For years now one of the most well-received aspects of the Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference have been the three-hour intensive workshops that take place the day prior to the actual conference. These workshops allow us to focus on a specific subject and audience, provide more in-depth coverage of a subject, and allow time for interaction between the audience and presenters.

In 2017 we have five workshops set for Monday, November 6. Two take place in the morning and are designed to be appropriate for all attendees. Three take place in the afternoon and are specifically targeted to wineries, tour operators, and winery associations / DMOs. Workshops require an additional registration fee of $125 for one or $200 for both morning and afternoon; you need not be registered to the conference to attend the workshops.

For complete details and to register, please see the Workshops page. Brief summaries of the five outstanding workshops are below.

Morning Workshops (8:30 – 11:30 AM): Choose One

Eight Pillars of Digital Marketing: Robyn Scott and Beth Peluse, both of whom work for conference organizer Zephyr Conferences and each of whom has worked for digital marketing agencies in the past, will present Zephyr’s comprehensive “Eight Pillars of Digital Marketing”. The content will be tailored to the wine industry and is applicable both to those relatively new to digital marketing and those more experienced.

Afternoon Workshop Options (1:00 – 4:00 PM): Choose One

Tasting Room Management: Tasting rooms are key to selling wine from the “cellar door” and are often the first and only impression of the winery for potential customers. This workshop will cover all aspects of tasting room management, including staffing (hiring, managing, and training), layout, pricing, selling, wine selection and pricing, wine club memberships, non-wine merchandise, setting hours, deciding on whether to require appointments, and more. The workshop will be led by Sandra Hess, the founder of DTC Wine Workshops, which supports wineries of all sizes in the areas of e-commerce, CRM, DTC Strategic Planning, and Training Services.

Best Practices for Tour Operators: Join a couple dozen of your peers as we discuss best practices in running a tour operator business. While this workshop is designed for those running beer, wine, and food tours, it will be applicable to all tour operators (day tours or vacation tours) and those considering starting a company. We will discuss selecting a niche, identifying your target market, insurance, employees, guides, pricing, selecting tour locations, running great tours, and soliciting feedback. The workshop will be facilitated by Allan Wright, who has an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and has 19 years experience operating two tour companies (Zephyr Adventures and Taste Vacations).

Winery Associations & DMOs Workshop & Summit: Winery associations and tourism promotion agencies based in wine regions (Destination Management Organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, etc) work hard year round promoting their region to visitors interested in wine. These associations play a critical role in defining their region, creating awareness, and helping members achieve success. Our presenters will include Ken Fischang, President / CEO of Sonoma County Tourism; Karissa Kruse, President of Sonoma County Winegrowers; and a representative of Sonoma County Vintners to be announced. These three agencies have done a stellar job at promoting wine and wine tourism in Sonoma County, are a model for the country (and the world), and will have lots to impart.