Best Practices

Manual

About the Digital Wine Communications Conference

The DWCC founders

Born in Minnesota, Ryan O p a z l a u n c h e d catavino.net in 2005 while living in Spain.

Vrazon’s tech expert , Ryan's time is also spent w i n e j u d g i n g , g i v i n g w o r k s h o p s o n s o c i a l media and blogging for wineries, wine retailers and restaurants.

Born in Chicago, Gabriella Opaz is co-founder and editor of catavino.net.

With a Masters in Education, G a b r i e l l a i s t h e organizational element of the Vrazon team. Published writer, runner, and traveller, she’s inspired to create quality events that create long-term engagement and a familiar appeal.

Robert McIntosh is a wine c o m m u n i c a t o r o n wineconversation.com and thirstforwine.co.uk and a p r o l i f i c t w i t t e r e r (@thirstforwine).

Robert worked in publishing & exhibitions marketing before getting into wine, a n d h a s w o r k e d w i t h importers and wineries in the UK market.

54,000,000 117,000,000 185,000,000 241,000,000

100,000,000 150,000,000

608,000,000 845,000,000 1,056,000,000 1,228,000,000360,000,000

Number of monthly active Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google + users worldwide

300,000,000

Wine in Context

300300+

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Flavo(u)r

300

DIGITAL WINE COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

Source

280

Pintrest opens to public

Vine launches

Storytelling

216

Google + launches

200

Instagram is released

Instagram is aquired by Facebook

Open ThemeSocial Wine Brand

120

Monetizing Theme

Participants 30

SwitzerlandSpainTurkeyItalyPortugalSpain AustriaCountry

# Hashtag info organizer

usedfor the #1 time

Wine Blogger.info launches

Facebookopens to public

Youtube launches

Twitter opens to public

Iphone is released Android is released

Wordpress becomes a blogging platform#1

The #1 blogis created

1994

DWCCMONTREUXOCT 31 - NOV 2 . 2014

20142013201220112010200920082005 2006 20072004

The word “Blogger”is used for the

#1 time

1999

The DWCC evolution

DWCC PhilosophyEveryone is a VIP This conference makes sure that all participants are treated equally and offered the same opportunity to network. Speakers are treated the same as other attendees. Community comes first. !Education First This is a communications conference about wine, not a wine conference about communication. We are here to learn and grow and help the wine industry move forward. !Engagement before PR PR is important, but traditional methods often fail to engage individuals. All sponsors are encouraged to engage, participate and share. The best way for our sponsors to benefit is to join the workshops, dinners and post parties, thereby becoming part of a growing community.

Why is DWCC successful?

Why is DWCC successful?

Because of WHAT it consists of • Networking with influential peers • Dynamic workshops covering

numerous topics on communications and wine business

• Discovery of new wines, wineries and stories through walk-around tastings, winery hosted dinners, vineyard visits and press trips

• Unique and unforgettable tastings

“To me, both professionally and personally, is

a particularly important conference. The

opportunity to meet the leading influences in

the wine sector, all in one place, it can be, in a

lot of cases, a once in a lifetime chance.”

“It's utterly brilliant. What I like specially is

honesty and lack of pretension. I think we're

all seeing each other as peers and that's

really lovely.”

Randall Grahm - Wine Maker

Bonny Doon Vineyards

Dr. Damien Wilson - Head of

MSc in Wine Business

Because of WHEN and WHERE it takes place The DWCC takes place in a different location every year. This dynamic model allows:

• delegates to get to know a different wine context each year;

• different regions to be featured in depth, not just through their wines, but also through the gastronomy and tourism, in the perfect location for all this: the regions themselves.

“The Austrian Wine Marketing Board hosted the

European Wine Bloggers Conference (now

DWWC) in 2010 and it was our gateway to the

world of Social Media. (…)The timing in 2010 was

perfect for us, as it underlined our image as an

old world wine country with important

traditional values, but also showing Austria’s

young an modern new wine scene. (…)EWBC had

a significant impact on the Social Media

performance of Austrian wines and wineries

since then.”

