Vender vino

It´s amazing the difference between social media on the English speaking wine sector, if compared with Spanish speaking wine sector.

There is a huge distance. Bu there is something that is unquestionable. What is happening there will happen here too.

Someone said a few days ago in Twittter that the wine industry does not believe in Social Media. My answer to this tweet was that it is not important if wineries do not believe. What is important is that many consumers do. These two factors altogether mean  there is a huge potential for entepreneur wineries that are brave enough (Are they only brave or have they also the knowledge?), to make the leap.

But… Do we want facts?

A few days ago, Fenavin, one of the most important Spanish wine fairs took place in Ciudad Real. A good friend of mine,  Jesús Benito, was responsible of making a conference during the fair about 2.0 which was called  Fenavin 2.0. In the beginning, the room was crowded, but as soon as they gave some prizes for important players on the wine industry, most of the people left. Only 20 or 25 people stayed for the “true conference”. Very few wineries.

By the way. Y have to say that the speakers and their conferences were at premium level. Congratulations to Jesus Benito for organizing it so well. Everything was fine.

This same week the London Wine Fair took place. On this fair there was also a conference about electronic commerce. The ticket for getting in was 150 pounds per person, with a maximum of 200 people. They had closed he ticket allocations on the internet several days before the event. Y guess there was a full assistance.

I do not know what conclusions my readers do take about this. I have no doubt about the importance of what Social Media has in order get visibility and sales. This is coming also to Spain very soon, and many wineries are not going to be well prepared for this.

In the English speaking world there is a great excitement. And in Spain, at the same time it looks as we were in the middle of the desert. Let us give time to my prediction. But not too much. It is coming soon.

This post in Spanish: Comunicación digital del vino en España y en el mundo anglosajón

I’ve always compared a lecture presentation with a movie film.

Both movies and presentations are important to have a good start to awaken public interest. But being brilliant at the beginning is as important as to give a glare to the viewer at the end of the speech, so as to produce in the audience a sweet taste at the end.

I remember seen the film named “The Lives of Others” I saw it just when it was first released.  As the film begins you soon realize it has a good script, and as it continues   progressing on and on, you feel more and more stimulated by the back plot.

By the time the denouement arrives, you do not expect anything else to happen and suddenly, a new, incredible and subtle message comes up in action. This type of ending makes me worth seen performances with the script arranged in that way.  

If you haven’t seen the film yet, I urge you to do it, you will enjoy it.

A few days ago, I was at the department store “El Corte Ingles”, wandering around the book shop and to my surprise I found out that I am not the only one who gives so much an importance to film endings, It came to my hands a new released book titled “Finales de Cine. 77 películas para recordar” written by Oscar Vilaboy and Pablo Lopez”

Well, all this comes up in relation to a course I’ve recently taken; it was imparted by a major social media agency.

During the course I met  Montse , she is the Community Account Manager for the Repsol Guide. It happened that we knew each other from before; it was trough internet on account of an article I had written about the wonderful work the agency had one on the “Repsol Guide. Promotion and increasing loyalty through Social Media.”

The seminar lasted 2 and a half days and it was arranged in a very educational and practical way, gathering small groups of work up to 12 people.

The course developed normally and the last person to lecture was the Community Manager of the Repsol Guide Miss Montse, she did a great presentation about the work done by her client, she presented a Slide show in Power Point and said something like, “besides the above presentation, when one does his job and works hard he receives other types of intangible rewards” … and then she silently pulled out the last screenshot about my post on the Repsol Guide. I was not expecting this gesture, because she didn’t owe me anything, I believe my face turned out to look like the main character of the film I mentioned at the beginning of the post.  

There’s nothing like receiving an intangible thanks from someone who freely says it without any obligation.

From that moment,  Montse can count on me for any needs she might have.  Thanks very much Montse, I’m also in this field thanks to rewards like the one you have already given me.

The course in general appealed to me being fantastic, but after experiencing the final glare, I thought it was superb.  I always had in mind ending the presentations with a bright and shiny wink, but after having this last experience, I will have to be even more careful about it…

This post in Spanish: ¿Cómo acabar una presentación? Como en el cine.

I have been this weekend in Lisbon to be present on the European Wine Bloggers Conference. I have to say that I have felt very comfortable on what I have seen and lived because of several reasons:

1) The event was very well organized
2) The assistants were in general, a fantastic group, with a lot of passion about wine, about knowing people, about interchanging experiences and having fun.
3) They know a lot about wine.
4) They have found in wine a very good reason to meet each other.
5) They have very clear that communication on the wine world is changing.
6) They are very interested in trying to know what is going on, and they know about communication. It is good to have this knowledge, but it is even better if it is shared with people with similar hobbies and interests from many different places in the world.
7) They know they are on the good way and they are enjoying a lot during the journey.
8) There were very good speakers, with some exhibitions very well made and very attractive, in a perfect environment.

All this can take anything but satisfaction to wineries and participants.

This world is changing very fast, and everyone must wonder if he is doing its best to adapt to change.

Time will tell. Nevertheless I think that this event has the look of growing.

Congratulations Ryan, Gabriela, Robert. You have done a very good job. Thanks to the people present on the event, because though I did not know many of you, you have made it to feel integrated in the group since the first minute. And all this in spite of not having time to spend visiting the city. There was so much to do at the event…

And it happens like in good films, in which the Cinema director winkes to us on the final scene in order to make us smile when getting out. On this case it was a very funny dinner in a friendly and small restaurant. I was lucky I assisted only because I lost my plane back to Madrid. This was a nice present I did not expect it.

Very funny, didactic and motivating for the participants. Very interesting and fruitful for the collaborator companies.