Are you are looking for new perspective and insight into the wine industry beyond the annual Wine Bloggers Conference? Then you should consider attending the Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference. The conference is designed primarily for leaders and representatives from the wine and tourism industries but is also of great value to bloggers looking for an insider view on wine tourism trends and developments. Plus, citizen bloggers who attend to cover the conference get a 50% discount – see below for details.
Many bloggers have attended past Wine Marketing & Tourism Conferences and found the two-day event worthwhile on multiple levels. For Thea Dwelle, Editor of Luscious Lushes, the content of the conferences helps to advance her goal of adding more travel content on her blog. “Attending the conference gave me a fresh look at old ideas, and I was inspired to change my social media attack as well as HOW and WHAT I write about,” said Dwelle. Thea also said she felt the glimpse into the “other side of the house” was “fascinating”.
The Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference is not as jam packed with tasting opportunities as the Wine Blogger Conference, but the networking and chance to discover new wine regions and make contacts in a less competitive setting was key for Liza Swift of Brixchicks. “I learned so much from the other attendees…[and] as a wine blogger, the greatest benefit I got was the expansion of my travel horizons to the other attendee destinations such as Ohio, Michigan, Colorado and Texas. I tried great wine from places I had never considered visiting and now have a burning desire to go and tell the readers.”
Joe Becerra, owner & editor of WineCountryGetaways.com also found the access to industry leaders and new contacts a benefit to his blog and business. “I seemed to make more connections here than at the Wine Bloggers Conference. It’s a nice change of pace to meet folks who do not blog but have a web presence,” noted Becerra.
Additionally, Joe’s business partner and spouse Janelle Becerra stated, “Joe and I weren’t sure this conference would be beneficial for us, but ended up thinking it was well worth our time and money.” “The main thing we enjoyed was the opportunity to meet and talk with people in the wine industry. Networking is so important to all of us, and the Wine Tourism Conference gave us many opportunities to do that.”
The Wine Tourism Conference may not be a good fit for all wine bloggers, but as Ms. Dwelle tweeted: “Any blogger who is serious about wine and travel should register for the conference.”
Good advice! And since we at Zephyr Conferences organize both the WBC and WMTC, we are able to provide a 50% discount from the normal Wine Tourism Conference registration fee for active citizen wine (and food and tourism) bloggers. The deal is this: You must be an active, “citizen” blogger (ie not blogging for a company website) and must agree to write at least two blog posts about the conference – subjects of your choosing. If you agree to this and wish to join the conference, please register online and use discount code MEDIA.