2020 Agenda

All events will take place at the Valley River Inn in Eugene, Oregon unless otherwise noted.

4:30 – 6:00 PM Conference Registration (Ballroom Foyer): Check in and pick up your name badge.

4:30 – 6:00 PM Opening Reception (Ballroom Foyer): Have a glass of wine, make new relationships, and renew old friendships in this opening reception for those of you arriving today. Plus, meet the following sponsors:

6:00 PM Bus pick up for Sweet Cheeks Winery Dinner (Hotel Lobby)

SOLD OUT! 6:30 PM Dinner at Sweet Cheeks Winery: Join us for a hosted three-course dinner at the vineyard and hear the winemaker’s incredible and very unique story. Advanced registration is required and there is a small fee to cover transportation. Limited to 30 attendees.

8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Conference Registration & Trade Show (Ballroom Foyer): If you did not register on Tuesday, you can do so today. Additionally, visit further with these conference sponsors throughout the day during breaks:

9:00 – 9:20 AM Conference Opening

9:20 – 10:05 AM Opening Keynote: Lynda Schenk, Executive Director of the Wine Communicators of Australia (Ballroom West): Lynda is a dynamic professional who as the Executive Director of Wine Communicators of Australia is at the center of the Australian marketing world. She also runs her own marketing agency, Purple Giraffe. Australia is probably leading the world in terms of investment in wine tourism and Lynda will provide an overview of what is happening Down Under, including lessons for the audience.

10:05 – 10:20 AM Break

10:20 – 11:20 AM Luxury and the Art of Excellence (Ballroom West): At either $9 or $1,000 a bottle, wine is not a necessity of life, although we in the industry like to think it is. The same is true with a vacation to wine country. Your customers perceive wine and wine tourism as a luxury product. So, you are in a luxury business regardless of your wine region, price point, style of wine, or marketing messaging. If a customer makes the decision to travel to your region, visit your winery, or buy a bottle of your wine, it is a special occasion to them. Thus it requires your finest effort each and every time. Personifying excellence in hospitality is an absolute requirement to create a world-class experience at any level of success. Those who embrace this notion and instill it into the culture at all levels will be the ones who succeed at the highest level. Presented by wine industry veteran Eric Guerra.

11:20 AM – 12:20 PM Creating and Executing Your Wine Tourism Plan (Ballroom West): Do you have an effective plan in place to drive traffic to your destination or organization? If not, you are simply at the mercy of market forces. This session will present how to craft and implement an effective tourism plan. Presented by Janiene Ullrich, The Family Coppola

12:20 – 1:50 PM Lunch On Your Own: Show your conference badge at these Travel Lane County restaurant partners and receive special discounts. There are several local restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, including Dickie Jo’s Burgers, Royal India, Burrito Boy, Blu Mist, Sweet Waters Restaurant (the hotel restaurant) or check out any of the restaurants recommended by Travel Lane County! You can also hop on a PeaceHealth Bike Share – there’s a station right at the Valley River Inn – and easily ride across the river into the Whiteaker Neighborhood or downtown, and there are tons of options in either area.

1:50 – 2:50 PM How Do You Attract Attention In a Crowded, Busy World? (Ballroom West): Digital marketing is all the rage and has been for years. But there is always more to learn. This session will cover email marketing, social media marketing, and online advertising. Presented by Jeremy Schubert, Lunabean Media

2:50 – 3:05 PM Break

3:05 – 5:05 PM 360 Degrees Sharing Best Practices: This year we are taking our most popular sessions, the Industry Breakouts, and making them even more cutting edge. We will break into two groups, focused on Marketing (Ballroom East) and Tourism (Ballroom Middle), and share Best Practices on each subject. We will start by having each person in attendance take one minute to relate a success story in the subject of wine marketing or wine tourism. You can choose anything you want, on any subject, with large results or small. We will use the remaining time to delve deeper into any of the success stories or, as a group, walk through a series of topics related to wine marketing or wine tourism. With each group consisting of various types of attendee (winery, association, DMO, tour operator, marketing agency, hotel, etc), there should be plenty of great ideas flowing. Please come prepared with at least one thing your organization has done that has worked great for you and be ready to share. Our Marketing moderators are Jeremy Schubert of Lunabean Media and Anne Hallock of FessParker Winery & Vineyard. Our Tourism moderators are Heather Jordan of Biltmore Wines in North Carolina and Natalie Inouye of Visit Lane County.

