North Bay Business Journal

Today’s business climate looks drastically different than it did five years ago. Whole industries have disappeared and some skill sets are now obsolete. The world itself has changed. Would you be shocked if I told you many things have stayed the same? Relationships are still paramount; face-to-face communication is still the most effective; and excellent service never goes out of style.

NAPA — A new firm in Napa wants to help small wineries wineries not only craft their packaging design but also develop brand strategy and marketing, better manage their logistics and get more Internet exposure.

Three stories provide background for the the Business Journal’s Wine Industry Conference 2011 on April 28: 1. There is a “huge wave” of wine-related mergers and acquisitions coming, according to one lender to the industry. It’s in this environment that the Business Journal asked several significant and diverse players in California wine mergers and acquisitions market about their strategies for building portfolios. They will be part of the Mergers and Acquisitions discussion panel at the conference. 2. The Business Journal also asked the four members of the Direct Sales and Social Media panel for the conference about trends in sales of wine directly to consumers and use of social media in that endeavor. 3. There is much anticipation within both the wine industry and greater financial markets that 2011 will see a noticeable increase in dollars being spent both at the consumer level and in acquisition activity. Wine mergers and acquisitions transaction consultancy Zepponi & Company explores the widely varying motivations, expectations and investment time horizons of the five groups of historically active acquirers in the wine industry.

In conjunction with the story “Wineries increase use of smartphone, social media technologies,” the Business Journal is collecting ideas wine marketers submitted about how their experiences.

Smartphones and social media are being employed in new ways as many wineries increase their use of the latest technology to reach consumers and maintain control of branding — all across the U.S. To add your experience, comment on this story.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA – Proxio Inc., based in the South Bay, is one of the largest global networks for real estate professionals with more than 1.4 million users worldwide.

NAPA — Vintners and growers generally look to a recovery of sales of fine wine to 2007 levels in one to two years for volume and two to three years for profits, according to a poll of 28 industry executives presented at the Wine Industry Financial Symposium this morning.

Of all the business social media options, LinkedIn is the most valid and the most valuable. But it is not the only.

NORTH BAY — Most companies today feel like they just have to have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a LinkedIn group and any other of the latest social networking sites out there.

A new survey by Robert Half Technology in Menlo Park said that employees who want to share news via social networking sites will need to be careful about violating company policies.