Our Company Tasting's and Sponsorships provide you with a valuable resource and value added benefits for your brands

The United Group takes an active role in OFF-Premise product samplings through several vehicles. Vehicles include, our own sales force, outside promotional vendors, through assistance from our partner suppliers and finally, through the sponsorship of
certain events.

In one of her last acts as Governor of the State of Massachusetts, Jane Swift signed into law a bill allowing the sampling of spirits in OFF-Premise accounts. The impact of this bill will be felt through all tiers of the alcoholic beverage industry here in Massachusetts. Suppliers will reap the benefits of increased distribution of their products through consumer tasting, wholesalers will increase volume and distribution as well, and the retailer will enhance their consumer base and sales volumes through regular consumer tastings.

At UBI, on/off premise samplings are approved and conducted by either in-house reps or outsourced to a promotional company. Hannah & Dunn only conduct on-premise educational staff trainings via the sales force, according to the laws of NC and VA.

At The United Group we are committed to providing a full array of services to our customers. Where legal, we utilize the best in ON- and OFF-premise product sampling vehicles, continuing to achieve superior customer satisfaction within the markets
we serve.

OFF-PREMISE LIQUOR SAMPLING

Most of our OFF-Premise Liquor samplings are conducted via outside promotional vendors who execute any where from a 2 to 4 hour promotion at a particular retailer.

With a comprehensive booking system, the samplings are well organized and executed by trained professionals who are well-versed in the products they sample. We offer training and our facilities to our promotional company staff in order to provide the final consumer with all the necessary information they need to complete the purchase of a sampled product.

Retailers who meet the sales requirements qualify for tastings and have made them a huge success thus far!

One of our retailers grew their business in one particular product 40-50% over last year, while our supplier partner increased distribution in that account almost 70%!

In some cases our product samplings are conducted by our own sales force, who have been trained and well-versed in product knowledge through their everyday routines and special product trainings conducted by our partner suppliers.

ON/OFF-PREMISE WINE SAMPLING

The United Group both sponsors and conducts several wine tastings throughout the year reaching thousands of key retailers and wine connoisseurs.

Sponsorships

• Boston Harbor Hotel Wine Festival
  A January thru May consumer winemaker dinner series. The event draws higher end wineries and consumers who are well educated in viticulture.
• Nantucket Wine Festival
  2 – Day wine festival in Mid May on the island of Nantucket attracting about 1,000 well educated wine consumers and key retailers from the New England and NY Tri-State area.
• Spinazzola Foundation and Boston Wine Expo Weekend
  The Expo weekend incorporates winery principals pouring beside the area’s top restaurants.
  The 2 – Day attendance is usually in upwards of 10,000 consumers and key retailers sampling from over 150 wineries including educational seminars covering food and wine topics.

The United Group offers any kind of assistance to our suppliers throughout these events, providing breaks to allow suppliers to conduct and catch up with business issues. In addition to sponsoring area events we conduct several of our own events where we bring in key retailers from our market to sample our wines.

Company Tastings

• Spring Portfolio Tastings
  Spring tastings are conducted in seasonal areas to ensure that we are well established in summer markets.
• Fall Portfolio Tastings
  2 Major Metropolitan tastings are conducted in the fall prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to ensure execution with key retailers during the holiday season.
• Focused Tastings
  United, primarily through our Elite Estates Division, conducts several smaller focused tastings throughout the year specifying particular regions or varietals.
• Winemaker Dinners
  In a year we will initiate approximately 100 wine dinners that usually involve at least one wine producer restaurant and one retailer. These can include a winery principal or supplier representative.