One thing you can always count on is change, which is not always within your control. Fires in wine country, economic downturns and bad publicity can all impact tourism. Regardless of any challenges that arise, you should have a solid tourism plan in place in order to maintain and grow visitation to your winery and region.
Partner with local hotels, restaurants, breweries and other wineries. Cross-marketing can be a strong message to the traveler, especially if you can provide a well-rounded experience for your visitor. Don’t be afraid to promote those partners on your website, in your social media and at your winery. By working together, you can portray a compelling reason to visit by making sure you have something for everyone to enjoy.- Get ahead of any problems and communicate. Media may make generalizations about your region when disaster strikes. Make sure you have back-up content in place and ready to show that you were not affected, or it is not a bad as the media makes it out to be. Even if there is no bad publicity for you and your area, make sure you communicate effectively and consistently about the advantages of visiting your region.
- Provide an excellent experience. Nothing goes further than referrals in this world of social media. Make sure your customers enjoy their visit and they won’t stop talking about it to everyone they know. This includes unique experiences, outstanding product and making them feel personally connected to you and your winery.
- Work with Local Tour Companies. Consumers often reach out to local tour companies when visiting an unknown region – this gives them confidence that they will have a tailored experience created just for them. By building relationships with the local tour companies, they will include you on itineraries and promote your winery experience to these visitors. Invite the tour company to visit your property, show them what you have to offer, profile them on your website and enjoy a collaboration that will help both of you be successful.
Need more information on how to craft an excellent Wine Tourism Plan? Attend the 2020 Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference in Eugene, OR March 3-5. Janiene Ullrich with The Family Coppola will be presenting a full session on this topic. REGISTER TODAY!
We break into peer groups, with a leader to direct the conversation, and begin by collecting topics to discuss during the 2 hour workshop. Everyone can then contribute to the conversation – it is a great way to receive feedback and suggestions as well as being able to offer advice on successful tactics that have been used for a specific challenge.
For almost three decades, Lynda Schenk has worked across a diverse range of industries including: wine, hospitality, human resources, transport, medical devices, building and construction, conveyancing, landscape gardening, water filtration, organic farming, industrial cleaning and not-for-profit industries. She has a deep understanding of the marketing needs of companies, small and large. She also is the Owner and Founder of Purple Giraffe Marketing, a wine consulting company in Adelaide.
The two-day conference will focus on cutting edge topics in wine tourism, including the impact of craft beer and cannabis, diversity and inclusion in wine tourism, and the use of big data to drive results in your planning. There will also be industry “Sharing Best Practices” breakout sessions for wineries, wine tour operators, DMOs and winery associations as well as an opening reception, an evening party, and one lunch included in the conference price.