Our impressive line-up of speakers for IWINETC 2017 will, once again provide a range of innovative, creative and thought provoking sessions with unique and inspirational content which will allow you to discover the latest trends in the wine and culinary tourism industry, discover new grape escape destinations and wines, and address key issues with respect to both professional and business development.
Winetourisminfrance.com
André Deyrieux is a consultant in wine tourism strategy. He is an expert in creation of wine tourism events, storytelling and marketing of wine heritage.
André Deyrieux is VP of the French Wine Tourism Council (ConseilSupérieur de l’Oenotourisme), the advisory body for wine tourism with the government.
He created the web magazine Winetourisminfrance.com in 2006, and runs a network of blogs and social networks.
André Deyrieux is one of the founders of AEFO (« Association Européenne de Formation à l'Oenotourisme») - European Association of Training in Tourism (Council, audit and training in territorial development with local authorities, tourism development agencies and professional agencies). He is a teacher in wine tourism strategies for Angers, Nîmes, and Suze-la-Rousse universities.
He created in 2009 the Wine Tourist of the Year Award (« Prix de l'Oenotouriste de l'Année»).
He is founder-president of the association «Rencontres des CépagesModestes», and author of« A la Rencontre des CépagesModestesetOubliés» (Dunod Editions, Paris, 2016).
André Deyrieux is Sommelier-Conseil, graduate of the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse.He is Chevalier du Tastevin (Burgundy) and Echanson at the Echansonnerie des Papes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape).
André will part of the panel looking at
Regione Siciliana
Anthony Barbagallo, Assessore al Turismo, Sport e Spettacolo della Regione Sicilia, will open the 9th edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference, Exhibition and Workshop (IWINETC) at 09.30 in the Grand Hotel Villa Itria.
Sadly, Anthony was not able to open IWINETC 2017 as intended but had this to say at the IWINETC Press Conference:
View the Conference programme by clicking on the Front Cover of the Conference Catalogue:
Taste & Travel Slovenia
Barbara is a marketing and tourism professional with almost 20 years of experience. She is a founder of Taste & Travel Slovenia, agency specialized in boutique wine and culinary tours in Slovenia. She also works for Slovenian Tourism Board in the field of research and destination development.
Her enthusiasm for new discoveries, quality food and wine inspired her to start her own business. Marketing, customer experience, destination marketing and event management are her key specialities.
Her focus is quality over quantity. She always takes time to develop, taste and test the new tour. When in a dilemma what to include into the tour, hospitality, quality of the wine and food, authenticity and uniqueness of the experience are her highest ranked criteria. As a nationally certificated tourist guide she keeps in touch with customers’ expectations and interests from the first hand.
Barbera will deliver a talk titled:
This talk will take you around Slovenia by presenting its wine tourism potentials, novelties and icons. Discover three completely different wine regions, home of some of the world’s best wine growing areas, and get surprised by amazing diversity in wine styles. Learn about Slovenia, recently declared as the world's first »Green Destination«, and its numerous, quite boutique and natural wines.
Movimento del Turismo del Vino (MTV) Italy
Carlo will be on the panel for the the following session:
Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Winery Associations and DMC companies based in grape escape destinations around the world play an important role generating awareness of their region, territory or country and are key if wine tourism experience providers are to thrive. So how well is your grape escape destination doing in attracting wine tourism and ensuring businesses get involved and become successful?
This session will draw upon a wealth of experience from the panel, providing food for thought and practical ideas for the promotion of a grape escape destination. This panel discussion is specifically designed to be a sharing session so come prepared with your own challenges and successes.
Moderator: Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director
Panel Members:
Great Wine Capitals Global Network
After having studied foreign languages applied to business and management, Catherine has started her carrier in Bordeaux, working for the French local government in consulting small and medium business in the development of their export markets.
She spent one year in Zürich (Switzerland) for the same organisation before heading back to Bordeaux and starting working for the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a public body which tasks are to support the development of firms in all their activities.
In 1998, she was in charge of organizing an international network around wine and in June 1999, launched the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
She is still in charge of managing the Network as its Executive Director.
In the last years, Catherine has been attached to the International Tourism Department at the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, where she developed the “Cruise Bordeaux” concept, a local organisation aiming to promote Bordeaux as a port of call to increase the number of cruise ships calls in Bordeaux.
