We are working hard to finalize the date and host hotel for the 2012 Wine Tourism Conference. While we don’t have exact details yet, it will likely be in November in Sonoma County, as requested by a majority of those attending the conference this past November.
Please stay tuned for details. If you have interest in speaking at or sponsoring the conference, send us an email.
Filed under From the Organizers
The First Wine Tourism Conference to be directed towards wine tourism professionals from through North America and beyond wrapped up with a sold-out total of 205 registered participants. Attendees gave it a resounding vote of success at the final wrapup session, in which the group called for an annual conference and made suggestions for next year.
Attendees came from 25 states, British Columbia, and as far away as South Africa, Spain, and the U.K. Heavily represented among the group were winery marketing and hospitality professionals, wine and tourism associations, and wine tour companies. Also well represented were wine-related service businesses, hotels, and the press.
The leadoff speaker was Caroline Beteta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the industry-led California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC). Mrs. Beteta presented a very convincing outline of California’s tourism promotion efforts and her talk well received by the audience. For a full analysis of the conference, see Paul Franson’s article in Wines & Vines.
In comments received during the final session and in a post-conference survey, the general theme was the conference was extremely useful and should be repeated on an annual basis. As one participant wrote, “For a first year effort, it was very impressive. Well organized, good agenda, well attended, impressive geographic diversity. Exceeded my expectations.”
A number of suggestions were made to make the content even more appealing for 2012, including:
As organizers of the conference, we very keenly pay attention to all comments and will work hard to make changes to make 2012 even better. We hope to announce the 2012 location and date by the end of the year. Thank you to all who attended!
Filed under From the Organizers
Our final panel of the conference is a very exciting topic, Sharing Best Practices. We have brought in four experts to provide their views on what works and what doesn’t in wine tourism and then want to hear from audience members as well.
The panel includes:
In addition, we have Ray Johnson, Director of Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute as moderator of the panel. Ray has been a big supporter of the conference and we were able to secure a few minutes of his time to answer the following questions:
What is the main function of the Wine Business Institute?
Our vision is to be the global leader in wine business research and education. To that end, we study the issues that are most important to the wine industry and offer wine business classes at the graduate, undergraduate and professional levels.
Who does the WBI serve, both regarding students and others in the community?
The Wine Business Institute serves the wine industry both globally and locally. Our mission is to create extraordinary learning experiences for our students and advance the best practices in wine business. We fulfill this mission by:
What significance to you think the first Wine Tourism Conference has?
There is great power in collaboration and the sharing of best practices. The experience of the speakers and the attendees is what makes such a gathering so powerful.
What do you hope to see result from the Sharing Best Practices session at the conference?
I am always impressed by the new ideas that are created wherever one travels in the world of wine. You might think you’ve seen it all and yet someone will surprise you, especially when you hit the road and venture outside of your local region. This session will bring numerous and far-flung regions together in one room on one day in November.
Come prepared to offer your own best ideas about what has worked to promote wine tourism and to take notes on what has worked with other areas.
Filed under From the Organizers
The first Wine Tourism Conference targeted to wine and tourism professionals across North America is almost sold out. With 186 registered, only 20 spaces remain out of the 200 available.
So far, large groups of registrants come from the following areas: wineries, wine associations, tourism associations, wine tour companies, hotels, and wine industry businesses. We also have reasonably sized groups from the press plus sponsors and speakers.
As expected for this first version of the conference, most attendees are from California. However, we also have people registered from 15 states, two Canadian provinces, and three European countries.
We are looking forward to a great first conference!
Filed under From the Organizers
In addition to the excellent banquet dinner provided by Legendary Napa, we are pleased to offer a pre-dinner reception organized by Napa Vintners. The following wineries will be pouring at the reception from 5:00 – 6:30 PM on Wednesday, November 16th.
Alpha Omega
Ceja Vineyards
Schweiger Vineyards
Grgich Hills Estate
Schramsberg Vineyards
Ma(i)sonry
Merryvale Vineyards
Louis M. Martini Winery
William Hill Estate
Folie à Deux
Thank you to Napa Vintners and all the participating wineries!
Filed under From the Organizers
Legendary Napa is generously hosting the Banquet Dinner of the Wine Tourism Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th at the Napa Marriott, our host hotel. The dinner menu looks delicious!
