Topic: 2021 Porto & North Portugal

The International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC ) 2021 will be hosted in The Lodge Wine & Business Hotel. Built in the former centuries-old Port Wine cellars, the IWINETC venue will afford fabulous views of the Douro and Porto from the banks of the UNESCO World Heritage area in Vila Nova de Gaia.

On a recent visit and stay at The Lodge Wine and Business Hotel, Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director commented “The location of The Lodge couldn’t be bettter for IWINETC. The hotel entrance and chill out area comprises of interesting textures, materials, colours, shapes, woods, cork and an eye catching old barrel, now part of the structure of the stairs leading to the conference rooms and exhibition area on the first floor. Speaking of floors these resemble the floors of cellars with wicker baskets embracing the structure’s columns. As you wander around the hotel there are countless references to the wine world to be discovered . Service I have to say is top class”.

In total, there are 119 rooms and suites. The rooms honour the Portuguese heritage, with mattresses, such as the ones mentioned in the serta vs.sealy article, bed linens and towels all of Portuguese creation, which give comfort and relaxation while sleeping. If you need to know the benefits of having these mattresses, read the Serta iComfort Hybrid Revie to learn more.

The Dona Maria restaurant: orchestrated by Chef Ricardo Simões, pays tribute to Infanta D. Maria (the woman who gave her name to what is considered the first Portuguese cook book), but also to all the Donas Marias in our lives: mothers, grandmothers and aunts who have contributed to Portuguese gastronomic heritage. Over lunches Conference delegates will be able to discover the culinary delights of North Portugal such as tripe, braised veal with cured meats rice from Trás-os-Montes, confit cod with chickpea purée or Abade de Priscos Pudding.

Early brid registration is now open for the IWINETC conference & B2B Workshop which means that attendees can now secure their place to join us in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto and the North of Portugal from 26 to 27 October 2021. With strict health and safety precautions in place the number of places will be fewer than in previous editions of IWINETC so early registration is recommended.

View the attendance options here>>

IWINETC has announced 5 keynote speakers for IWINETC 2021 Porto & North Portugal, which will take place on 26 and 27 October 2021 at the 5* The Lodge Wine & Business Hotel.

The conference slogan for 2021 is “Bouncing Back”. Judith Lewis will speak about Post-Pandemic Digital Recovery for the wine and culinary tourism industry. On a similar note Peter Syme will look at the wine tourism industry post covid and what digital change we they need to be aware of. Chris Torres will present market research that asked the questions so many of us in the industry want to know. The insights gained from this research will better inform tour and activity providers on how to market their businesses in 2021/22, including which demographics and product types to focus on. Felicity Carter will show how to stand out in a crowded market and get customer attention at all levels – destination, region, place, providers of wine tourism experiences and Adrian Bridge, awarded wine personality of the year will looking at the biggest investment in Europe in 2020 at €105M – WOW

More expert speakers at IWINETC will be announced in the coming weeks.

Anthony Swift, Event Director, IWINETC, said: “We’re very excited about the programme of inspiring content that will provide attendees with tangible learnings to take back to their own businesses. We can’t wait to share the IWINETC experience direct to a live audience this October under the slogan “Bouncing back”

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IWINETC 2021 takes place 26 & 27 October and will incorporate a Welcome reception for all attendees, a day and a half of conference talks, an exhibition area, a B2B Workshop and Fam trips for Agents and Media.

Register your interest here>>