Ever since the last fifteen years, she has been working with a lot of conviction and energy in the development of wine tourism in the Bordeaux vineyards and in the promotion of Bordeaux destination on key foreign markets.
Catherine is married and has 2 daughters, aged 24 and 27. She loves wine, gastronomy, music and singing.
Catherine will deliver a talk in the conference programme titled:
The Great Wine Capitals Global Network will be presented by its founder and executive director, Catherine Leparmentier Dayot. The presentation will highlight how the evolution of the organization over the years has led it to be recognized as an international expert in wine tourism globally.
The strategic plan and objectives of the Network will be presented, the programs that have been set up over the years will be described, and a marketing analysis will be explained.
When the presentation of GWCGN will reckon the strength and weakness of such an organization, it will also include some very positive outcomes of the GWCGN on the local wine tourism sector, including a presentation of the annual Best Of Wine Tourism international contest and the impact of the contest on our wine regions in terms of wine tourism development, educational input, staff training and good practices sharing.
Sicilia Convention Bureau
Daniela Marino, Direttore Operativo of the Sicilia Convention Bureau will be at the IWINETC Welcome on Tuesday 28th March at 09.30 in the Auditorium at the Hotel Villa Itría, venue for the 9th edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference, Exhibition and Workshop.
As one of the main supporters for IWINETC, Daniela had this to say at the IWINETC Press Conference:
Daniela will be on the panel for the the following session:
Branding & Marketing your Territory – How well are you doing?
Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Winery Associations and DMC companies based in grape escape destinations around the world play an important role generating awareness of their region, territory or country and are key if wine tourism experience providers are to thrive. So how well is your grape escape destination doing in attracting wine tourism and ensuring businesses get involved and become successful?
This session will draw upon a wealth of experience from the panel, providing food for thought and practical ideas for the promotion of a grape escape destination. This panel discussion is specifically designed to be a sharing session so come prepared with your own challenges and successes.
Moderator: Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director
Panel Members:
Venikos
Dominik Brun was born in Switzerland and studied economics in Zurich. He founded a successful import company with Greek wines and delicacies in Switzerland. At this time, he started to organize the first wine tours with his Swiss clients in Greece. In 2015 he sold the company and moved to Greece. He is responsible for the strategic planning and the sales of “Venikos”.
Nikos Bouzinelos is the co-founder of the company “Venikos”. He was born in Nemea where he lives the last 18 years after his studies at the Agricultural University of Athens. He is also co-founder of the company “Wisdom of Nature” a local unit that produces organic grape products the last ten years. He believes that organic farming and the emergence of indigenous varieties can be the ideal driver for growth of the Greek agricultural production.
Both Dominik and Nikos will joint present a talk titled:
On the example of Nemea, the biggest wine region of Greece, we explain what it needs to re brand a wine region into a wine tourism destination. We show, based on the experiences that we made until now with our company Venikos what one has to consider from the beginning to build up successfully a new Grape Escape destination.
This talk will focus on our work. What were the basic steps we took, what difficulties arose and how we solved them? We show the importance of taking the initiative and of building a network of people sharing a common philosophy. We explain how on this ground, synergies arise and the network can be slowly expanded. The base for a successful wine tourism destination are the wineries. We analyze what investments must be made by the wineries and then by the gastronomy and the hotel businesses in order to increase the winet ourism activities.
We will show how we developed a country with tourism and a wine region into a high quality wine tourism destination.
Platypus Tours
Don is the founder and president of Platypus Tours, a transportation company that specializes in wine tours in the Napa Valley, the Sonoma Valley and also in the Russian River and Healdsburg areas of Northern California. Founded in 2004, this company has been recognized by TripAdvisor and the Napa Chamber of Commerce for extraordinary guest service. It currently employs about forty tour guides and nine reservation staff. Previous to this company, Don was employed as a restaurant manager. He also co-founded a roommate referral agency with offices in San Francisco and in Seattle. Don now lives in Napa with his wife, Kathy and their three dogs.
Don will be one of three experts on the Panel Discussion:
Amandini Branding Consultants
Donna has presented on building communities and networks via social platforms and branding campaigns at Google Zurich and other blue chip companies. Consultation services to winemakers with their online presence.
Donna speaks fluent Italian and consults to Italian wineries. In 2011 Donna held marketing workshops in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek South Africa and was hosted by La Motte for winemakers and enotourism.
