In my career I have been to a lot of tradeshows in a lot of different countries and industries.  After my first Taste Washington experience, I felt compelled to do the following:

1. Recuperate! That is one long show and volunteering for 12 hours was a bit more than I anticipated.
2. Congratulate the fine job done by my fellow volunteers. In order to keep costs low a ton of work is done solely with volunteer help.
3. Complain about the lack of any padding whatsoever in the booth areas. 6 hours on hard, cold concrete is no way for anyone (volunteer, restauranteur or winemaker) to spend a day.
4. Evaluate the strategies employed by wineries hoping to reap direct-to-conusmer benefit from this show.

Now, understand, I had a fine time and was given plenty of time to wander the floor tasting both food and wine. Being required to spit because I was pouring did not diminish my pleasure and I would like to say to the many consumers I encountered in the last half hour of the show, "Spit more, drink less. We will all appreciate it!"

I would like to implore the show organizers to please put some padding (heck, rubber mats would suffice) behind the tables. The damage that can be done to ankles, knees, hips and backs is much more than anyone would suspect for the people forced to endure standing for six hours straight on concrete. These people work hard enough running their wineries and restaurants, they don't need to be tortured while putting on an event.

As to the strategies employed by the restaurants and wineries to gain customers from this event, many of them failed utterly to even engage in anything other than describing the product on their table. The primary reason for this failure is the lack of personnel behind the tables. The secondary reason is the absolute lack of any materials or offers to entice a consumer to give up their email address or heaven forbid, sign up for a wine club. I don't get it. And I am speaking directly to the small wineries here: Why do you attend the show? What is the objective of spending all that time, money and wine if not to gain names for your marketing efforts?

Here's a thought - next time you go to one of these consumer shows, raffle something off. Wine, an iPod, a gift certificate to a local restaurant anything that is going to get someone to give you their email address so you can follow up after the show and entice them to join your club and buy wine from your website. If you sell direct-to-trade, this will work at trade only events, too. The object is to get the emails so you can communicate your brand and value on a one-to-one basis after the craziness of the show has subsided.

How many of the people you served at Taste Washington do you think really remember you, your wine or what they thought of it? The bloggers and professionals do but Joe and Jill consumer are probably a bit fuzzy on the details, if you get my drift. Do you have a bunch of email addresses that you can follow up with and reconnect for a more lasting impression? If you do, congratulations and I hope your follow up offer will help you drive traffic for both your website and tasting room. If you don't, it is not too late to mend your ways.

Spring Release is coming up.  What are you going to do in your tasting room to ensure that you are capturing the people who taste but don't buy? What about those designated drivers who aren't even going to taste? Major traffic weekends are an opportunity for more than just sales. You need to turn them into marketing capture opportunities to help ensure that you are driving traffic during the slow weeks as well.

Washington Wineries - Make the most of every event!