The 2012 Wineries Unlimited Trade Show & Conference began on Tuesday, March 27 with an emphasis on marketing. Moderator and speaker Elizabeth Slater is a successful and passionate marketing expert. She started In Short Direct Marketing in 1994. Among her numerous ideas, Elizabeth emphasized, messaging is getting the right information through the right channels to the right people at the right time. Wineries need to talk about what makes them unique and providing quality wines is not unique; customers expect quality wines.

John Springer from Four Winds presented, Setting the Foundation for an Extraordinary Team. John was an enthusiastic speaker and he focused his attention on team building. His ideas took us out of our seats and made us move and work with partners.

Jennifer McCloud, owner of Chrysalis Vineyards, was enthusiastic about her winery. She emphasized the environment she has created for consumers visiting her winery.

Susan Dosier, DK Communications Group, presented The Nuts and Bolts of Selling Wine at Your Event. One of her suggestions included inviting the press to the event and giving them a job such as judging a recipe contest, speaking or being a panelist member.

Doug Cohn from Riedel presented a Riedel tasting with Riedel’s Vinum series. Doug  used four stemware pieces included Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon glasses. He compared wines in different glasses with the same wine placed in a joker glass. Doug emphasized the pros of using Riedel stemware in the tasting room. We and numerous winemakers and winery owners were impressed with the difference the Riedel stemware made compared to the joker glass.

In the evening, we sampled wines with cheese and crackers while enjoying conversing with fellow wine enthusiasts.

A more detailed description of the first day of the  2012 Wineries Unlimited Trade Show & Conference is available on the conference section of Wine Trail Traveler website.

Cheers, Kathy