2012 held a two day workshop on marketing online for winemakers and enotourism in Duoro Portugal at the Yeatman Hotel. 2013 -2016 dedicated tours to Tuscany and AltoAdige-Trentino assisting winemakers with marketing and online presence. Donna has had a professional online portfolio of wine and location images for sale, managed by an Agency since 2008.
Donna will be delivering a talk in the IWINETC talk programme titled:
Oenotourism - its Role in connecting producers and consumers
Storytelling is the new marketing. Oenotourism makes Financial sense- Some Case studies of success stories.
Wine growers have realised that spreading the financial risk of the Mono-culture of wine, by offering accommodation and hospitality, makes perfect sense and assists with building a brand.
Winemakers have many invariables to deal with, including weather, pricing and market trends among the challenges they face. Oenotourism apart from its benefits in marketing, also offers another source of revenue and can be managed by the family.
University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies
Ethnologist and sociologist of culture Aleš Gačnik is a head of Centre of gastronomy and wine culture of University of Primorska (Slovenia). He is assistant professor, PhD and a head of Department of Cultural Tourism and Cultural Heritage on a Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, University of Primorska. He graduated from Winology – as a new research methodology in the exploration of the wine heritage and culture. He holds a Ph.D. from the new concepts in the field of of protection, research, communication and development of heritage. As a researcher, developer, consultant, journalist, photographer, mentor and professor he explores the wine and culinary culture, wine and gastronomy tourism, inventions and innovations in the field of cultural tourism, part of which is a wine tourism too. His bibliography comprises more than 600 units.
During the management of a small, boutique art & heritage hotel, he organized around 130 events related to the heritage, art and culture of wine. He is a member of Word Federation of Travel Journalist and Writers (FIJET) and a member of the different international wine and gastronomic association and clubs. Receiver of several national and international awards.
Aleš will part of the panel looking at
Hungarian Tourism Agency
Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. After graduating as a lawyer, András started his career in the banking sector, where he gained 8 years of experience in large corporate lending.
Meanwhile he always had a strong interest in gastronomy and wine. He decided to follow his passion and changed his career to work as a commis and cook for almost two years.
Combining his experiences, András joined the Ministry for National Economy of Hungary in 2013, and spent more than two years with the legal regulation of hospitality industry.
The Hungarian Tourism Agency is the governmental body responsible for the full scope of tourism and touristic developments in Hungary. Here András has the opportunity to lead the Gastronomy and Wine Marketing Directorate since 2016
Dr András TÖRÖK will be closing the 9th edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference, Exhibition & Workshop (IWINETC) in the Auditorium at 17.00 with a talk titled:
Thousand years of wine history, an amazing variety of terroirs, yet undiscovered gems from all over the country and a reborn Aszú of Tokaj... these are just few examples why Hungary is a country worth visiting for wine connoisseurs.
Hungary is not merely the home of goulash soup and paprika anymore; just as in wine making, we can witness a renaissance in gastronomy, too - thanks to innovative and talented chefs in Budapest and the countryside. Today Hungarian gastronomy and wine production can be best described by new trends focusing on quality and uniqueness... and not at least by the ambitious new generation of producers proud to show new tastes to the world. This talk is your appetizer for IWINETC, to be held in Budapest in 2018!
University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies
Simon Kerma, PhD, is a geographer and sociologist of culture. He is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, University of Primorska, Department of sustainable tourism destination. He is also one of the initiators and a collaborator of the Centre of Gastronomy and Wine Culture of the University of Primorska. In his research he deals with issues in wine and culinary tourism, sustainable tourism, ecotourism and tourism development in rural areas. He has been a co-editor of some professional and scientific monographs, as well as co/author of several papers. His doctoral dissertation is the first (and only) in Slovenia dealing with the geography of wine, wine regions and their identities in the wine tourism context. He is a sommelier and a passionate wine lover.
Simon will part of the panel looking at
Champagne-Marne Tourism Office
Elisabet will be on the panel for the the following session:
Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Winery Associations and DMC companies based in grape escape destinations around the world play an important role generating awareness of their region, territory or country and are key if wine tourism experience providers are to thrive. So how well is your grape escape destination doing in attracting wine tourism and ensuring businesses get involved and become successful?
