Yesterday I met Pak. I met him at the Beers & Blogs annual meeting held in Madrid. This Beers & Blogs was somehow special –it was the first one after holidays, and I had the chance to see the face of many bloggers and Twitter users who gathered there.

Pak is a very peculiar guy, who is participating at the A Sabbatical Year in Rioja contest. I believe the idea currently being developed by the Rioja Appellation of Origin is original, attractive and interesting. And when you get all these three factors together in Social Media, your chances to reach success are pretty high. In this year’s edition, there are 15 guys competing to become the winner of the “A Sabbatical Year in Rioja” contest. What is this contest all about? Check this website to find out.

If all 15 show the same passion and interest Pak does, the name of Rioja will be in the mouth of every person going out for a glass of wine in every city of Spain.

Congratulations to the Rioja people and their agency, (Contrapunto Barcelona) on this initiative. This is real Social Media, and a clear demonstration of what Social Media can do in combination with face-to-face meetings. Only those reaching balance between both spheres manage to gain success –and this contest is a perfect example.

And there was Pak, in a bloggers meeting, with his laptop, inviting all people in the room to log in and vote for him.

Pak is a very funny and convincing guy. He is now in the sixth position of the ranking –only five of them will make their way to the final. I don’t know the rest of participants, but my vote today is for Pak. Why him? Because face-to-face meetings are also important.

Use this link to vote for him.

Good luck, Pak

PS: I just met Sara –I wish you good luck too.

This post in Spanish: Hoy voto por Pak Muñoz en el concurso “Un Año Sabático en la Rioja”