5:30 – 7:30 PM Reception at Provisions Market Hall at 5th Street Public Market (pickup at hotel lobby): 5th Street Market is Eugene’s hippest market and culinary social hub. Provisions Market is an upscale market that features organic, local foods, a restaurant, and an event space. Wine and food is included in your conference registration.

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM Registration and Trade Show (Ballroom Foyer)

8:00 – 8:05 AM Opening of Day Two (Ballroom West)

8:05 – 9:05 AM Experiential Marketing (Ballroom West): Experiential Marketing, or Engagement Marketing, allows you to take your go-to-market strategy to a whole new level to strengthen and engage consumer interaction with your brand. New marketing platforms today, such as social media, are designed to be two-way direct lines of communication with a community. But while social media is limited to what can be delivered online, experiential marketing includes all senses to attract and retain customers. While experiential marketing is centered on events, and events are ubiquitous in the wine industry, it is the type of event, how it is executed and promoted, and the immersive experience that will result in stronger market leadership and consumer loyalty. Presented by Sarah Miller, Axis Entertainment

9:05 – 10:05 AM Creating Programs for Millennials that Work (Ballroom West): Marketing to Millennials is a challenge. They communicate and make purchasing and entertainment decisions in new ways that may not be similar to how you have always done business. How they perceive winery tours, tasting rooms, and events – not to mention marketing and the wine itself – can be different from their parents’ views and yours. We’ll learn from a panel of successful wine Millennials how you can communicate and create lasting relationships with Millennials, providing solutions tailored just for them. Our panel consists of Kacy Minnis, General Manager of the Oregon Wine LAB; Shannon Carrigan, Winemaker at Plum Hill Vineyards; Stephen Hoshaw, Senior Director of Tourism at Travel Lane County; with moderator and freelance writer Sophia McDonald Bennett.

10:05 – 10:20 AM Break

10:20 – 11:20 AM After the Party: Continuing the Conversation (Ballroom West): Businesses that make one-time sales often don’t last in business very long. Most businesses (or regions) need repeat business to survive and to thrive. While much of that repeat business comes from providing an outstanding product, post-service sale is also critical. This session will include discussion of how to keep in touch with your customers, whether to offer your customers discounts, how to get your customers to purchase again, and more. Presented by Tammy Boatright, VingDirect

11:20 AM – 12:20 PM Key Lessons Europe Can Share With US Wine Marketers (Ballroom West): Learn about what European wine players are doing to strengthen their global presence and increase exports in the U.S. from Sopexa, a global food & beverage marketing agency known for its robust European wine client roster. This session will explore new wine collective business models, the challenges they faced when crafting global communication programs and the benefits of teaming up to foster industry leadership. Presented by Sarah Moreau and Nelly Dhommee, Sopexa.

12:20 – 1:50 PM Lunch Hosted by the South Willamette Wineries Association (Ballroom East & Middle): More than 100 vineyards and over 25 wineries now call the South Willamette home. We will hear from the South Willamette Wineries Association and taste wines from these wineries over lunch:

1:50 – 2:50 PM Using Big Data to Drive Results (Ballroom West): Big data is the wave of the future – do you know how to use it? This session will provide an overview of data analytics, explore what metrics are important and why, and how to get the most out of your data to maximize exposure and sales. Presented by Cathy Hughye, Enolytics

2:50 – 3:50 PM The Future of Wine Tourism: What We are Doing Wrong and How We Can Better Move Forward (Ballroom West): Join Paul Wagner, Founder of Balzac Communications, for an in-depth discussion of where we are today, what pitfalls we have experienced, and where we can go in ten years with proper planning and marketing. He will provide a list of “The Top Five Things Every Marketer Should Do Now” to help you correct your path and spur you on your way to a successful future.

3:50 – 4:00 PM Conference Close (Ballroom West)

5:45 PM Optional Dinner Pairing & Fireside Chat at Ninkasi Brewing (Meet in Hotel Lobby): Grab a 5-minute Uber and explore the world of beer to conclude your Wine Conference experience! Join Bryan Nelson, Hospitality Director, Kiley Gwynn, Brand Director and the Ninkasi Marketing Team for a fireside chat discussing craft beverage marketing while tasting beers. Following the chat, sit down for a dinner pairing with the Oregon Wine Lab. A small fee will be collected to cover your dinner costs and wine tastings will be paid direct to the OR Wine Lab at the dinner. Limited to 25. Click here for a registration link if you’re already registered for the conference. If not, you can add the dinner when you register.

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