier, two-time James Beard Award recipient and editorial director, SommSelect. Guarnaschelli will appear in Brooklyn, Detroit, Scottsdale, Indianapolis and Louisville. Conant will be a special guest in Cincinnati, Chicago and Los Angeles. Porowski will be a special guest in Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and Scottsdale. The Bella Twins and Cauble and Lynch will appear in all 10 tour stops. Special guest chefs for Las Vegas will be announced in the coming months.
Central to each USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is the Grand Tasting, a flavorful exploration of special chef recipes, wines, craft beers and spirits with diverse gourmet personalities and restaurateurs. Grand Tasting and VIP Grand Tasting tickets include access to a schedule of cooking demonstrations and wine seminars; VIP tickets add early entry and a special lounge with exclusive drinks and bites. In addition, limited-ticket seminars and meet and greets are available with special guest chefs Stewart, Guarnaschelli, Conant, Porowski and others, and sell out quickly.
USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is promoted to consumers through an eight-month campaign to include digital and print advertising, social media and traffic builder programs. Onsite, the tour seamlessly integrates sponsor installations and interactive showcases for nearly every brand category such as automotive, luxury home and appliances, culinary purveyors, retailers, fine living and others.
“USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is part of USA TODAY NETWORK Events which in 2018 produced more than 500 events that engaged over half a million consumers and helped hundreds of sponsors grow their businesses,” said Doug Wilson, vice president and general manager, USA TODAY NETWORK Events. “We tap into our deep local community roots while leveraging our national media power to produce exciting experiences for communities across the country. All of our diverse and unforgettable events are supported by our award-winning content and robust promotion to drive results. Our local-to-national network of audiences, original content, unprecedented digital media reach and customized local on-site activation allows advertisers to extend and amplify their message throughout the calendar year.”
Tickets are available at wineandfood.usatoday.com. Early ticket purchase is recommended as most USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience events sold out in 2018. Consumers and participating brands can engage with USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience on social media via #WFE and @usatodaywinefood.
R Entertainment of Scottsdale, Ariz., which co-developed and produced Scottsdale-based azcentral Wine & Food Experience in 2015, produces the national series in conjunction with USA TODAY.
Sponsorship or participation opportunities are available by contacting Todd Wienke, TWienke@usatoday.com or Mike O’Donnell, mikeod@r-entertainment.com.
About USA TODAY NETWORK. USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the largest local-to-national media organization in the country, powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S. with more than 100 brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage more than 125 million people every month through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit www.Gannett.com.
About Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart is an Emmy Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur, bestselling author of 92 books, and America’s most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher reaching 100 million consumers monthly across media and merchandising platforms. Her myriad products for everyday living – from cooking to crafting to healthy living, even pet care -- are found in more than 70 million households with a growing retail presence in thousands of locations. In 2015, Martha merged her company with Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQBG), and today serves as Chief Creative Officer and a Member of the Board. Sequential, a global brand management company with a portfolio of renowned consumer names, generates more than $4 billion annually in global retail sales. Visit MarthaStewart.com and SequentialBrandsGroup.com.
