2011 Winebiz Conference kicks off to a great start
The first annual Winebiz Conference that was held at the Erinvale Hotel in Somerset West on 26 and 27 July 2011. Wine marketers, general managers and winery owners gathered to listen to the 16 speakers addressing issues surrounding the marketing and sales in the wine industry. Delivering on its promise, the conference informed and inspired delegates with industry leading trends and relevant information that can be implemented in their own wine businesses.
The first day’s main themes focussed on strategies and marketing. Paul Galatis from Yuppiechef started the proceedings with a great talk on how customer service will change the world. He was followed by speakers Ross Sleet (Sleet Consultancy), Danie Cronje (Cluver Markotter), Gary Harwood (HKLM), Nicolette Waterford (Waterford Communications), Eion du Toit (Independent Ethnographer) and PJ Veldhuizen (Gillan & Veldhuizen Boutique Law Firm). Godfrey Parkin from Britefire brought the day to a close with an informative session on powerful email marketing strategies.
The second day’s focus was on sales, sustainability, international marketing and wine tourism. One of South Africa’s foremost professional speakers, Michael Jackson, acted as the master of ceremonies and also started the day with a session titled: ‘The hard sell of…marketing’. Other speakers included: Gareth Pearson (BMI Research), Nikki Dumas (Winestyle.biz), Tim Keys (The Sales Institute), Ross Sleet (Sleet Consultancy), Mike Ratcliffe (Warwick Wines / Vilafonte Vineyards) and Andre Morgenthal (WOSA). The much anticipated Francois Rautenbach from Singita Game Reserve brought the conference to a close with a session on how to optimise a winery’s cellar door experiences.
Social media is a hot topic at the moment and it was addressed throughout the conference. Delegates showed their readiness to embrace social media in the wine industry and regularly tweeted on the #winebiz. Alana Mellet (@AlanaMellet) sums up the conference with her tweet: “Thanks a mil for a great and fresh #Winebiz conference! Looking forward to 2012…”
The Winebiz websites also serves as a wine industry online news portal and interested parties can learn more about next year’s conference, other events the industry by visiting www.winebiz.co.za and signing up for the e-newsletter. The organisers, CADEK Media, can be contacted via 021 855 4750 or info@cadek.co.za.