Getting To Know The Wine Industry
Wine Pleasures Wine and Tourism Conference
People in the wine industry are interesting aren’t they? They are from all walks of life, but one thing brings them together – the love of wine. I attended the Wine Pleasures Wine and Tourism conference in Barcelona, on February 1-3, 2010. The first pre-event session was a Cava tasting. Looking around a room of unfamiliar faces is often difficult, but knowing they were there because of wine made it a lot easier. After a couple of glasses of very good Cava everything became a lot easier.
I have been on conferences before, however those have all be in a completely different industry without my own business in mind. So this conference made this event daunting, but exciting at the same time. Networking at any conference is always the same. Get to know the right people who can help you. I was not attending the conference to sell or influence anything, rather to look and listen to other people’s experiences, to see if I could pick up as many tips as possible. What I found however is that when you get people with a common interest in a room, especially if that common interest is wine, people soon become friends rather than business contacts.
Did I get as many tips and insights to the wine tourism industry as I wanted? No, not really… I got some which were very handy but, I was expecting some talks to be a little different. Did I meet interesting people? Yes! The mix of wine makers, wine tourism providers, wine experts as well as the social media and marketing people made the experience far more open than most conferences I have been to. This meant conversation outside the conference room was not all about one industry, which, no matter how passionate you are about it, can get a bit monotonous.
With some new friends and new ideas I feel more excited about getting my business up and running as well as I can. For me personally, it is important, but I also want it to run well for the wine industry, in Portugal, and in general. The small group of people I have met at the conference has justified my decision to move to this industry already.
People in the wine industry are interesting. They are also passionate, down to earth and often have a great story to tell. I am sure anyone who has visited a winery and talked with the owner or wine maker will agree. So get out there and visit a winery. If you are in Portugal look us up , take a great value tour and get to know the great wines and people of this stunning country. It would be my pleasure to share this wonderful experience with you.