This session will draw upon a wealth of experience from the panel, providing food for thought and practical ideas for the promotion of a grape escape destination. This panel discussion is specifically designed to be a sharing session so come prepared with your own challenges and successes.
Moderator: Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director
Panel Members:
Fermenti Digitali
Giampiero Nadali is an information technology expert and marketer, with over twenty years of experience working in the field of interactive communication technologies applied to marketing and communication of industrial goods.
In 2005 he started his wine blog “Aristide - blogging around the wine world”.
With Elisabetta Tosi - Italian wine journalist - he created the brand “Fermenti Digitali” (“Digital Yeasts”), where he acts as a marketing consultant helping wine producers to promote their brands online, leveraging digital innovations and direct communication with consumers and wine professionals.
He joined Elisabetta Tosi as well in promoting Valpolicella wine region under the brand and web site “Terroir Amarone”. He lives in Valpolicella (Verona).
deCabbit Consultancy
Judith Lewis is the founder of the deCabbit Consultancy specialising in integrated digital marketing consultancy and execution. She is a specialist integrated online marketer with skills in SEO, PPC, and Social Media Marketing as well as other digital marketing techniques. She has been doing SEO since before it had a name and has worked both in-house and agency-side.
She has judged both UK & EU Search Awards, is a founding everywoman Modern Muse and is the coordinator for London Girl Geek Dinners. Having both an in-house and agency background, her clients have included Google, Virgin, NSPCC, Zopa, Slendertone, the Guggenheim, SAP, Amadeus, Blue Cross, & ShareThis.
Judith writes for the SEO Chicks and Mostly About Chocolate as well as the Huffington Post. She speaks at various conferences around the world and is passionate about teaching and helping businesses large and small (as well as chocolate)
Judith is one of our keynote speakers and will be delivering two talks titled:
With restrictions and limitations on advertising, as well time, is it worthwhile to put so much effort into digital within the wine tourism sector? In this session you will learn how to create efficiencies in your digital marketing efforts including which channels to focus on as a travel and tourism professional, when and why. You will be introduced to tools and planning ideas to help you focus your marketing efforts in the right way specifically for the wine tourism market which requires a different approach than some other verticals. You’ll get tips on how to win at social media, where to invest in advertising for efficiencies and how to make your travel and tourism website more visible. This session will include plenty of recommendations to help you advance your digital marketing efforts which you will be able to implement straight away.
Understanding where a wine tourism consumer is open to encountering your brand is one of the easiest and yet most difficult things to get right. From understanding where receptivity to receiving a travel and tourism marketing message begins (well before the search) and ends (once trust with a site is established – not after booking), through to identifying those opportunities within the online travel and tourism marketplace, planning your route to market can suddenly seem less clear. In this session we’ll investigate the specific digital touch points best aligned with the wine travel and tourism vertical your business could leverage, how consumers interact with those touch points during their journey to selecting a grape escape destination and then a package, and finish with where traveller interaction may be headed in the future. This session is best suited to those wine and culinary tourism businesses who are looking to develop a future-proof digital market approach and better understand the opportunities which are overlooked by many travel and tourism operators/agents.
See Italy Travel
Laura Massoni was born and raised in Piedmont, Italy. Having lived in San Diego since 1992, Laura loves sharing Italian culture with American friends and family. She enjoys helping Americans to see Italy through Italian eyes. Laura has worked in the travel industry for over 20 years – spanning roles such as reservation agent, travel adviser, and owner of a boutique tour operator. In 2011, Laura made the decision to focus exclusively on her country of origin – founding the tour operation See Italy Travel. See Italy Travel partners with travel agents and specialty businesses to create one-of-a-kind trips through the authentic Italy. In 2016, Laura Massoni co-authored with Christopher Atwood the book, "Italy for all Seasons."
Laura will be delivering a talk titled:
This talk offers a case study of how travel agents can partner with wine entrepreneurs to sell themed trips to wine consumers. Questions answered in this talk will include:
• How can agencies expand sales by joining forces with wine businesses?
• Why would wine entrepreneurs want to partner with travel experts to create trips for their consumers?
• What are the financial incentives for both travel agents and wine entrepreneurs?
• How can agents encourage wine businesses to collaborate with them to create specialty trips for their consumers?
