Clients + Impact

Centering storytelling and connection, our strategic programs create engaging spaces for a variety of experience formats including campaigns, workshops, panels, podcasts, retreats, and multi-day events. Whether we are leading the discussion or curating behind the scenes, each project is designed to leave your audience with a lasting impact.

We have created marketing campaigns, small- and large scale conferences, immersive experiences for audiences across sectors, and executed recruitment of program and board talent for food and beverage clients. Our sweet-spot is connecting internal ideas or initiatives to external storytelling opportunities that are cohesive and that further the impact of our clients.

Our clients include food + wine businesses and entrepreneurs; non-profit organizations; portfolios; regional development initiatives; academic, automotive, banking, tourism, and tech companies; and established companies developing new portfolios and projects.

CLIENT CASE STUDIES

Client Case Studies

Strategic Programming

Powerful, engaging programs designed to explore fresh perspectives, challenge norms, create space for innovation, inspire audiences, and facilitate opportunities for networking, collaboration, and sales

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The Culinary Institute of America Wine and Beverage Summit

The CIA Wine & Beverage Summit is an annual program designed to empower wine and beverage professionals with the tools, insights, and connections needed to thrive in the dynamic world of wine.

Maryam + Company creates out-of-the-box programming–including immersive tastings and insightful discussions–for this annual conference to empower wine professionals with the essential skills, knowledge, and network needed to bolster their career, enhance their business acumen, and become industry leaders and tastemakers
Key Actions & Results:
- Worked with stakeholders to redefine the program with key internal objectives and translated vision to external messaging and audience.
- Annually design compelling program structure and sessions that deliver CIA and stakeholder objectives while benefiting the participants.
- Build opportunities within the program for attendees to interact with the Culinary Institute of America a broader level beyond the conference
- Implement sessions on business savvy concepts of financial fluency, confidence coaching and networking, and the art of negotiation to empower professional growth within the wine industry.
- Recruited and secured talent and sponsors for sessions across the food,
Testimonial:
“Attendees received practical and applicable information, networking opportunities, and relevant topics that they don’t get elsewhere.” - Cathy Jorin, Senior Director of CIA School of Graduate and Professional Studies

Synchrony Bank

Synchrony Bank engaged Maryam + Company to curate panel discussions that would resonate with their VIP clients and partners and that would also relate top industry trends in banking and retail to the wine world.

KEY ACTIONS & RESULTS:
- Curated panelists including celebrated wine professionals, owners, and makers for conversations that connected similar challenges and opportunities in the world of wine to the banking industry.
- Bridged private sector executive challenges to the wine world, addressing foot traffic, embracing technology, increasing employee engagement, and adapting to consumer demands.
- Connected independent and multi-generational retail ownership to the Napa Valley wine industry, with a focus on innovation, technology, and education programs that drive sales.
- Moderated panel discussions

Wine Writers’ Symposium

The Wine Writers’ Symposium is an annual gathering of professional wine writers to discuss the key issues facing communicators and publications in an ever-evolving wine industry.

The Wine Writers’ Symposium has historically been hosted at Meadowood Napa Valley as an in-person event welcoming 30-40 attendees each year. As in-person events shifted into virtual gatherings due to the pandemic, Maryam + Company was brought in as a consultant to design the first-ever virtual experiences for the 3-day Symposium in 2021 and 2022. Since 2023, the Symposium has welcomed guests back in person and Maryam + Company has continued to design virtual experiences for hybrid programming throughout the year to maintain the global audience built during the virtual Symposia.
Key Actions & Results:
- Increased attendance by 900% (30 to 300 attendees)
- Integrated a community-building component to the program to foster connection among attendees and offer a collective space to reflect on experiences
- Performed outreach to confirm speakers and elevated new, diverse voices with a refreshed speaker selection
- Created equitable pay structure for speakers
- Worked with DEI committee to introduce the WWS Code of Conduct
Testimonial:
“As our consulting program director for more than four years, Maryam has transformed stakeholder ideas into a creative structure for learning and skill development for fellows. She brings new talent and voices to the fore and stays on the pulse of conversations happening in the media space and beyond. Leveraging her insights and network, she has enhanced the program’s topical breadth, brought in a diverse array of talent to foster new voices, and helped extend the program's reach, with over 300 admitted applicants from across the US and the world. She is an excellent collaborator and consummate professional, who well navigates the needs of the stakeholders while pushing the program to explore the needs of contemporary wine communications in a global context.”
– Sarah Bray, Executive Director, Wine Writers’ Symposium and Associate Director of Wine Education at the Meadowood Wine Center
Attendee Testimonial
“There is simply no other place or time in the world that fosters so much learning, community, and interaction between professional writers. The Symposium is an invaluable resource and experience.”

