Winery Travel – Why Travel With Your Wine Club and Customers?
Wine is a competitive business, and the marketing of a brand is arguably as important to its success as crafting great wines. For winemaking teams, the production may come easily— creating an expressive bottle of wine is what they know best. However, when it comes to telling their story and cultivating a dedicated following, wineries may benefit from some help.
One simple and often-overlooked tool available to wineries to differentiate their brand, build community, and create loyalty is travel. By traveling abroad with like-minded enthusiasts on a trip geared toward club members and a winery host, wineries can set themselves apart and build customer relationships while providing unforgettable experiences for wine club members and friends. As wine market expert Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank pointed out here,
“You have to develop a program of adapting and changing instead of seeking routine in the club. Your wine club members want variety and if you don't give it to them, they will find it with another winery. ”
Rob McMillan, Silicon Valley Bank
Winery Travel to Differentiate and Build Loyalty
The West Coast wine industry is growing. There are more than 3,500 wineries in California, 900 wineries in Washington, and 700 wineries in Oregon. Wine clubs have also flourished in the past decade as wineries focused increased attention on direct-to-consumer sales. One of the key challenges wine clubs face in retaining and growing their following is differentiating themselves from the many options available to consumers and keeping offerings fresh and engaging. One solution employed by a small but growing number of wineries is the offer of travel.
While only a small share of wineries currently offer travel experiences to their club members and guests, those that do have had overwhelmingly positive experiences. Traveling wineries have hosted hundreds of club members on river cruises and land journeys to wine regions abroad. Many of Experi’s winery partners have built strong bonds with their club members, traveling to multiple destinations with a growing number of repeat guests. Larger wineries that opt for cruising have filled more than 100 spots in a single departure with club members and friends— all at little to no cost to the winery.
Unique experiences like travel set wineries apart, build community, and keep club members engaged for subsequent years of membership.
Experience Marketing
The world of wines is changing. When people visit a tasting room or join a wine club, they seek unique experiences, personalized interactions, and unforgettable moments. As Rob McMillan stated, “client experience is necessary even if there isn't a tasting room.”
This is another area in which winery travel can make an impact. Wineries can work with a travel partner to offer unique experiences abroad that strengthen bonds, foster community, and ultimately create brand evangelists out of member guests.
Whether doing a wine cruise or an immersive land journey abroad, traveling with club members and a representative from the winery enables customers to engage deeply with the brand. The pictures, stories, and memories that guests build abroad are then shared with friends and family through social media and word of mouth, further increasing awareness around a brand and the unique experiences offered.
Building Relationships and Telling A Story with Winery Travel
When wineries travel with their members, a representative of the winery— often the winemaker, owner, or membership manager— travels with the group as their host. Spending time abroad with club members provides a unique opportunity to create and strengthen relationships through the shared experience of traveling together.
By connecting over meals and wine, sharing stories, and engaging in wine and food-focused activities together, guests and hosts create a lasting bond. This translates into lengthened wine club memberships and, more importantly, real relationships with real patrons. Travel provides the perfect opportunity for wineries to build community with their members.
Learn More
Winery travel creates unforgettable memories for both members and their host wineries. By partnering with an expert travel provider like Experi, wineries can provide brand-enhancing travel experiences at little to no cost or hassle to themselves.
Please contact us at partners@experi.com if you’re interested in learning how you can host your winery abroad.