Wine Media Conference

Writing and Social Media for the Wine Industry

Agenda

2019 Wine Media Conference Agenda

Below is an outline agenda for the 2019 Wine Media Conference. We will be filling out the agenda with events, content, and speakers regularly. To keep updated, please enter your email address in the WMC News box to the right. All events from October 10 – 12 will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley unless otherwise indicated.

Monday – Wednesday, October 7 – 9

Pre-Conference Excursion: Our 2019 Pre-Conference Excursion will take place in the Granite Belt Wine Region of Queensland, with cooperation of the Queensland Wine Industry Association and Granite Belt Wine Tourism. For more information, please visit our Pre-Conference Excursion page.

Thursday, October 10

12:00 – 6:00 PM Registration

12:30 – 12:50 PM Conference Opening: From Lynda Schenk of Wine Communicators of Australia and Allan Wright of Zephyr Conferences

12:50 – 1:00 PM Opening Remarks by James Halliday

1:00 – 1:45 PM Google’s View of the Wine World:  What can Google tell us about wine consumption, wine tourism, consumer behavior, and industry trends? As it turns out, quite a lot! This session will explore how people are searching the web to make decisions about what wines to purchase, where to travel, what varietals to try, and much more. The information will be relevant both to industry participants and to writers who are looking for that next trend for an upcoming article or post. Presented by Damien Ferreira Gomes, Google Travel

1:45 – 2:00 PM Break

2:00 – 3:00 PM  The Blog as a Communication Media: Is wine blogging dead? There are over 1,300 “citizen” wine bloggers throughout the world and likely thousands more than this operated by wineries (as blogs or “news” pages). Wine blogging is not dead. Topics will include:

  • Beginner Wine Blogging: If you are new to blogging or yet to start, learn about the best way to set up your blog, how often you need to blog, establishing an identity, etc.
  • Advanced Wine Blogging: Hear from experts on the mechanics of wine blogging including the latest plugins, search engine optimization, Google Analytics, and more.
  • Wine Blogging for Business: The blog or news page is critical for wineries and other wine businesses as it tells Google you are updating your site, allows you to send out an immediate email via RSS feed, and provides content for your email and social media communications. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog on your industry website.

3:00 – 3:30 PM Break

3:30 – 4:30 PM Wine Education Session:  Angove Family Winemakers. Experience a three-flight tasting with two different wines from the Angove Family Winemakers’ group.  This session includes wine tasting and requires advance registration.

4:30 – 6:00 PM Welcome and Expo: This is your opportunity to meet our sponsors and try wines from the Hunter Valley, Australia and around the world.  

6:00 PM Evening Festivities: Stay tuned for details. Sponsored by the Hunter Valley Wine Tourism Association.

Friday, October 11

7:45 AM – 2:30 PM Registration & Expo: Meet our sponsors on breaks throughout the day.

8:45 – 9:45 AM Introduction to the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, and the Australian Wine Industry

9:45 – 10:30 AM Keynote: To be Announced

10:30 – 10:45 AM Break

10:45 – 11:45 AM Wine Media: Similarities and Differences Around the World: Hear from a panel of writers, bloggers, and social media influencers from different countries on the current state of wine media in their regions and their predictions for the future.

11:45 AM – 1:15 PM Lunch

1:15 – 2:15 PM The Importance of Digital Marketing: This panel of wine marketing experts will guide you through an effective digital marketing program, including strategy, implementation and analysis.  Discover how to create goals, what tools to use to implement your program and how to evaluate the results to make sure you are on track.

Panelists:

2:15 – 2:30 PM Break

2:30 – 3:30 PM What Wineries Want From Media and What Media Want From Wineries:  We all want the same thing – to promote the wine industry. Through this panel discussion, discover best practices for both wineries and media working with together to achieve mutual goals.

3:30 – 4:30 PM Live Wine Social – Red: Live Wine Social (previously Live Wine Blogging) is the signature event of the conference, in which 25 wineries each have five minutes to pour one wine for a table of attendees. Bloggers, writers, and influencers taste, analyze, and write about the wine or winery on the spot. Wineries then move to a new table in a speed-dating format.  Participating wineries so far:

4:30 – 5:00 PM Live Wine Social Follow-up – Meet the Winemakers: Take a few minutes to ask additional questions or try the wines of winemakers who did not reach your table. 

5:15 – 9:45 PM Wine Country Dinner Excursions: These dinner excursions are included in the ticket price. View the list of excursions here:  Friday Wine Country Excursions.  You will be able to register for an excursion upon registration check-in onsite.

