Spring 2009

Hospitality Management for the Tasting Room

Hospitality Sells! Great wine is no longer enough! When people come to the winery tasting room, they come for an experience. They come for hospitality. In this course, tasting room managers, current tasting room staff members, as well as those interested in pursuing a tasting room career, are offered exclusive tips and techniques they can use in the daily interaction with tasting room customers in order to provide genuine hospitality and increase sales. Inspired by the Montessori Method of education, a method which has been used in schools successfully for over 100 years, this course is a step by step guide that teaches tasting room professions how to accomplish their goal of selling wine. This course provides a structure that will prepare you to: Create a buying atmosphere in the tasting room Use the tools needed to increase sales, including how to ask for the order. Make each customer feel special. Ask appropriate questions. Hone listening skills. Use observation skills and recognize the customer's needs. Customize the experience/presentation. Identify and accommodate different types of customers, including Millennials. Initiate self discovery techniques. Address mistakes. Establish brand recognition. Create a sense of place.

Prerequisite(s):Core course- applies toward Tasting Room Management Certificate

BUS800; 4 hours CEU; $150

Instructor: Personette Pamela

Pamela Personette, Director of Hospitality Training, Illumination Hospitality Group, has combined her experience in the corporate world (ABC, KCBS), education (Montessori teacher), and the wine industry into a business that benefits winery tasting rooms. Having worked in the tasting room of numerous wineries including Benziger Family Winery, Imagery Estate Winery, Cline Cellars and Larson Family Winery, as well as working as concierge at The Lodge at Sonoma , Pamela brings a unique insight to the hospitality classes she has designed specifically for tasting room staff. Widely recognized for her ability to provide a structure to winery tasting room operations and to illustrate her points through real world stories, Pamela's classes are sought after by leaders in the wine industry. Pamela earned her Master of Education Degree from Notre Dame de Namur University and her B.A. Degree in Art History from Seton Hall University.

  • 1 mtg; M, Feb 2, 8:30am-12:30pm
  • Schulz 1121
  • BUS800; 4 hours CEU; $150
  • class# 4050