IWINETC today announced Cristina Mascanzoni Kaiser Luxury Tourism Consultant, as the fourth of six exciting keynote speakers lined up for IWINETC 2020, which takes place in Trieste from 24-25 March.

Cristina will be delivering a talk titled What do luxury travellers want on a wine and food tasting tour? Defining the luxury traveller of today at the 2 day conference. The aim of the talk is to explore the concept of luxury wine tourism experiences and to understand the perceived importance of these specific type of experiences and markets to wine tourism businesses and to the destinations where they are located in. Experiences involving local products, such a wine and gastronomy are critical for the tourism sector and they have been growing in the last decade becoming key for increasingly demanding consumers.

About Cristina

Cristina Mascanzoni Kaiser is the Founder of WineHo, an Italian Academy providing high level education focus on wine hospitality. Teacher in the wine tourism Master in different Business Schools, as CUOA, Cristina published and presented her vision of wine hospitality and relevance of this activity in the future market in 2 summits: Atlas, held at Bergamo University in February 2018 and at Evora, held by Porto University in June 2019.

Cristina is an Italian/German Sommelier certified both by AIS (Italian Sommelier Association) and by WSET.

She studied law at Alma Mater studiorum University of Bologna and, after an experience in insurance business, she has developed her career for more than 20 years in hotellerie as Sales and Marketing Manager within international and luxury hotels (i.e. Munich Bayerischer Hof, Venice San Clemente, Rimini Grand Hotel, Verona Hotel Veronesi La Torre, and many others). She took a Marketing specialization at the Cornell University, NY.

As of 2017 she is as well the owner and founder of ClubAppeal a consultancy firm that provides top wineries, hotel and companies practical indications on how to leverage on one of the most relevant Italian assets: Tourism. In particular she manages to properly target the ideal customer/tourist and to build a product/service that fits his/her needs in the field of wine, oil and experiential tourism. Founding WineHo to create the Wine Hospitality Manager has been the natural step forward to manage the relevant request in the tourism industry.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

IWINETC today announced Peter Syme, Adventure travel and digital transformation business addict and expert, as the third of six exciting keynote speakers lined up for IWINETC 2020, which takes place in Trieste from 24-25 March.

Peter will be delivering a talk titled Growing Your Wine Tourism Bookings Using OTA’s and Digital Distribution at the 2 day conference. In today’s digital era it is never been easier or cheaper for wine tourism operators to increase their bookings using a global distribution strategy combined with simple technology. This presentation will cover digital strategy including direct business via digital platforms like google and social media platforms. Indirect business via third party relationships with trade and the fast-growing impact global online travel agents are making and why wine tourism operators cannot ignore them. The simple technology required to develop an online digital distribution network will also be discussed.

About Peter

Peter operates his own inbound adventure activity business in Scotland and also an outbound global expedition business. He has also owned and operated inbound activity businesses in Spain and Morocco. He has travelled and operated in over 120 countries and his businesses have helped introduce over two hundred thousand customers to adventure. He is a regular speaker at travel events around the world on the impact of the digital era on small tourism businesses and what they can do to thrive with so much change happening. He is also a regular speaker at University MBA and executive leadership courses on Digital Transformation. His current passion is being a strategic advisor to several scalable digital startups in the tours and activities sector.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

We’re delighted to announce Kacie Morgan as our second confirmed keynote speaker at IWINETC 24 & 25 March 2020.

Kacie will draw on her almost decade-long experience as a Food and Travel blogger to deliver a talk titled: Will Travel for Food: the Increasing Appetite for Food Tourism in which attendees will discover the rising popularity of food tourism, how travel agents and tour operators can use this to their advantage and which destinations will be on the culinary agenda for 2020

About Kacie

Based in Cardiff, Kacie is one of Wales’ longest-standing bloggers. Established in 2010, her blog, The Rare Welsh Bit focuses on culinary travel and sightseeing, from Cardiff to the Caribbean. This includes recipes, travel destinations, attractions, transport, events, accommodation and more.

The Rare Welsh Bit has been featured by BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Radio Cardiff, Food 52, Mail on Sunday, Metro, Blogosphere Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Cardiff University Cardiff Connect alumni magazine, Made in Cardiff TV, WalesOnline, Western Mail, Cardiff Life Magazine and Co-Op Food Mag.