Camp Yoshi

Camp Yoshi creates a space for the BIPOC community and its allies to unplug in order to reconnect with wilderness. Camp Yoshi creates custom designed, outdoor adventures that speak to their shared community. An element of these outdoor adventures is epicurean: gourmet meals, craft cocktails, and wines of impact.

Camp Yoshi originated in Oregon, a state with plenty of outdoor lovers that enjoy wine. Maryam + Company curated an outdoor-friendly list of Oregon wines made by people creating something as adventurous, approachable, and community-driven as a Camp Yoshi expedition.
Key Actions & Results:
- Secured off-the-beaten-path Oregon wines that underscore diversity and sustainability goals held by Camp Yoshi
- Created educational guests notes in campfire storytime fashion about each wine, the people behind them, and their impact on the environment and their communities
- Facilitated budgetary and shipping logistics of wine program

Immersive Experiences

Designing immersive experiences as containers of discovery to intersect new products, important initiatives, and regional development.

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KIA electrified walla walla

Kia Electrified is one of several high-touch activations offered by Kia USA to connect sustainable driving with sustainable lifestyle, offering deeper storytelling and engagement opportunities for priority audiences of the automotive company.

Maryam + Company designed a repeatable program for two waves of media attendees during one week of September 2023. The program connected sustainable driving to the land that attendees would find themselves driving on, deemed “En Route Education” by M+C. The program offered exposure to education about the Columbia Valley, soils and vineyards, and a full “tasting” of Kia’s EVs, plug-ins, and 6-speed manual offerings. The program also introduced the upcoming, all-electric 2024 Kia EV9. Maryam + Company wove wine education together with automotive subject matter experts to discuss Kia’s design and sustainability commitments to help relate EV driving to the agricultural health and viability of a hidden gem like Walla Walla, Washington.
Key Actions & Results -
- Worked closely with Marketing Manager to build program that translated internal messaging to immersive media education
- Designed educational and driving itinerary for participants
- Coordinated all dining, education sessions, and winemaker tastings
- Provided supplemental education during program
- Recruited food, beverage, and travel media attendees
- Provided introductions to key regional stakeholders for media interviews
- Media Articles: At the Intersection of Wine & Cars, Yours Truly (Substack); This Celeb-Studded Wine Region is a Chiller Version of Napa (Bustle), The Best Walla Walla Wineries (and More) to Visit Right Now (Wine Enthusiast); We Drove a Kia EV6 Through the Middle of Nowhere, and We Made It Home (MotorTrend)
Testimonial:
"Maryam + Company is the industry leader in producing immersive wine experiences. Maryam helped Kia identify the intersection between sustainable wine programming and electric vehicles, and was a partner to me in developing a program and securing media. Her expertise in wine and relationships with growers and producers was key to the program's success, and I would recommend Maryam to anyone looking to develop creative and meaningful experiences for any audience." - Jeff Jablansky, Product and Technology Communications Manager, Kia America

Field Blends

Field Blends, powered by Maryam + Company, is an immersive food & wine travel experience rooted in community and conversation. These trips explore topics of diversity, sustainability, and emergent movements in the worlds of wine and agriculture.

Key Actions & Results:
- Thoughtfully curated a 4-day thematically-structured food & wine program that included intimate tastings with winemakers, regional deep-dives, hands-on educational offerings, and one-of-a-kind experiences
- Performed outreach to program sponsors and secured funding for scholarship seats
- Designed and executed a robust scholarship program that garnered 45 applicants and awarded four recipients
- Elevated unique voices in the industry by confirming diversity & sustainability experts as part of speaker series
- Created regional economic impact through community engagement and attracting new visitors to the area with a new travel experience
Participant Testimonial:
“The Field Blends: Walla Walla trip was beyond what I had imagined a food and wine trip could encompass. From the intimate group size to the local, curated meals to the sense of community displayed by all the wine industry professionals we met each step of the way was beyond amazing! Being able to meet other scholarship recipients from all over the country, who are all on different wine journeys, allowed us to connect on a deeper level that we didn't know we needed. Hence why this experience was like no other, and we all noticed the amount of care and intention that the Field Blends team took the time to create meaningful experiences which resulted in everlasting memories!”
– Tahlia Suggs, Founder, Sisterhood of Winos

KIA Monterey

Kia is a multi-national vehicle manufacturing company committed to practicing environmental management and developing eco-friendly technologies to maximize value creation for consumers and shareholders alike.