Susanne Staggl - Diplom Sommelier,

Marketing Manager - Austrian Wine

Marketing Board

Why is DWCC successful?

Because of HOW it is organized The way the conference is run changes every year according to: 

• what is happening in the market • the host country’s needs and

target messages • participants and sponsors’

feedback This keeps everyone involved and returning each year, while keeping the community alive and promoting the integration of new members

To collect participant’s feedback

and ideas for content, this year

we’ve setup a uservoice.com

account. This help us adapt the

DWCC content to everyone’s

expectations. Check out the ideas

we have so far at

http://dwcc.uservoice.com/.

Why is DWCC successful?

Because of WHO the delegates are

The Sales/PR person Jan, 38 Winery owner, Germany

Jan started managing the family wine business a few years ago. He now writes his own blog and understands the power of digital communications. He found out about the the DWCC through a sponsorship proposal and comes back to the conference because it is a place to learn and discuss wine marketing, sales & communications. He is tapping into new ways to promote his business to make himself standout in a crowded field.

The Communicator Ben, 40 Journalist, UK

Ben writes for a recognized wine publication and does this full time. The publication he works for is a Media Partner this year, but he has come to the DWCC in the past as well. He is mainly interested in the communications seminars and workshops and in exchanging ideas with the other wine influencers.

The Prosumer Francesca, 35 Blogger and Project Manager at a medium size company, Italy Francesca is a wine lover. She started writing her own wine blog for fun, but now she is a well respected writer and opinion influencer. This isn’t her full time job, but she makes sure she has the chance to travel to wine regions, to discover new wines and to participate in tastings and events. She comes to discover new regions and wines to share, and so she plans on coming to the DWCC every year.

The three main personas found among the DWCC participants are: 

Why is DWCC successful?

How can you get the most out of the Digital Wine

Communications Conference?

As soon as you confirm your participation in the DWCC, get registered.

This will give you access to the Facebook groups (only registered participants can join) and the participant list that is shared in our website.

This way, you can:

• access exclusive conversations and announcements made in the Facebook group;

• be found by other participants wanting to know better who is going to join them at the DWCC this year.

#GETINVOLVED

#1 REGISTER EARLY

FOR THE

CONFERENCE

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

BEFORE the DWCC

The event itself starts long before the conference begins. To make the most of it you should:

#GETINVOLVED

#2 LISTEN TO THE

COMMUNITY

Create a Twitter account (if you don’t have one), so that you can:

• Follow the DWCC - @DigitalWineCom - here you’ll see updates on speakers and sessions, interesting content about wine communications and conversations between all participants;

• Follow the DWCC hashtag - #DWCC14 - this way you can see what is being said about the conference and other what content is shared in this context as this will be very relevant;

• Follow the conference participants - by following the Twitter list we’ve created with their handles.

BEFORE the DWCC

The event itself starts long before the conference begins. To make the most of it you should:

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

#3 GET TO KNOW

THE COMMUNITY

While you’re listening to the conversations around the conference in social networks:

• understand the type of conversations the audience has, what their opinions are and what is the best way to get their attention;

• visit the participants’ blogs to understand what they write about and if your brand message would be interesting to them;

TIP: To follow multiple blogs at the same time, you can use tools like Feedly. Ask us how!

#GETINVOLVED

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

BEFORE the DWCC

The event itself starts long before the conference begins. To make the most of it you should:

Now that you know your audience, you’re prepared to start interacting and joining the conversation:

• reply to questions to which you know the answer, even if the question isn’t directed to you;

• make sure you reply every time someone asks you a question. Don’t worry, it won’t take up too much of your time and the results are worth it;

• the content you share should be less about you or your brand and more about the conference theme, location, content or other subjects that are generally interesting to the DWCC audience.

#GETINVOLVED

#4 JOIN THE

CONVERSATION ON

FACEBOOK, TWITTER

AND OTHER SOCIAL

NETWORKS

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

BEFORE the DWCC

The event itself starts long before the conference begins. To make the most of it you should:

Make people notice you for the right reasons and make sure they will talk, write, tweet, post, instagram, etc about you and, most of all, remember you! Give them something to do!