In 2018, Kacie received the Blogger of the Year award from Grenada Tourism Authority for her coverage of Grenada Chocolate Festival. The Rare Welsh Bit was also shortlisted as one of the top 10 UK food and travel blogs in the Post Office Travel Blogger Awards.

With a background in journalism and over 10 years’ experience in writing and editing, Kacie also writes on a freelance basis for the likes of Google’s new Touring Bird website, Visit Wales, Thomas Cook, icelolly.com, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Co-Op Food Mag, Around Town Wales Magazines, Cardiff Life Magazine and World Travel Market.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

We’re thrilled to announce Harold Goodwin, WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor as our first confirmed keynote speaker at IWINETC, 24 & 25 March 2020. Harold will deliver a talk titled The Business Advantage of Responsible Tourism.

Talk abstract

There is a strong business case for Responsible Tourism, cost reduction, market advantage and reputation. Two major consumer trends are converging to move the market in favour of Responsible Tourism businesses. Many consumers are seeking authentic experiences and they are concerned about any negative impacts, social, environmental and economic that their trip may have. Experiences on the Wine Route in South Africa and Cava Country in Catalunya will be used to illustrate how the market moves on. More and more destinations are being identified as having an overtourism problem in the news and feature pages, although rarely in the travel pages. The terroir and the natural and cultural environment are fundamental to the production and consumption of wine and food in a period when local sourcing is prized. How can businesses make the most of these market trends and avoid the problems of overtourism.

The IWINETC conference talk programme is a key draw for attendees and continues to see increased attendance year-on-year. The full programme of sessions during the 2 day-long event covers five topical content themes (Research, Marketing & Branding, Grape Escape Destination, Professional Development & Network & connect) all aimed at inspiring and educating delegates with sessions that tangibly add value to their businesses and career development.

Register to attend IWINETC 2020 here

Harold’s career in tourism began as a tour leader and special interest tour operator.  He has worked on four continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry including ABTA and the Association of Independent Tour Operators. He co-founded Responsible Travel with Justin Francis, selling his stake in the company when he moved into consultancy to avoid any conflict of interest. He took his practical experience into academia to enable to train at Masters level some of the next generation of tourism professionals and to undertake research on tourism, responsibility and local economic development.

Harold drafted the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in 2002, which laid the foundation of the movement.  He is Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards in London and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and new in 2020, Latin America.  Harold is WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor, he puts together the flagship Responsible Tourism programme at WTM London which attracts 2000 participants each year, and the programmes run at WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

The cities of Friuli Venezia Giulia have seen foreign languages and have met distant cultures and religions from across the globe. All of this has contributed to the region’s local traditions which have been influenced throughout the centuries of rule by many civilisations; Celts, Romans, Huns, Lombards, Venetians and Austro-Hungarians. Thus, the region’s diverse historical past has resulted in – Trieste “dressed in Habsburg clothes” and Pordenone, titled the painted city, alternating between Roman, Baroque and Gothic influences. The region’s capital of Trieste still carries its cosmopolitan soul of a place where different cultures, languages, religions and traditions can meet. Continuing its historical importance as a port city that connected the East to the West and vice versa. Within the city one can visit many of its traditional historical cafés, a legacy of the ancient Central European tradition. A short bike ride away lies the Miramare Castle, situated on the Gulf of Trieste. It’s a 19^th century castle that was built as a residence for the Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and later Charlotte of Belgium. The castle grounds include and extensive cliff and seashore park, which was mostly re-landscaped to feature numerous tropical species of trees and plants.

The city of Udine holds Giambattista Tiepolo’s treasures, Venice school’s last great painter. His art works can be seen in a number of historical buildings throughout the city. Towards the eastern border lies Gorizia, a city that crossroads three European cultures – Latin, Slav and Germanic. It was also the last city to tear down the wall of the Cold War between Eastern and Western Europe in 2004. The city’s climate was popular among the Habsburg bourgeoise and earned itself the nickname of the “Adriatic Nice”.

Lastly, the city of Pordenone boasts a charming historical centre with diverse architecture from the Romanesque churches, porticoes and frescoed façades – to the Baroque and Gothic buildings. Throughout the year the city hosts international art, music and literature festivals.