In response to the equity and inclusion problem in the wine industry, Lift Collective introduced a new entrepreneurship program designed to provide financial support, resources, community, and professional connections for entrepreneurs and new business owners working in the wine industry. Lift Collective partnered with Maryam + Company to develop the curriculum for the 6-month program.
Key Actions & Results:
- Worked closely with Lift Collective to design curriculum pillars and thoughtful programming in collaboration with leadership
- Coordinated outreach to increase number of applications; drew in 53 applicants, five of whom were selected to receive $5k stipends for the first year (2022)
- Prioritized and confirmed diverse leadership for speaker curation as part of educational training, workshops, and roundtables
Testimonial:
“It was such a joy to work with Maryam + Company. Maryam and her team allowed us to actualize our big picture concept by taking our idea and breaking into smaller, more manageable goals. Maryam contributed positive feedback, accountability tools, ideation, and partnership recommendations based on the needs of our program, all while maintaining that it stayed true to our vision. We highly recommend and can’t wait to work with Maryam + Company. again for future programming."
- Lift Collective

Positioning + Talent

Opening up new markets, expanding client networks, transforming thought leadership profiles, and increasing access for underrepresented communities in the food and beverage industry through strategic consulting and active talent recruitment.

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Santa Lucia Highlands

Santa Lucia Highlands is a renowned California AVA and regional association with a long history of prioritizing sustainability and innovation. Here, winegrowers embrace both technology and sustainability, viewing innovation as a means to improve wine quality and the ecosystem together.

Maryam + Company was brought on to create Santa Lucia Highlands SOMM Tour, an educational trip to the Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH) AVA for wine professionals including sommeliers and buyers. Maryam + Company also spearheaded updating the application to be more inclusive and developing a new system that addressed implicit bias in the review process
Key Actions & Results:
- Led Santa Lucia Highlands Executive Director through accountability consulting to ensure immersive wine industry education experience met diversity goals
- Created more access for attendees who have been historically left off the invitation list
- Established a new application review and selection process which included DEI-driven training and guidelines
- Established travel stipends to increase program accessibility to a broader audience of diverse wine professionals
- Designed the scholarship program and selection process for SLH SOMM Tour
- Recruited diverse applicants and fostered regional connections

Maze Row Wine Merchant – VOICES Launch

Maze Row Imports, a subsidiary of EJ Gallo, launched an online publication called VOICES, a collection of articles by wine writers and connoisseurs, bold thinkers, and cutting-edge creatives. VOICES speaks to curious minds who want to delve into the life of wine, connect with experts and educators, and are excited by the artists and mavericks who collectively help make the wine scene progressive and exciting.

Key Actions & Results:
Led leadership team through accountability consulting to ensure the launch for VOICES met diversity, sustainability, cultural relevance, and representation goals with storytelling.
Recruited diverse writing talent for the contributor list representing consumers and the wine industry to write for the publication.

LIFT COLLECTIVE

Lift Collective is a community-centered, multi-channel platform advocating equity and inclusion in the wine industry

In response to the equity and inclusion problem in the wine industry, Lift Collective introduced a new entrepreneurship program designed to provide financial support, resources, community, and professional connections for entrepreneurs and new business owners working in the wine industry. Lift Collective partnered with Maryam + Company to develop the curriculum for the 6-month program.
Key Actions & Results:
- Worked closely with Lift Collective to design curriculum pillars and thoughtful programming in collaboration with leadership
- Coordinated outreach to increase number of applications; drew in 53 applicants, five of whom were selected to receive $5k stipends for the first year (2022)
- Prioritized and confirmed diverse leadership for speaker curation as part of educational training, workshops, and roundtables
Testimonial:
“It was such a joy to work with Maryam + Company. Maryam and her team allowed us to actualize our big picture concept by taking our idea and breaking into smaller, more manageable goals. Maryam contributed positive feedback, accountability tools, ideation, and partnership recommendations based on the needs of our program, all while maintaining that it stayed true to our vision. We highly recommend and can’t wait to work with Maryam + Company. again for future programming."
- Lift Collective

SommCon

SommCon offers regional multi-day conferences and expos that include educational sessions, tasting classes, and panels on the business of wine and spirits.

