Happy 2021 to all of you. While we still have some waiting to do before we get back out on the road promoting Oregon wine, we are optimistic that we can put together a calendar of events for this year. Flexibility will once again be a component but we are confident enough that we will be opening registration for all events as you will see below.
We also want to share a few updates to our international program, specifically in regards to our partners in markets throughout the world.
As you will see, our 2021 programming is not fully back to our pre-COVID scheduling, with a mix of both in-person and virtual events. We hope to have many of you participate on some level so please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have. We will send more frequent updates since these events are still evolving but we are going to remain positive.
We look forward to seeing you out on the road.
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS UPDATE
Last year, we went through RFP processes in order to find new partners in various markets for 2021. We are happy with whom we have selected and look forward to cultivating these relationships this year as well as in the future. Below is a quick introduction (reintroduction in some cases) of our current contractors.
Sweden – Daniel Esberg, Deliq
Daniel came highly recommended to OWB in 2020. We worked with him on our planned master classes, which unfortunately we were unable to host. Daniel has worked closely with other regions throughout the world to plan events in Stockholm and has extensive knowledge and experience working with the buying monopoly, Systembolget. Daniel will be helping OWB and Washington State Wine plan our summer tasting events in Sweden.
Denmark – Ruth Tilgaard and Pia Vodder, VinenHus
OWB is excited to work again with Pia and Ruth for our Copenhagen tasting in June. OWB has worked with VinenHus on events in the past including our Go West! tastings with Washington and California. They have been a valuable partner for all three states and have done a fantastic job on these events. We look forward to continuing this relationship.
UK – Rebecca Wilson, LOTUS Communications
We are pleased to announce our new partnership with LOTUS in the U.K. LOTUS was selected after a lengthy, competitive RFP process and will be assisting OWB with our strategy shift in the U.K. to focus on consumer marketing and media relations. They have extensive experience in the market and have worked with the wines of Spain as well as Laurent-Perrier and Freixenet to name a few. We are very impressed with their programming ideas and think that they will be a great asset for us in the U.K. market. Our focus for the first six months given the current climate will be on high-end consumers and the retail sector with various virtual events focused on the media. You can visit their website here. We will be updating you on more specifics as we solidify those campaigns and events.
South Korea – Micky Choi, Wine21
We are very pleased to be again working with Micky Choi in Korea. We have had great success with events in the past planned by Micky and have every reason to expect the same in 2021. She will be assisting us with programming that will focus on consumer marketing including social media, online promotions, retail and importer support.
Singapore – Eddie Saw, Total Market Solutions
OWB and Washington State Wine have selected to work with Eddie Saw for our virtual events in Singapore in the future. Eddie has extensive experience in the Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets and partners with the top wine trade to execute successful events. Eddie will be a key component of our foray into the Singapore market and we look forward to working with him and his team.
Mexico – Noemie Lafon and Adriana Cadena, Enlaces Gastronomicos
We are thrilled to be partnering once again with Enlaces Gastronomicos for our extended programming in Mexico. Adriana and her team executed an incredibly well-planned and successful first event in Mexico City in early 2020. In addition to our tastings, Enlaces Gastronomicos will be organizing small, targeted programming in April as a “kickoff” to our programming in the summer. We are confident they are the correct partners to continue our efforts and growth in Mexico.
Canada – Will Predhomme, Predhomme Market Insights
OWB will continue our partnership with Will Predhomme for our expanded tasting event scheduling in Canada along with Washington State Wine in 2021. Will and his team have been invaluable to our growth in Ontario and we are privileged to have them as our partner for other events in Canada this year. Additionally, OWB has contracted with Predhomme Market Insights for Oregon-only programming focusing on engaging the buying monopolies in various provinces and executing virtual promotions of Oregon wines. We look forward to this partnership and to see the growth of the Oregon section not only in Ontario but in Quebec, Alberta and B.C. as well.
Japan
After a long RFP process and interviews with various marketing firms, OWB has decided to delay appointing a new partner in Japan for the next six months. While the candidates were strong, we agreed that we didn’t quite find the correct one for our needs as we shift our strategy to consumer marketing and media relations. We will go through a new RFP process leading up to the second half of 2021. If you have any names you would like to submit, please let us know so we can make sure that they are included in our outreach. In the meantime, we are continuing to work with Todd Stevens from BeerCats to deliver the Northwest Wine Certification program and some other market support activities.
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
As you will see we have a fairly aggressive international in-market tasting schedule for 2021. While some will have to be held virtually, we are hoping that we will be able to attend some in person towards the second half of the year. While events such as ProWein will not be taking place, we look forward to providing opportunities in other markets to develop relationships with the trade. Please keep an eye out for updates to all of the events below as well as additional virtual programming we will be developing in the coming months.
