Hawke’s Bay has firmly cemented its place among the world’s great wine regions after successfully hosting the 26th Great Wine Capitals International Annual Conference from 18 to 22 October.
The five-day conference brought 85 international guests from 17 countries to the region, including delegations from the network’s member capitals such as Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Porto, Mendoza and Adelaide, alongside international travel buyers, media, researchers, politicians and wine and tourism leaders. But the week wasn’t just for our international guests. Delegates from across Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand joined events throughout the programme, including 230 guests at the sold-out International Wine Tasting at Black Barn Market.
The initial impact of the conference activity is being evaluated with many already saying that the real value lies in legacy outcomes like the long-term international exposure and the connections made.
The week by numbers
- 85 international guests from 17 countries
- 26 wineries, tourism operators and wine industry businesses visited, from Art Deco tours and the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony to Ātea a Rangi and FrostBoss
- 288 B2B meetings between 14 international travel trade buyers and media and more than 30 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand and international wine tourism sellers
- 15 hours of global executive committee and working group strategy meetings
- 3 roundtable discussions attended by 40 delegates from tourism organisations, education and research institutes and wine associations worldwide
- An International Wine Tasting featuring 150 wines from 12 countries, enjoyed by 230 guests
- 12 speakers from the United States, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand
- 11 global Best Of Wine Tourism Award winners announced, including Hawke’s Bay’s own Black Barn Vineyards
The conference opened with a pōwhiri, with Ngāti Pārau welcoming delegates to the country and region at Waiohiki Marae. Over the following days, delegates experienced the best of the region through curated winery visits, regional experiences and dining. They also took part in travel trade meetings with international tour operators from markets including Brazil, China, South Korea, Spain, Germany and the United States. Those operators are now taking what they learned home to sell Hawke’s Bay to potential NZ visitors in their own markets.
The programme culminated on Thursday 22 October with Knowledge Day at the Napier War Memorial Centre, themed “Social Terroir: Breaking New Ground”. It explored how wine regions around the world earn and keep their social licence through indigenous partnership and cultural integrity, sustainability as a social contract, and agritourism and diversification for resilience.
The opening address was delivered by Dr John Barker, Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). A New Zealander, John is the first OIV Director General elected from the Southern Hemisphere and leads the body that sets international standards for the wine industry across 51 countries. American wine travel writer and presenter Jamie Knee, Founder and CEO of Petite Wine Traveler and a Contributing Writer for Decanter and Forbes Travel Guide, gave the international keynote on the future of wine travel. Her talk looked at how regions can use wine, hospitality and a sense of place to get visitors to stay longer, engage more deeply and come back.
That evening, the week came to a close with the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Awards and Gala Dinner at Toitoi in Hastings, where Black Barn Vineyards was named Hawke’s Bay’s global winner on home soil.
Tania Burt, General Manager of Hawke’s Bay Tourism, said the conference had been a defining moment for the region.
“Hosting the Great Wine Capitals conference has put Hawke’s Bay on the world stage in a way few events can. For five days, some of the most influential people in global wine and tourism were here, experiencing our wineries, our people and our stories first-hand. They will now take those stories home to every corner of the network.”
“While direct spend during a business event is an important measure, the bigger story is the doors this opens. The travel trade we hosted are now selling Hawke’s Bay in their home markets. The relationships built across the network will lead to new visitors, new partnerships and new business and development opportunities for our wine and tourism businesses for years to come.”
“An event of this scale doesn’t happen without a huge collective effort. A heartfelt thank you to the Great Wine Capitals partners, our regional operators and wineries, and everyone who welcomed our international guests so warmly. Together, we showed the world exactly why Hawke’s Bay belongs among the Great Wine Capitals.”
