WORLD CLASS
John Bevilaqua
Ophelia Santos
John Bevilaqua is a founding partner of Luxe World Class. After traveling around the world and working on events ranging from the Olympic Games to private wine tastings, he and Ophelia Santos formed Luxe World Class to provide premium level service to organizations around the globe.
John is a 35-year veteran in the sports marketing, media, advertising, communications and special events industry. He served as National Sports Manager and Olympic Project Manager for Coca-Cola USA, Vice President of Communications for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Committee and has extensive international experience having worked on the 1986 World Cup, 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow, 1988 Winter Olympics, 1992 Winter Games, 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, 1994 Winter Games and with several corporate clients in the 1996 Olympics. He has also been involved with the Paralyzed Veterans of America and was on the Board of the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. He has traveled to over 80 countries in his career.
John was selected to Who’s Who in Sports in Atlanta in 1996 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and was also named five times to Who’s Who in Hospitality in Atlanta by the Business Chronicle. He was also named to Outstanding Young Men of America in 1981. He was also listed in the Who’s Who Registry in 1996. John was also an adjunct professor at Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology teaching graduate level courses on Olympic and international marketing. John has also served on many charity boards and is considered to be a pioneer in the sports marketing industry. His hobbies include wine collecting, cooking, photography, fitness and writing. He recently published a non-fiction book and is currently working on additional titles.
Ophelia Santos, D.W.S., is a veteran of the food and beverage industry and a respected educator. She is the founder/director of WineWise, Atlanta’s first Approved Program Provider for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification classes. She holds both a Master of Arts Degree in Law & Diplomacy from Tufts University and a level 4 Diploma with Merit from London’s Wine & Spirit’s Education Trust. (The WSET is the oldest and most respected international body in the field of wines and spirits education, with a suite of sought-after qualifications.) She is also an Accredited Instructor for both Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Ophelia spent a number of years working in brand management with the Procter & Gamble Company, after which she turned entrepreneur, owning and operating independent coffee bars, wine bars and restaurants in Atlanta for 16 years. She was the Wine, Spirits & Beverage Editor for Flavors Magazine in Atlanta, as well as the North American PR/Marketing Director for Viña Ventisquero, one of Chile’s top ten wineries. She continues to consult for various winery clients in the areas of marketing and PR. After developing and launching the Food & Beverage Degree programs at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta in 2007, she continues to teach in the program as Lead Faculty. She was instrumental in developing curriculum for the new Department of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality at Kennesaw State University and has held various faculty positions at the school.
