The Wine Tourism Conference was created with two goals in mind:
- To support the community of wineries, wine and tourism associations, lodging providers and tour operators in the promotion of their respective business
- To foster collaboration between all sectors of the tourism industry to help the industry grow as a whole
In turn, the conference depends on sponsorship from the industry to make the event possible. The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau was a major sponsor in 2012 and Travel Oregon and the Oregon Wine Board are major sponsors in 2013. However, the WTC also has smaller sponsors and we asked Monica Rosenthal, Executive Director the Lake County Winery Association, her thoughts about sponsoring the event for the second year in a row to gain the perspective of an organization not tied to the host location.
“We were an event sponsor for the first WTC held in Napa last year and we were pleasantly impressed with the program, the speakers, the topics discussed and the networking opportunities not only with the media present at the event, but also with the attendees,” says Rosenthal.
In terms of long term value for an emerging wine tourism destination such as Lake County, Rosenthal felt the conference was well suited for delivering “…contacts and connections; relationships in and around the region and in regions outside of California.”
Additionally she added that “The objective of our association is to bring awareness to the Lake County wine industry and to build tourism in our region and sponsorship of the conference appears to be a natural fit.”
“Participating at the Wine Tourism Conference has value to our marketing program because of connections we make at the event with tourism partners, media, and press and the sharing of new ideas, concepts and marketing strategies that we can utilize to enhance our tourism program in our region.”
Aside from benefits gained by sponsorship, Rosenthal found the Panel of Tourism Industry Leaders to be most illuminating part of the conference. “It was enlightening to discover what others are doing in the tourism arena and to bounce around new ideas.”
We the organizers of the Wine Tourism Conference mostly hope those of you involved in wine tourism choose to attend the conference each year. Your presence is important. However, if you would like to put your business or organization a step ahead as a leader in the wine tourism movement, please considering sponsoring the conference.
For information on sponsorship opportunities for the 2013 Wine Tourism Conference in Oregon, contact Reno Walsh reno@zephyradventures.com for more information.