Article: Jethro Swift

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

The city of Trieste, the capital of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, sits snugly between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. The city was formally known as Tergeste under successive Venetian tribes, Gauls and Celts. In the 2^nd Century BC the city grew under Roman rule s as a port and trading centre, however, the city fell into decline with the construction of Aquileia in the West. It was not until the 18^th century did the city regain its former status as a trading centre. Under the Habsburg rule, the empress of Austria-Hungary saw Trieste’s potential as a port. Its medieval architecture was quickly substituted by homogeneous neoclassical architecture. The city once again declined when it joined the Italian State in 1918 due to competition from the southern Italian ports. In 1945, the city was occupied by the Allies pending settlement of Italy’s border dispute with Belgrade. They remained there until 1954 and acted as a UN state.

The venue where the International Wine Tourism Conference 2020 will be held is called the Stazione Marittima of Trieste Congress Centre. The venue overlooks the sea and is located in a strategical position as it was the old customs house during the 18^th and 19^th century. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, its entrance opens onto the city centre, a few metres from Piazza Unità d’Italia. The city of Trieste is full of other historical buildings, some notable places include; the Colle di San Giusto, a castle built in the 1400s by the city’s Venetian rulers. The Basilica di San Giusto, another building from the 15^th century, a basilica that blends northern Adriatic and Byzantine architectural styles. Culturally the city is slightly different to the rest of Italy as the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia was ruled by many distinctive nations – all adding their mark to the city’s architecture, gastronomy and of course winemaking. Furthermore, the city of Trieste hosts a high number of Slovenian-speaking inhabitants due to its close proximity to Slovenia but also due to the city’s historical past. Therefore, it commonplace for people in Trieste to speak both Italian and Slovene.

To get to this historical and culturally diverse city one has many options to take. The airport of Trieste lies 40 minutes north of the city with some international and domestic flights to Rome and Milan with Alitalia, Munich and Frankfurt with Lufthansa, London with Ryanair as well as several other airlines that fly to smaller destinations. The city is also well accessible by rail with the central station located right in the city centre in Piazza della Libertà. Trains to Trieste can be taken from Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna and Venice as well as trains from Zagreb and Slovenia.

Article: Jethro Swift

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

The region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is located on the north-eastern tip of Italy and was one of the last areas to join the Italian State after reunification in 1918. Engulfed between the Adriatic coast to the south and the pine-covered alps in the north, the region bolsters the Friulian plains and Giulian plateaux. The region borders its Latin culture to those of Germanic and Slavic nations. Originally settled by the Roman Empire, the region has seen many kingdoms arrive into its lands all leaving their cultural and architectural mark which still thrive today. Those include the Goths, Huns, Lombards and Franks. During both World Wars, the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia was heavily involved as it acted as a front for Italy. This can be evidently seen in the town of Gorizia, located on the eastern border, which saw it divided by the ‘Iron Curtain’ between Italy and Yugoslavia under the Eastern Bloc. Today, signs can still be found in Slovene as well as monuments of Yugoslav partisans. South of Gorizia we find the regions capital and host for the International Wine Tourism Conference 2020; Trieste. It is nested between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia within the regions southern tip. Originally it was a minor roman and medieval town with little importance until the 18^th century. In the 1700s the Empress of the Austria-Hungarian Empire saw the city as an opportunity to construct a port. The faded and grandeur of its homogeneous neoclassical architecture is owned completely to this decision and saw the end of its medieval architecture. The port became a trading point for many bordering nations, however in 1918 the port city fell into decline once more upon reunification with the Italian State. Its government saw the city as no match for its southern ports. Today the city and its port are growing with many oil tankers unloading there to supply a pipeline to Austria.

Although the region is relatively small compared to the rest of Italy, it ranks among the best for producers of white wines. There are 11 DOC and 3 DOCG areas that grow some thirty different grape varieties with nearly 62% of wine produced falls under a DOC designation. Having mentioned above, the region’s historical ownership and trading status has influenced its winemaking history. During the Middle Ages, merchants brought grapevines from Macedonia and under Habsburg rule, the French varieties were introduced. However, winemaking did not garner much international attention until the 1970s with the growing popularity of Pinot grigio. The region’s soils are diverse, varying from the calcium rich marl and flysch sandstone in the hillier areas to clay, sand and gravel in the valley. That is why most vineyards are located in the southern half of the region. Finally, there are several wine regions within Friuli Venezia Giulia with the predominant ones being – Collio, Goriziano, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Isonzo and Carso.

Article by Jethro Swift.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

IWINETC 2020 early bird registration is now open!