Wine Tourism Conference Banquet Dinner
St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc
First-of-the Season Local Dungeness Crab Cake, Spicy Remoulade, Pepper Relish, Heirloom Garden Greens
Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay
Sonoma County Poultry Duck Confit, Rancho Gordo Flageolet Bean and Sky Hill Goat Cheese Salad, Crispy Leeks
Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
Porcini and Bacon Braised 5-Dot Ranch Short-Rib, Butternut Squash Gratin, Cabernet Reduction
Mondavi Dessert Wine
Apple and Dried Cherry Crisp; Three Twins Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Breads by Model Bakery
There will be alternate selections for those with restricted eating diets. Thank you to Legendary Napa and St. Supery, Cakebread, and Mondavi wineries!
Filed under From the Organizers
We have posted the 2011 Wine Tourism Conference list of attendees. Take a moment to look at the great group of folks who will be joining us in Napa Valley next month by visiting the pdf of attendees. This is the first North American Wine Tourism Conference and we are excited to see that we already have over 125 registrants.
As you look through the list of participants, you will notice there is a wide array of companies and associations within all sides of the wine tourism industry that will be joining us, from tour companies to winegrowers associations to hospitality and beyond. And from owners and CEOs to tasting room managers, directors of marketing to viticulture experts, the knowledge the attendees will be able to share with one another will be vast.
If you have not registered for your spot in the conference, now is the time to do so. We still expect a number of additional attendees to register, and you won’t want to miss your chance to be a part of this ground-breaking opportunity in North America for wine tourism.
Filed under From the Organizers
We understand those of you coming from out of the area might want to extend your trip to see wine country itself and not just the conference hotel. At the same time, many conference attendees will be locals and those coming from out of town have likely been to Napa and Sonoma before or will have specific things to do or people to see anyway.
Because of that, we are offering just two events for you to consider, one before the conference and one after.
On Tuesday, November 15 we will offer a special Sonoma Vineyard Walk for conference attendees. Sonoma Vineyard Walks are a wine country attraction created by conference co-organizer Zephyr Adventures, which runs active wine, beer, and food tours around the world. The walks are designed to get visitors out of the tasting rooms and into the vineyards, where much of the beauty is and, as winemakers will tell you, all the important things happen in wine. The guided walk will include lunch and a tasting at Michel-Schlumberger, located in Wine Creek Canyon just off Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. The walk starts at 1:00 PM and is free for conference attendees (normally $125 for the public).
You must be pre-registered to join – please email info (at) winetourismconference (dot) org to register. More information will be forthcoming regarding share rides from the conference hotel in Napa.
On Friday, November 18 our partners at Legendary Napa invite you to participate in Flavor Napa Valley. Flavor Napa Valley is a “four-day extravaganza of farm-to-table fine cuisine, world-class wines, and the fun that is had when these elements come together”. It is a series of wine and food events, many of them being held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Events are ticketed and so you should purchase tickets on your own and have your own transportation. This is the inaugural festival and net proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund at the CIA. You can learn more about activities available in the Napa Valley at legendarynapavalley.com.
Filed under From the Organizers
For the past 17 years, the mission of Touring & Tasting Marketing and Media has been promoting tourism to the wine regions of North America. What a perfect partner to have for the first-ever Wine Tourism Conference in North America.
We had some contact with Touring and Tasting in prior months but it wasn’t until the Wine Bloggers Conference in late July that things started moving. And once they started moving, they moved fast.
We have had few organizations respond so quickly and so enthusiastically to the idea of a Wine Tourism Conference. The people at Touring and Tasting with whom we have conversed about the conference have been unanimously upbeat about this conference.
The award-winning national publication Touring & Tasting has earned the reputation as “The Definitive Guide to Wine Country” – providing an indispensable resource for anyone interested in traveling to wine country and the wine country lifestyle. Touring & Tasting works closely with tourism entities, vintners associations, wineries, tasting rooms and accommodations throughout the country, helping them promote their wine country business through an integrated, bundled marketing program that reaches wine lovers and travelers through a wide spectrum of media formats and platforms.
For more information visit http://www.touringandtasting.com.
Filed under From the Organizers
