We conduct a post-conference survey and have done so for every conference we have ever run since the first WBC in 2008, using the same 1-5 scale where 1=needs improvement, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=very good, and 5=outstanding. We analyze these results thoroughly each year to make sure we are constantly improving. We also like to share these results with you, our community.
Here are some of the findings from the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference in The Finger Lakes.
- The overall conference rated 4.09 on the five point scale, slightly below our high of 4.13 in Penticton. I can hear the cheers from Canada now but this is a great rating for The Finger Lakes.
- 89% of respondents rated the overall conference Very Good or Outstanding, which means the conference pleased almost everyone. Four people rated the conference “needs improvement” and four people rated the conference “fair”. I know many people who were there will shake their heads at this, since so many people did enjoy almost everything about the event. However, we the organizers understand people have specific priorities and if we didn’t meet these (like the poor WiFi at the hotel) the conference might have “needed improvement” for a few people.
- Karen MacNeil, our keynote speaker, was the highest-rated keynote speaker ever at 4.51. This is extremely impressive.
- The pre-conference excursion with the Seneca Lake Wine Trail rated 4.74 and the post-conference excursion with the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail rated 4.28. These excursions are almost always some of the highest-rated aspects of the Wine Bloggers Conference and always sell out.
- Content sessions on average rated 3.84, well above our average for all conferences of 3.60. It is hard to provide content that resonates with everyone but this score means the content was mostly successful. The highest scoring sessions were Wines Across the Andes (Montes Wines from Chile and Kaiken Winery from Argentina), Cellaring Sense: The Ageability of Finger Lakes Wines, and the Women in the Wine World panel.
- In terms of events, the conference rated 3.95 with the highest rated events being the Finger Lakes Wine Country Excursions, the Hot Glass Demo at the Corning Museum of Glass, the Friday evening Wines of New York reception at the Rockwell Museum, the Saturday banquet dinner at the Corning Museum of Glass, and the Thursday opening reception hosted by the Gaffer District downtown association in Corning.
- There are always snafus at any conference but I am proud to say attendees rated the overall organization of the conference a 4.22, which shows the effort of my team and especially our new employee Kerry Dopler who was running her first-ever WBC.
Much credit for the success of the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference goes to Laury Poland and her team at Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association and all our many sponsors. Thank you!