School of Wine & Spirits Business, Burgundy School of Business
After 15 years of international career that has led her to work in international marketing and international recruitment in Europe and Asia, Laurence made the choice to return to Burgundy in 2001. She co-developed two companies, a wine store coupled with a wholesale business in Dublin, then a guide and online magazine about Burgundy. At the same time, she was teaching marketing at ESC Dijon. After 6 years in the marketing department, she has recently joined the School of Wine and Spirits Business where she teaches wine-tourism and culinary tourism. Her expertise relates more particularly to the marketing of wine, and the situation of wine-tourism in Burgundy and in Beaujolais. Trilingual, she has graduated from ESCP Europe and holds an MSC in in International Business and a Diplomkauffrau.
Laurence will be delivering a talk titled:
With the growing importance of the tasting room as a major distribution channel and increasing competition in wine tourism, adopting best practices and maximising the success of the tasting room becomes a higher priority for wineries. Research suggests that wine tourists are looking for memorable experiences. It also indicates that wineries can offer these experiences through excellent service quality, which is provided by staff. Training has proven to improve service quality The goal of this survey conducted in the fall 2016 was to examine the importance of training for tasting room staff in the wine region of Northern Virginia.
Niavinum
Nicoletta Dicova, MW student, graduated in Enology and Wine Marketing at University of Piacenza, Italy.
Wine consultant, wine writer, wine lover with special interest in wine tourism.
I have been studying the evolution of natural and artisan wines in the last decades, traveling all over Europe, natural wine is one of my main topics of interest. In artisan wines I find a humanity and warmth, an emotional and intellectual charge, which I can not feel in conventional wines. If there is one thing more I find more charming and touching then drinking a glass of genuine artisan wine, it is to meet the person that has made it, to look him in the eyes and listen to his story.
Nicoletta will be delivering a talk titled:
Natural Wine Tourism- A Different Approach (Professional Development)
Natural wine is based on a different approach to wine making and viticulture compared to conventional wine. The main aim of wine tourism is to build an experience and to leave memories. In the case of natural wines this possibility is heightened to a different level. What makes natural wines so unique is that they are handcrafted, featuring the singular character of its creator. Natural wine tourism becomes in this sense a valuable opportunity to meet unique and exciting people, making unique and exciting wines and to create a personal contact and relationship with them. The aim is therefore not only a "wine destination" but also a "human destination". This session will discuss the evolution of wine tourism and the importance of the human factor in achieving a unique, unrepeatable experience.
Wine Tourism Australia
Robin is passionate about all things wine and tourism and is widely regarded as Australia’s leading wine tourism development specialist. Her experience extends across sales, marketing, business development and operational roles with companies such as Pernod Ricard, South Australian Tourism and Winemakers’ Federation of Australia. Awarded a prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2004 to study wine tourism innovation, Robin used the information gained to develop a series of workshops and resources which she has successfully delivered in Australia, South Africa and Chile. Robin’s company, Wine Tourism Australia, works with wineries, tourism operators and regions to maximise their destination appeal and deliver memorable visitor experiences. She also hosts wine tourism study tours for industry professionals to locations in South Africa and Australia that epitomise best practice and service excellence and develops leisure packages to some of the world’s best wine regions. A dynamic and entertaining presenter, she is regularly engaged as a speaker and facilitator at wine and tourism industry conferences.
Robin is one of our keynote speakers and will be delivering two talks as follows:
From the days of meat pies and Holden cars, where city folk visited wineries to stock up on bulk wine and top up their port barrels, to the current landscape of sophisticated winery dining and pretty young things in limousines, Australia has journeyed far. And while domestic visitors are flocking to the nation’s wine regions, the perception of Australia as a genuine culinary tourism destination still raises the eyebrows of many prospective international visitors. But the cork is well and truly out of the bottle and some savvy marketing campaigns are now shining a very bright light on the nation’s wine tourism offerings – with some startling results.
It’s no longer good enough to simply hang out a shingle and expect visitors to flock to your door – regardless of your brand’s popularity in the marketplace. In fact, it is often the brand’s popularity with consumers that has led some of the New World’s best known brands to create all-encompassing visitor destinations and genuine experiences that go well beyond the humble wine tasting. Using contemporary case studies from Australia and South Africa, find out how modest family brands have truly embraced the ‘wine tourism’ concept to create exceptional businesses.