Inbounds
The inbound schedule is still to be determined. We are scheduled to host an inbound tour for U.K. trade with California and Washington later in the year but we are hesitant to put dates on the calendar not knowing if this will be a reality. Unfortunately our international summer tour will need to be delayed yet another year. We will once again extend the invite to those confirmed for 2020 to 2022.
Asia Programming Update
Korea Grand Tasting
OWB in collaboration with Washington State Wine will be working with our partner in Korea to promote our wines that are in the market by focusing on consumer marketing and media and PR relations. There has been a large uptick in retail sales of wine in Korea and we hope to capitalize on this success with some targeted online promotions and social media campaigns until it is safe for us to plan in-person programming in Korea, which we will delay until further notice.
Singapore Grand Tasting
OWB in collaboration with Washington State Wine was scheduled to host a virtual tasting in Singapore in spring 2021. After speaking with our contractors, we don’t believe this to be the ideal time to plan our inaugural programming in this market due to the uptick in cases there and the tightening of regulations. Both regions agreed that we want to ensure our first time in the market is a success so we have delayed the programming there to a date to be determined in the future. Please look out for updates later in the year.
OWB is looking forward to returning to Copenhagen and Stockholm along with Washington State Wine. For Copenhagen, our event partners are fairly confident that this tasting will be able to take place in-person for the trade and media and we have secured a venue hoping that this will be the case. In Stockholm we will also be joined by the California Wine Institute for the first Go West! tasting in a number of years.
These will be importer-led tastings without the necessity for in-person winery participation. We will also incorporate an education component and perhaps events for VIPs and top media.
Requirements for participation are below and subject to change:
Consolidate requested wine by the deadline for shipment.
Fill out an online profile with detailed wine information in Bottlebooks by deadline.
Provide required collateral, which may include some virtual components such as videos (tbd).
Availability of principal winery rep for an assigned time slot for meetings and a “virtual manning” of the booth (tbd).
Other items that may be determined later in the planning process with a realistic deadline provided by OWB.
OWB will be providing more detailed information in the coming weeks to the registered wineries. If you are interested in being updated prior to registration, have any questions or require further information please do not hesitate to contact Margaret.
As you can see from the dates above, OWB is expanding our tasting schedule in Canada in 2021. We are planning for these events to be in-person for both attendees and wineries but are making backup plans in case this will still not be possible by summer. These tastings will all be held in collaboration with Washington and will be under the banner of “Northwest Wine Expedition.” They will include a trade tasting, consumer tasting and educational components as well as collaborations with other Northwest products with the idea of bringing the Northwest to Canada. We are looking forward to this expansive programming and will adjust and update should it be necessary.
Registration and participation requirements are:
Consolidate requested wine by the deadline for shipment.
Fill out an online profile with detailed wine information in Bottlebooks by deadline.
Provide required collateral, which may include some virtual components such as videos (tbd).
Availability of principal winery rep for an assigned time slot for meetings and a “virtual manning” of the booth (tbd).
Other items that may be determined later in the planning process with a realistic deadline provided by OWB.
OWB is expanding our programming from one city to three in Mexico in 2021 and Washington will be joining us. We are planning with the expectation that all events will be able to take place in-person for both wineries and attendees but of course will have a backup plan in place should this not be able to happen. In each city there will be a trade tasting and educational component.
Registration and participation requirements are:
Consolidate requested wine by the deadline for shipment.
Fill out an online profile with detailed wine information in Bottlebooks by deadline.
Provide required collateral, which may include some virtual components such as videos (tbd).
Availability of principal winery rep for an assigned time slot for meetings and a “virtual manning” of the booth (tbd).
Other items that may be determined later in the planning process with a realistic deadline provided by OWB.
VIP Kickoff Week
In addition to our trade tastings in Mexico, we will be hosting a “kickoff week” in April in the three cities to create buzz and have a continued presence in the market. These seminars will be targeted to the very top trade, importers and media and will feature both Oregon and Washington wines. The idea is to start educating the trade and to create ambassadors for our regions to help spread the word about our events and get the rest of the trade excited.
If you are interested in participating by providing samples for these seminars please see the requirements below. Because of regulation changes we will need to move very quickly to send out the shipment on time. Please do not register if you are unable to fulfill all of the requirements.
Register here. Registering does not confirm your participation but rather your interest in participating. You will receive an email from OWB to confirm your registration.
Consolidate wine by the deadline: this will need to happen within the next two weeks.
Fill out an online profile with detailed wine and winery information in Bottlebooks by the deadline.
Provide the required collateral.
Due to new shipment regulations, which includes samples, be able to produce, print and adhere a required label to all bottles being shipped. More details will be provided once your winery is confirmed.
OWB will select the final wineries based on a number of factors including order of registration. Preference will be given to wineries are already in the market.
Please direct questions about any of the above to Margaret Bray.