Saturday, October 12

8:30 AM  Registration

9:00 – 9:45 AM Breakout Sessions: Choose one of three breakout sessions:

  • Advanced Social Media Marketing:  There are two key components to effectively using Social Media to build your audience, generate leads and ultimately drive sales – they are Organic and Paid Traffic. In this workshop, we’re going to dive deep into the strategies behind how to build your audience organically and then utilise paid advertising to throw fuel on the fire and accelerate your growth. Presented by Scott Seward, Right Hook Digital
  • Wine Media: Online Versus Print Wine Writers: Is writing for print media really that different than writing for online blogs and publications? This session will explore the similarities and differences in writing styles, length and content.
  • Creating an Effective Media Program (Industry Track):  Do you have a media program in place that allows you to effectively communicate with local, regional, national and international media?  This session will show you the importance of putting a plan into place, review the elements of an effective media program and how to implement the program to increase your exposure.

9:45 – 9:55 AM Break

9:55 – 10:40 AM Breakout Sessions: Choose one of three breakout sessions:

  • Video and Photography Without a Budget:  Everyone wants a million views on their latest YouTube video – how does that happen?  You don’t need to hire a professional to achieve great results. We will explore the elements of effective video content as well as how to cost-effectively push those videos out into the web for the most views and engagement.
  • Writing About the Underdog: Promoting Unexplored Wineries and Regions:  With consolidation happening around the world in the wine industry, it is important to continue to advocate for the smaller wineries and regions that offer excellent wines and unique experiences for the wine consumer.  Learn how to be an advocate for these gems by identifying unique properties and brands and creating a narrative that resonates with your audience.  Presented by Devin Parr, Devin Parr & Associates
  • Selling More Wine With Less Effort (Industry Track):  Are you using the full potential of your cellar door in conjunction with your digital marketing program?  Learn how to integrate your digital marketing program with your sales efforts to continue engage customers long after they have visited your winery.

10:40 – 10:50 AM Break

10:50 – 11:35 AM Breakout Sessions: Choose one of three breakout sessions:

  • Entertaining Wine Reviews:  How to Engage Your Audience:  Personality and humor go a long way in connecting with your readers – find out how to shine in your writing through this session with Drew Lambert from Wine Wankers and friends.
  • Increase Your Online Following: Looking for the BEST way to grow your audience? We’re all competing for the same things: attention and time. This presentation will hone in on the one change you can make tomorrow to captivate your audience and keep them coming back. Join us as we break down the BS and get to the heart of what your readers want. Presented by Polly Hammon, 5Forests
  • Growing Your Database and Automating Your Engagement (Industry Track):  The basic rule of thumb is that the more contacts you have, the more exposure you will receive.  In this session, we will explore key ways to grow your database with the right audience and automate your communications for maximum engagement.

11:35 AM – 1:05 PM Lunch Sponsored by Pernod Ricard

1:05 – 2:05 PM All-Group Session:  Where Does Wine Writing Go From Here?  Wine writing has changed vastly over the last 10 to 20 years, especially with the advent of digital platforms. Hear from a panel of long-time writers and bloggers and discover how the industry has changed since they began and how it will continue to evolve.

2:05 – 2:20 PM Break

2:20 – 3:20 PM Discovery Sessions: Choose one of two Discovery Sessions, which are in-depth introductions, including wine tasting, to a winery, wine region, or other wine industry business.

  • Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales:
    • You be the Judge: learn to taste like a professional from the KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show Chair of Judges, PJ Charteris tasting award winning wines! The KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show is conducted annually by the RAS and has a long and proud history of recognising the best of Australian wine, dating back to 1826. 2019 will be PJ Charteris’ second year in the position of Chair of Judges for the KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show. He brings a wealth of knowledge of Australian wine, understanding the great regional and sub regional diversity of the industry, as well as a trained palate having being involved in the judging show system for over 20 years across several regional and state Shows.
  • To Be Announced

3:20 – 4:05 PM Lightning Talks: This is the opportunity to hear from your fellow attendees. We will have eight speakers, each of whom will have five minutes to present on a subject that is near to his or her heart. The catch is each speaker has to use 20 slides that are set to auto-rotate every 15 seconds, which keeps the talks fast and fun. We will issue a call for volunteers approximately 45 days prior to the conference.

4:05 – 4:20 PM Announcement of 2020 Location

4:20 – 5:20 PM Live Wine Social – White/Rosé : Live Wine Social (previously Live Wine Blogging) is the signature event of the conference, in which 25 wineries each have five minutes to pour one wine for a table of attendees. Bloggers, writers, and influencers taste, analyze, and write about the wine or winery on the spot. Wineries then move to a new table in a speed-dating format.  Participating wineries so far:

5:20 – 5:50 PM Live Wine Social Follow-up – Meet the Winemakers: Take a few minutes to ask additional questions or try the wines of winemakers who did not reach your table.

5:50 – 6:00 PM Break

6:00 – 7:30 PM Australia Regional Wines Reception: Visit with representatives and taste wines from wine regions throughout Australia.

Sunday – Tuesday, October 13 – 15

Post-Conference Excursions: We are offering four post-conference excursions to wine regions inside New South Wales but outside the Hunter Valley.

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