The SommCon Scholarship Experience with Lynn Dowdell

Authored by Lynn Dowdell

I first learned about the SommCon scholarship program during Wine & Culture Fest 2022, a wine festival featuring cultural experiences dedicated to brand awareness, industry advancement, and consumer education. SommCon co-located with Wine & Culture to bring beverage professionals in Atlanta a single-day conference experience where I served as a wine steward, tuning in to master classes taught by industry leaders and winemakers and further advancing my career as a wine curator.

SommCon and Wine & Culture Fest didn’t stop at the end of this awesome event, they reached out and thanked us for our participation in helping bring about such an amazing platform to the city of Atlanta. Of course, this intrigued me more than ever to learn about SommCon and what it offered to the wine industry. The Hue Society and SommCon provided information on continuing to expand and educate ourselves in the industry and this is so important for me as not only a woman in the industry but as a BIPOC woman. When the SommCon scholarship program application became available, I immediately took the opportunity to apply for the Emerging Leader Scholarship and I was approved!

While I’ve been to quite a few of these educational events, I never thought I would be a part of such a unique opportunity to connect and learn from top industry leaders and broaden my palate like I experienced through the SommCon scholarship program. This experience gave me a new wine family with SommCon.

I’m so glad I attended SommCon 2022! I was able to meet and connect with other wine professionals that I had only seen via social media and now we have a more intimate connection. It gave me a greater focus on wine and the industry that I feel will help me in educating and entertaining my clients at Vin Collective. Being in the company and feeling the energy of like-minded individuals puts you in a go get it mode! It’s sort of like I felt a renewed sense of determination to continue my journey as a wine curator and keep providing unique experiences in the world of wine and spirits. The educational knowledge and wisdom from some of the best in industry is nothing short of amazing and to taste some great wines and spirits is simply icing on the cake. It feels good to invest in yourself doing what you love and to be given an opportunity to become great at it. Thank you SommCon!

Lynn Dowdell is a wine curator and consultant with Vin Collective, Winner of Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2021 in the category Best Luxury Wine Tasting Experience in Florida 2021. You can connect with Lynn at: