Wine tastings and pairings are very popular, and can be an elegant addition to meetings. Incorporating some enlightening wine demonstrations inspires group interaction and adds a memorable activity to a weekend retreat or a full-fledged conference. And with so many states around the country now promoting their wineries, you’ll most likely be able to offer a wine tour as well as give local flavor to your event.

While a wine tasting isn’t exactly rocket science, to be successful it requires leadership and thorough planning. The basics are stemware, a diverse selection of wines and workable tasting programs all blended with some joie de vivre. More than one master sommelier is on record as stating that if it’s not fun, it’s not really about wine. Early on, toss out the albatross of wine—pompousness.

Wine without food, said Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is “like a man without a woman.” Pairing, the most important part of the wine enjoyment journey, incorporates both and demonstrates the sensory rewards when everything is balanced.

There is no particular formula for a successful wine event, but a wine savvy emcee is required. The role might be filled by the hotel food and beverage staff, local wine journalists or wine educators. For teambuilding, here are a few programs worth thinking about.

Champagne for Breakfast

Starting a day this way breeds magic. For those who’ve made New Orleans a regular stop, this is no surprise. A Champagne tasting is nowhere near as expensive as it sounds. Many sparkling wines from France, Italy, Spain and the U.S. are very affordable. Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs, a heralded sparkler from New Mexico, is an excellent choice. The excitement level peaks as these are paired with pastries, bagels, Eggs Benedict, cheese grits, bacon or country ham.

The lesson from this exercise is that Champagne and its sparkling wine cousins go with any food. A pianist playing Broadway show tunes, adding in some Chopin and Mozart, adds a touch of class.

The Opening Shot

Tastings can be in segments or in one event. Ideally, the environment should be informal and relaxed, where interaction is encouraged. Begin with a presentation about the language of wine: terroir, Old World wines and New World wines, and the noble grapes of the wine culture. Information about stemware, how to properly hold a glass, tasting etiquette and bottle storage will enhance the experience and help demystify it. After all, wine is actually made by farmers and has been around for thousands of years.

Have some demonstration wines poured in advance with a flyer explaining the glass, origin, style, etc. Taste each wine guided by the emcee’s commentary. The emcee proposes a toast—there are many easily found on Google.

Wine Comparisons

Turn a wine tasting into a competition. One option is to ask attendees, after tasting a selection of reds and whites, to write down the varieties they’d like to take home and why on small pieces of paper. Pull winners from a hat. Another competition is “The Name Game.” Participants use guessing skills to describe words like appellation, terroir, microclimate, reserve, corked, oaked, hot and, one of the most colorful, fruit-bomb. A handout connects facts with some PowerPoint maps and illustrations, and  glasses of wine illustrate the meaning of the words. What was strange is quickly understood.

Maps work well for gaming. France has the Bordeaux, Italy the Piedmont, Spain the Rioja, America has Napa, Oregon has Willamette Valley, and so on. Pour wines into glasses for participants to contrast Old World and New World wines. The grapes that became these wines have the same DNA, but participants can be quizzed on which ones are which. Make them guess, after a series of educational segments, which one is a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or a white Burgundy? Because you use all the taste senses, this is better than blind tastings because it encourages good repartee and dialogue.

The finale: Four wines are poured, and participants are asked to match them by country. Australia or America? Italy or Chile? Competition is always fun, particularly when there are collectible bottles of wine for the lucky winners. At the end, offer one final prize for the most accomplished wine “student.” Remember, many of your attendees may be flying home or to another destination after the event, so offer to ship awarded wines home for them.

Doc Lawrence is a noted travel, wine and food writer/consultant, and television producer who has served as a judge for many well-known wine and food festivals. You can read more of his travels and recommendations at docnews.com.

—Angela C. Caraway, TCMG Inc.

“It’s seeing the look in people’s faces as they experience the result of all the planning, knowing they will have positive memories of the event long after it is over. Very rewarding.”

—Stewart Hall, Rock the Stars

“Having the opportunity to provide a one-of-a-kind experience to someone, hopefully one that they will remember for the rest of their life.

—Zac Cole, The Delta Chi Fraternity Inc.

“Doing things differently year to year so that you continually hear, ‘This was the best meeting ever!’”

—Patty Preston Olejnik, Association of Legal Administrators

“When the host says, ‘Wow, that went so smoothly!’ and only I know about all the hiccups along the way.”

—Amy James, HelmsBriscoe

“Learning—always learning from every meeting, person, situation, and then taking that learning to the next programs [or] situations.”

—Joan Eisenstodt, Eisenstodt Associates

“I would say seeing a project from initial concept to finished product. It is so exciting to see all the pieces come together to create a successful event. It is very rewarding.

—Kelly Snyder, CMP, Datanet Engineering Inc.

Many meeting planners attend conferences for continuing education, but it can be difficult to leave behind the role of planner and assume the role of attendee. Approaching new people can be difficult because of obstacles we put in front of ourselves as well as those innate to a conference setting. As a result, many people leave events without making meaningful contacts.

It’s also a planner’s responsibility to provide opportunities for people to network. Until people are given permission to meet others, most feel self-conscious and remain within their comfort zones. Ideally, every conference should begin with intentional networking events in the beginning that encourage attendees to meet new people. Until icebreakers become a standard, however, attendees must take initiative.

Overcoming Obstacles

Whether you’re shy or outgoing, figuring out how to meet people on your own is difficult. Many conferences provide registrants with a list of names of other attendees. Peruse companies and people, connect over social media prior to arriving and make arrangements to meet up before you get there or during the event. Research if the conference has a program for first-timers. Some places give a badge for newbies, prompting others to approach and welcome them. Connect with speakers ahead of time. Research them and meet up at the conference. Challenge yourself to walk up to someone standing solo and introduce yourself. Remember, singles like to mingle.

Being unprepared is easily overcome with strategy. Ask yourself a few questions to determine your goals. Why are you going? What kind of people do you want to meet? Are you looking for sales, business referrals, a mentor?  Stating your objective will make it easier to find the right people.

Being in a group provides security, but it also can be a hindrance. If you do go with a group, plan goals and create a supportive outreach team beforehand. Get together for breakfast, but disperse during lunch, and meet up again for drinks later. There’s no need to be split the entire time, but utilize the conference time to meet new people. Introduce each other to one another’s acquaintances.

Becoming a Natural

How do you become someone who effortlessly connects with others? A trick is to not just approach people, but to make yourself approachable as well. There is nothing more beneficial than a smile and eye contact. A positive disposition is simple, and it makes people want to meet you. Many conferences supply badges, which unfortunately hang around the neck and land on the stomach—not prime placement for people to figure out who someone is. Bring your own badge and place it in an easy-to-see location, which makes you more accessible.

Once you are in a conversation, relate to the person you are talking with. Listening is crucial. Look him in the eye, smile, and make a connection. Ask genuine questions and find common ground. If you are really interested in people, they will want to continue to talk to you and eventually you will be the focus of the conversation.

Do not try to sell the starting point in a relationship. If a business interaction sounds promising, arrange a future time for that, but do not do it at the conference.

Following Up

What you do after the conference is just as important as what you do prior. Schedule a time for follow-up. Whether by phone, email, lunch or social media—make it happen. Find a way to help your connection before you ask for a sale or a favor. Learn about them and give them the opportunity to know you and develop a relationship of trust. It can be as simple as sharing a resource or recommending a book.

Alice Heiman is a sales process consultant focusing on redesign, implementation and reinforcement for a diverse list of corporations, start-ups and growing companies. She is the inventor of The BizTalk Blender, The Ultimate Networking Event. Find more information at aliceheiman.com

What are your favorite destinations? Destin, Fla., because of the friendly people and its beautiful white beaches; Chicago for its architecture; New Orleans for the food; Atlanta because of its culture, food and entertainment; and Cancun, Mexico, for its beautiful sunsets, food and Mayan history.

Do you use volunteers for your events? Yes, I love using volunteers. We reach out to the local community colleges and universities as well as utilize volunteermatch.org.

What’s your favorite planning resource? Other planners. I appreciate learning new things from my peers and trying new approaches to my sometimes outdated routine. I also utilize the online resource MeetingsCommunity (MeCo).

How do you stay informed on the industry? I subscribe to and read many industry digital and printed publications and participate in several online webinars and conferences. I am a member of National Association of Women Business Owners, MPI-Carolinas Chapter, Christian Meetings and Conventions Association and Senior Planners Industry Network.

Did you always want to be a meeting planner? At first, I wanted to be a marketer and focus on product launches. I was going to travel the world promoting a Fortune 500 company’s products within various venues. Little did I know, I was thinking like a planner.

How did you get into meeting planning? I worked as a front desk clerk at a local hotel while I was in college and I noticed that we bent over backwards for this one particular lady when she had her meetings at the hotel. So, I asked her what she did and she changed my path from marketer to meeting planner. I began my pursuit to become a planner by working on a local conference and then moved to Maryland and worked for several nonprofits within their events departments.

What’s your best advice for fellow planners? You must be comfortable with change. A change to your program can happen one week before the event or one minute before the event begins. You must be able to handle it with grace under fire. If you cannot adjust to the idea that there will be changes all the time, maybe this is not the career for you.

In Caraway’s words:

When I’m planning events…
I always visualize the event from the attendee’s point of view.
I can’t live without a massage and a pedicure. We all know being a planner is hard on your feet. As soon as I return home from the conference, I am at the spa and nail salon. Oh, and my lip gloss!
I communicate with my mother, daily.
I most miss salespeople being genuine and truly appreciating your business, from the signing of the contract to the event payment.
I am most inspired by the people that implement my details—the convention service managers and staff. They become an extension of my team and show me that I’m in their “house” and they are going to take care of me, my client and the attendees.
I learn the most from my grandmother. She taught me that even if you don’t have a high school diploma, you can always learn. Things change all the time in this industry and if I am not willing to adapt to new technology and other changes, my business and my professional growth would suffer.
My favorite music is tough to choose as I appreciate R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, rock and jazz. I love Mary J. Blige, U2, Adele, Jill Scott, Lady Antebellum, Anthony Hamilton, Kem and Boney James.
My favorite book is the Bible and books by James Patterson.
My favorite movies are “The Color Purple” and “The Notebook.”

Watch Caraway and other planners in videos from our Connect Marketplace events at youtube.com/connectmeetings.

Caraway’s photo by Luther Thomas.

STR initially forecast a 2.5 percent gain in occupancy, but summer months ended with 67.9 percent occupancy, a 3.5 percent increase from last year. Average daily rate and revenue per available room were also up, 3.7 and 7 percent, respectively.

“As U.S. consumers continued to exercise their summer vacation birthright and corporations, armed with flush balance sheets and healthy profits, increased their travel budgets in earnest, demand for hotel rooms swelled to record-setting levels,” wrote Brad Garner, STR COO, on hotelnewsnow.com.

Business travel rose 4 percent in occupancy and ADR compared to last year, according to TravelClick, while group demand is down. But the online hotel marketing and digital solutions company projects strong performance through the rest of 2011 and into 2012 in its North American Hospitality Review. It predicts occupancy to go up 2 percent in year-over-year figures, ADR up 4.8 percent and RevPAR increasing 6.1 percent.

“As the late summer leisure travel season comes to a close, it is clear that the business travel segment will resume its role as the primary demand driver for U.S. hotels throughout the rest of 2011,” said Tim Hart, executive vice president, business intelligence, TravelClick.

The Hyatt is now the largest meeting and convention hotel in the city with 80,000 square feet of exhibit space, including the 50,000-sq.-ft. Elite Hall. The space pays tribute to New Orleans rich jazz history with antique photos of local jazz venues and musicians. Additional meeting spaces also contain design details related to the city’s history. The hotel also five meeting planner suites, which have oversized work areas with access to a printer, fax machine and copy machine, as well as pre-stocked refrigerators, music docking stations, Keurig coffee machines, iMac computers and iPad2s. Groups that book and hold meetings between now and March 31, 2012, receive 3 percent off the master and 15 percent off audiovisual fees.

In March, a reopening gala will feature Ellen Degeneres as host of A Night to Make it Right to raise funds for actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right foundation, which is helping to rebuild homes in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward. The event is expected to bring in celebrities, politicians, philanthropists and musicians with Pitt serving as event chairman. “Through our partnership with Make It Right, we continue to solidify our commitment to the city of New Orleans,” says Michael Smith, general manager of the hotel. “We are proud to toast our milestone re-opening by hosting one of the most noteworthy events to date in the effort to raise funds for the rebuilding of Lower Ninth Ward.”