Taste Georgia
Sarah May Grunwald is originally from California by way of Australian parents and lived in Australia and Germany before settling in Italy in 2005. She graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in European Humanities and has a 3rd level sommelier certificate from AIS and has completed WSET. Sarah was a professor at a local University in Rome where she taught the course “Wines of Italy.” She is also the co-owner and manager of Antiqua Tours, which offers wine tastings, winery visits and cultural tours in and around Rome. In 2014 she was a speaker and joined the FAM trip for the IWINETC conference in Georgia and she fell in love with the country, people and wine of Georgia and now dedicates most of her time to wine and food travel in Georgia. She is an ambassador for wine and travel to the Republic of Georgia and also offers food and wine tour services to Georgia and has co-founded a website and business called Taste Georgia which will provide group and private culinary and wine tour services to the country and also provide wine education services to educate the general public and people in trade about Georgian qvevri wine through representational services at trade shows and private tastings
Sarah will be delivering a talk titled:
Wine Tourism is gaining momentum quickly in the global tourism industry. The IWINETC is heading into its 9th conference and the number of people interested keeps growing. The Republic of Georgia hosted the first United Nations World Tourism Organisation International Wine Tourism Conference in September of 2016. It was a fitting place to host the first conference as the birthplace of wine. My talk will go over the key points that can be used globally as an approach to world wine travel and will cover the following points: Why work in Georgia? What makes Georgia special? Republic of Georgia specifically and working in a market that is just opening and still adjusting to global trends. How to work with local tourism and wine agencies efficiently, using my examples as a come any working in Georgia How to approach new markets; such as the growing interest from India and China Wine trade or travel industry? What has worked for us in Georgia when we work with media outlets The Republic of Georgia and its future as a wine travel destination. Predictions and plans.
Etna Wine Lab
Valeria was born and raised on Mount Etna. Since childhood, vineyards have been a significant part of her life.
She is a sommelier and the senior manager of the Stradadel Vino dell'Etna association. Valeria is also the owner of Etna Wine Lab, which promotes wine and wine tourism on Mount Etna and all over Sicily.
For the past five years she has been researching Mount Etna viticulture, and the ancient varieties of Sicilian grapes that are at risk of extinction. She has broadened her knowledge on this particular aspect of wine producing.
Valeria loves the Mount Etna area, and lives deeply rooted in the various aspects of this territory: geographically, historically and culturally. She is contributing to the development of food and wine tourism because she believes that it is fundamental to the future growth of the Mount Etna area.
Valeria will be delivering a talk in the conference programme titled:
Valeria will report on the Mount Etna area and its viticulture. She will explain to us why its wines are unique. She will tell us why she defines Mount Etna "the land of diversity", and why this diversity is the real treasure of our land. She will speak about the current situation and the potential for growth in food and wine tourism on Mount Etna and all over Sicily.
Winetours Moldova
Veronika Tomescu is a wine tourism marketing expert, previously Head of Tourism Department by the winery Vinaria Purcari, Managing Director of the travel agency & tourism developer by the winery Chateau Vartely. Now co-founder and CEO of Winetours Moldova – the most complete online guide of wine tours in Moldova, as well as the President of the Association “National Center for Promotion of the Wine Tourism”.
Veronika will be delivering a talk in the conference programme titled:
When tourists visit a destination for the purpose of attending an event, they tend to stay before and after the event as well. That enables the sale of products the destination has to offer. Events increase the level of local businesses, fill hotel capacities, and in long term perspective, they enhance the infrastructure, quality of life of the local population and add additional value to the identity of destination. In addition, many destinations have a seasonal problem, which means that tourist flows are concentrated in a relatively short period of the year. Events can play an important role in overcoming these problems and attract tourists during the off-season periods as well. Events can have a significant effect on the formation of destination image and can help with promoting, positioning and branding it, which can contribute to a more favorable perception as a potential tourist destination. The more recognizable events the destination has, the more it is attractive for the tourists.
My speech will include the story of creation of the 3 main wine events in Moldova, unique in Europe: The National Wine Day, The Wine Vernissage and The Wine Run. We will learn about their local and international impact. As well it will include the success story of local wineries which entered the market through their creative wine events: Harvest Day & Open Doors Day, Celebration of the Equinox, Must Fest, The Cellar White Night.
Audience focus: wineries, tour operators, event agencies and tourism.
