Wine Bloggers Conference Walla Walla wrap up
The 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference has wrapped up and now we take a moment to sift through the various Tweets and blog posts to bring you a post-conference collection of thoughts and impressions of our lovely little town.
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin had this post-conference story:
Michael Davidson, Tourism Walla Walla executive director, said today he was very impressed with organizational work done by the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance.
Overall the event “was just phenomenal and it was just a great showcase opportunity for us,” Davidson said. “I think it was a great opportunity for Walla Walla and a great opportunity for Washington state.”
The Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman, Catie, of Through The Walla Walla Grapevine:
Most of all, I am overwhelmed with spirit and friendship. It is the energy from the collaborative spirit and these friendships that I realize that I would not be where I am with my wine blogging, if it weren’t for these valuable friendships. I have never been involved with a group of people before who could come together so quickly in the last three years through online social media tools and embrace each other face-to-face as if we had been long-time friends forever.
Nicky Vallee of the Vino Chick blog:
One of the most fulfilling aspects of my trip was meeting so many of my fellow wine lovers and bloggers. I received tremendous feedback about my site, and was surprised and honored to learn that some of these oenophiles had already heard about Vino Chick! The power of social media should NOT be underestimated.
William Pallard of Wild 4 Washington Wine at the Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center during the three-day wine and bloggers conference.
Josh Wade of Drink Nectar left the conference with some ideas of how to improve his blog:
5 Actions Items from WBC10
- SEO – Search Engine Optimization: I know it’s important but it’s an area that I need further help with. If you know of good tools, classes, sites, please share.
- Improve the quality of my video: Starting with video 100 I’ll be moving to HD, investing in better editing software, paying attention to audio quality and planning shots / scripts in a more thoughtful way.
- Improve the quality of my writing: I like to write. I feel I write good engaging pieces. I understand my voice, but I don’t pay enough attention to the mechanics of the writing. I need to start waiting to post and reading out loud. Just because this post is done now, I’m not going to post it until later.
- Reorganize content: I’ve written 200 pieces that include sexual wine 101 courses, social media tips, wine business opinions and wine reviews. Now that I have established a more clear direction I need to better organize the content so it makes sense to the reader and is easy to find.
- Improve wine reviews: Some say wine reviews are dry and boring and don’t get read. Many disagree with the practice of scoring wines. I disagree. Scores help educate consumers and make better informed decisions. It’s my blog, so I’ll do what I want. I’m going to modify my scoring format a hair and create a more reproducible graphic / summary that more succinctly wraps up the review.
The folks over at Wine Press Northwest share this gallery of photos form the conference:
http://www.winepressnw.com/2010/06/27/5092/gallery-2010-wine-bloggers-conference.html
- Craig Sutton known for social media and online marketing, talks about increasing the conversion rate of blogging.
Joe Power of Another Wine Blog:
It has been a lot of fun, but I think my liver will find a way to rip itself out of my body and check into a detox center any moment now if I don’t give it a break. Damn, they make some
fine wine up here in Washington!
We had the opportunity to meet so many amazing, dedicated, and talented wine makers, who not only shared their wine with us, but also vast amounts of knowledge.
Tamara Belgard of Sip With Me! came away with Top 10 Things I Learned at Wine Camp :
8. Remember to use all of your sensory experiences when tasting wine. See it, smell it, feel it, taste it. (Meg Houston Maker, MakersTable) Shhhh, be vewy, vewey quiet… Can you hear the wine?
9. Walla Walla can mean water water in the native american lanaguage, but more traditionally it’s defined as “Many Rivers.”
10. What happens at Wine Camp, stays at Wine Camp.
Ricardo Villarreal (@skovi) of Travel + Wine:
We’re leaving Walla Walla and already missing this beautiful, charming town full of friendly people (and excellent wines). #WBC10
Thanks #wbc10 for kickin it in W2 all weekend. We loved having you here! Rock on…
I was really impressed with those from East who attended #WBC10 Thank you for being there!
This is only a small sampling of what has been written about #WBC10. It’s only the day after and I’m sure many of the attendees need a few days to digest all they saw, heard and tasted. And few days to let the body recover from all that great Walla Walla wine.
If you were there, what was your experience? Post photos and links.