Be a friend. Talk to your peers. Don’t be the salesperson!

TIP: Here is a good article about how to drive traffic to your exhibition table:

http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/drive-more-attendees-to-exhibition-booths/

#STANDOUT

#5 PROMOTE YOUR

BRAND IN FUN

NEW WAYS

DURING the DWCC

Don’t be just another sponsor.

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

More than an advertising or promotion opportunity, the DWCC is a place to learn about digital wine communications for your business, and meet people who want to help:

• Learn from the workshops. They can be a real asset for your brand. There’s a lot to gain from a personal and professional point of view;

“The Digital Wine Communicator’s Conference (...)one of the rare events that bring together a diverse, (...) crowd of wine lovers and professionals from around the world. I enjoyed myself immensely and got a great deal of the program both personally and professionally. I encourage anyone to attend this well organized and intimate assemblage of wine communicators.” Tim Hanni MW

#BETHERE

#6 PARTICIPATE

IN THE CONFERENCE

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

DURING the DWCC

More than a sponsor be a participant.

One of the strengths of the DWCC is the networking and brainstorming opportunities. These tips will help you take advantage of this:

• Follow up conversations that you had online with other sponsors, speakers and participants. Let them know who you are in person;

• Use the #DWCC14 hashtag when commenting on sites, blogs, Facebook and twitter;

• When possible, go to all the conference events, not just the seminars and workshop. Participate in the dinners, BYOB and informal gatherings. Don’t miss the informal networking moments.

DURING the DWCC

Be more than a sponsor, be a participant.

#7 CONTINUE

THE CONVERSATION

#BETHERE

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

Don’t waste your efforts, keep interacting with your followers and friends:

• Send public thanks via Twitter and Facebook to participants in general and to individuals that you think contributed to the success of your participation in the conference;

• Every time you tweet or post about an interesting workshop or conversation you had during the conference, tag the person you’re talking about. Make them see that you care and you remember them. And remember to add #DWCC14

#KEEPINTERACTING

#8 DON’T FORGET

OR BE FORGOTTEN

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

AFTER the DWCC

The event can be over but your work isn’t.

#9 KEEP TRACK OF

EVERYTHING

THAT IS BEING

SAID ABOUT YOU

Most of the written content is only produced after the conference days, so don’t miss that content:

• Monitor all the new content related to the event and, most importantly, to your brand;

• Keep an eye on the DWCC Facebook group and on the participants Twitter list.

• Stay in touch - encourage participants to include you in their reports, offer them a chance of getting details from you directly

TIP: Setup Google Alerts. Ask us how!

#KEEPINTERACTING

Make the most of this one-time opportunity

AFTER the DWCC

The event can be over but your work isn’t.

Don’t miss any of our tips

#1 - REGISTER EARLY FOR THE CONFERENCE

#2 - LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY

#3 - GET TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY

#4 - JOIN THE CONVERSATION

BEFORE DURING AFTER#GETINVOLVED #KEEPINTERACTING#BETHERE #STANDOUT

#5 - PROMOTE YOUR BRAND IN FUN NEW WAYS

#6 - PARTICIPATE IN THE CONFERENCE

#7 - CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS

#8 - DON’T FORGET OR BE FORGOTTEN

#9 - KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING THAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT YOU

Could you use some further help?

• Website makeovers, if your website needs an update before the DWCC;

• One-to-one consulting, if you need help setting up and use your social media profiles effectively, Feedly or Google Alerts or if you simply have a lot of questions;

• Implementation of great ideas to promote your brand during the conference and beyond;

At Vrazon we don’t just organize the DWCC, we’re a consulting company. Our goal every year is to leave the local wine brands with better tools and knowledge to improve their Digital Communications. !We can provide the following services:

Ryan (ryan@vrazon.com) - Robert (robert@vrazon.com) Gabriella - (gabriella@vrazon.com) - Sara (sara@vrazon.com)

Matilde Ribeirinho (matilde@vrazon.com)

See you in Montreux!

www.vrazon.com