That’s right…you can now register online to attend the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC 2020), the leading global event for the wine and culinary tourism industry, taking place from the 24^th  – 25^th March in Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.

EARLY BIRD IT & TAKE your place at IWINETC

But hurry early bird rate ends 30 June!

We have so much to offer this year and there are some exciting new enhancements too… all to be revealed soon! As well as networking face-to-face with over 300 wine & culinary tourism professionals from across the world, the IWINETC conference programme will be bursting with inspiration and ideas to help you enhance your career and transform your business.

Call For Speakers

If you would like to submit a talk proposal for the International Wine Tourism Conference. This should include a title and short abstract outlining the main aspects of your presentation and its relevance to the field of wine and/or culinary tourism.

Submit your talk proposal

Exhibit at IWINETC & Show your grape escape destination to the World

For IWINETC 2020 there will an exhibition area for conference delegates to discover grape escape destination and wines from around the world. Participating as an exhibitor will ensure you reach the 300+ delegates expected to attend as well as connecting with wine tourism professionals from around the world.

Exhibit

Participate in the B2B Wine Tourism Workshop as a Trade Provider

Connect, Sell and Grow at the IWINETC B2B Workshop. The 12th annual IWINETC B2B Workshop is the leading B2B and networking event focused on wine and culinary tourism, and a must-attend for all wine tourism experience providers wishing to grow their business. There is no comparable event in terms of focus, size and opportunity anywhere in the world.

The IWINETC one day B2B Workshop is the most comprehensive and cost-effective way to extend existing networks through meeting international outgoing agents specialised in wine tourism face-to-face in one convenient location.

Find out more

Sponsorship opportunities now available to consider 

Whether you’re looking to gain a prominent branding position before, during and after the event or you want to promote your brand through our digital channels or publications, IWINETC can offer you a multitude of opportunities that will put your brand front and centre.

Peruse the sponsorship opportunities

Invited Agent applications are open

The tailored programmes offered to agents earlier this year in Spain received high praise for their focus on buyer’s needs and encouraged quality appointments with exhibitors and Workshop participants. For 2020, these programmes will offer buyers even more flexibility on their attendance and key education and networking opportunities relevant to their role and business.

Find out more

As the team work hard to make next year’s IWINETC the best yet, make sure you keep up to date with the latest news and important information on LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook.
I hope to see you at IWINETC 2020 in Friuli Venezia Giulia for another successful year.

Need more information?

Get in touch with the IWINETC team who are on hand to answer your enquiries about the many ways of participating.

IWINETC has announced that PromoTurismoFVG, the Functional public economic body of the autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia- will be its Premier Partner and Premium Sponsor for IWINETC 2020.

This is the third time in IWINETC’s 11-year history that it has taken the decision to hold the event in Italy. The agreement will allow PromoTurismoFVG and all of its supporters the opportunity to leverage their relationship with one of the wine tourism industry’s best-known and most respected events, giving it access to a highly engaged global audience of wine and culinary tourism professionals.

Commenting on the news, Anthony Swift, IWINETC Director, said: “We were extremely excited to announce our return to Italy during the closing plenary session at IWINETC 2019 Basque Country. Lucio Gomiero (Direttore Generale Promoturismo FVG) together with Brenda Lee Fabbro (Area Congressuale) and Lara Persello (Area Prodotto – Enogastronomia) delivered an inspiring introduction of the wine and culinary highlights to expect during IWINETC 2020 and left the audience very excited to discover the grape escape destination of Friuli Venezia Giulia”.

The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste (Italy). Early bird registration is now open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com

For all media enquiries, additional comment and request for interview please contact:

Sandra Harris (English) or Caterina Longhi (Italian) T. +34 897 70 48 [email protected] & T +39 347 6785162 [email protected] respectively.

IWINETC 2019 has been great! A whole year of planning resulted in a truly memorable event for all involved. We wanted to thank delegates, speakers, exhibitors, agents and media for taking the time to attend, and a special mention goes to our sponsors (El Gobierno Vasco, La Diputación Foral de Alava, El Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz y la Ruta del Vino de la Rioja Alavesa) for their continuous support.

Here are a few highlights:

Check out our photo gallery – you might spot yourself or someone you know feeling the Basque and embracing the #iwinetc

We look forward to seeing you at IWINETC 2020 in Trieste 24 & 25 March!