Hahn Estates Lisa
"I invented Wine and Social Media" De Bruin,
St. Supery's Rick
"The Bacon Hammer of Napa Valley" Bakas, and this guy who refuses to be caught in a photo with his mouth shut.
If the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference was our Monterey Pop Festival-- An explosion of ideas, people, connections and excitement. The 2009 was a different creature. At its core, vibrant, raucous, and charged, but with an odd layer of observation and distance.
The number of wineries attending was enormous. It was as if everyone in the industry knew they had to be there, but once there, was unsure of what to do. Instead of engaging, many lined the dance floor, huddled in packs, and did not interact. When they did, it was an awkward dance. As a participant (who is both an independent blogger, and now working for a winery) this was totally bizarre. My Saturday night dinner experience at Antica had most of the participating wineries (except Judd's Hill) huddled at a single table away from the attendees. It was as if someone invited you to a lavish party at their house, but they stayed in the living room watching TV. This was a crazy-spectacular event (a highlight of my trip), but I feel like the sponsors could have got way more ROI by interacting, building relationships, and sharing in the experience.
Why am I writing this? Because in order for social media to work- you need to interact, you need to jump in, you need to be part of the conversation. Ears are perked, eyes are open, but its time to dive in-- sink or swim.
The Open Wine Consortium and Zephyr Wine Adventures pulled off a heck of an event. Barry Schuler's presentation at the CIA was legendary. He gets it! (Both Wine and Social Media) His presentation was worth the trip alone.