Key Actions & Results:
- Diversified board membership through strategic recruitment
- Expanded organization’s reach in new markets and strengthened brand relevance through leadership diversification

ready to work together

TESTIMONIALS

Andrew ZimmernChef and Restauranteur

"Maryam is the straw that stirs the drink."
Sarah BrayExecutive Director, Wine Writers Symposium and Associate Director of Wine Education at the Meadowood Wine Center

“As program advisor, Maryam was an indispensable asset to the 2021 virtual Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. Leveraging her insights and network, she enhanced the program’s topical breadth, brought in a diverse array of talent to foster new voices, and helped extend the program's reach, with over 300 admitted applicants from across the US and the world. Maryam is an excellent collaborator and consummate professional, who well navigated the needs of the stakeholders while pushing the program to explore the needs of contemporary wine communications in a global context.”
Rachel AdamsFounder + Executive Director of Assemblage Symposium

"Maryam + Company is one of those rare and deeply needed agencies in wine that can take a 30,000-foot vision and break it into meaningful and manageable actions. To organizations like ours that work to further equity in the wine industry, Maryam + Company's skill for strategic planning and expert execution is what makes the difference between wishing for change and making change happen."
Erik SegelbaumChief Vinnovation Officer, SOMLYAY LLC

“Maryam created unique and highly useful content and ensured that the entire process was well orchestrated. I am involved in a number of events and conferences that I wish had Maryam at the helm.”
Jason WisePresident, Forgotten Man Films, Director, The Somm Series

“Maryam is one of the most organized, socially conscious, and driven people my team and I have worked with since I started filming for network.”
Chef Mimi Robinson-BriscoeFounder, Black Food & Wine Experience

“Maryam facilitated and moderated the inaugural Food & Wine Industry Summit as part of the 2022 Black Food & Wine Experience. Her attention to detail and warm energy allowed for great conversations during the panel discussions. I'd recommend Maryam to anyone looking to host a panel within the food and beverage landscape.”
Robert White Executive Director, California Minority Counsel Program

“Maryam + Company delivered on all counts and were great partners for us – listening and making sure they understood our business priorities and strategies, exhibiting high levels of professionalism and showing creativity, persistence and humor in working through the complexities of high-profile events. Maryam and her team showed they cared both about our success as an organization and about our constituents and they were a pleasure to work with – they felt like members of our team.
Maryam + Company was a key part of our success and I commend them highly to others looking for strong partners in their endeavor”
Kyle Pallischeck Executive Director, Finger Lakes Wine Alliance

“Collaborating with Maryam Ahmed and her company, Maryam + Co, has been a transformative experience in our strategic efforts surrounding Riesling Camp. Maryam’s focus on accountability has sharpened our approach, while her commitment to building a sense of community has fostered stronger connections within our team and the industry. Her emphasis on equity has helped ensure that our initiatives reach and represent a more diverse audience. Through her strategic influence, the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, and the Finger Lakes wine region as a whole, continues to grow as a leader in both wine and inclusivity.”
Brytanee Brown Founder and CEO, emergent labs

“We've worked with Maryam + Company on several internal initiatives. Maryam + Company is a strategic thought partner that can take a vision or idea to completion in a creative and efficient way. Their method for understanding our goals is what sets them apart: a combination of facilitation, open-mindedness, strategy, and investment in truly understanding the client.”
Field BlendsMichigan Attendee

“I am not sure I knew what to expect as this was the first wine trip I have ever taken. I assumed it would be days of visiting wineries and the typical presentation at the winery. Instead, every activity was such a curated and "special event" type of experience. And instead of "one special event" experience, we (the Field Blenders) kept having one after the next! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!”
Anna BrittainExecutive Director, Napa Green

“We are grateful to Maryam for contributing to our Napa Green Itineraries, which spotlight certified sustainable and climate smart vineyards and wineries. We appreciate every chance we get to collaborate with Maryam as she is so deeply dedicated to growing inclusivity in our industry, and building bridges between wine communities.”
Cassidee ShullExecutive Director, Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology

“Maryam's dedication and passion for fostering inclusivity and awareness within the Colorado wine industry have bes could gain a greater understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as it relates to their businesses, and consider clarity and commitment in their marketing and storytelling around DEI authentically, has left a lasting mark not only on our local wine community but also on the entire wine association and wine region.”