ProWein, the global trade fair for wines and spirits, has been named title sponsor of the grand tasting and awards reception at the 2017 Texsom Conference.

Founded in 2005, Texsom conference was started by master sommeliers James Tidwell and Drew Hendricks to help promote professional wine service standards, outline paths for further wine education and certification and raise public awareness about professional standards and certifications for sommeliers. Today, the conference annually draws over 1,200 attendees, including beverage professionals, wine educators and media.

“Our two organizations have similar roots and philosophies. Both Texsom and ProWein had humble beginnings and have grown organically to become the leading beverage trade events in their respective areas,” says Tidwell. “We look forward to many more years of collaboration.”

This year’s Texsom takes place August 12-14 at the Four Seasons Resort & Club in Las Colinas, Texas.

“Texsom is an ideal platform for us to directly reach the U.S. wine industry with all its top wine buyers and decision makers,” says Marius Berlemann, Global Head Wine & Spirits at Messe Düsseldorf. “North America is one of the most important international visitor markets for ProWein. Our cooperation with Texsom is a further important measure to attract additional U.S. visitors to ProWein in Düsseldorf.”

As in the past, a portion of the proceeds from the sponsorship goes toward funding education for those pursuing careers as beverage professionals.