Actively engaged membership is the lifeblood of every successful wine club. Whenever members engage in club-sponsored activities, owners can expect a boost in morale and membership.
Motivating wine club members to engage in activities not only ensures the club’s longevity, it also fosters a sense of unity and identity. This social cohesion leads to cheerful and contented members who stick around and remind owners why they started the club in the first place: for the love of great wine and even better company.
Here are five ideas to help you build a strong, loyal group of wine club members!
1. Engage Members Online
The proliferation of Wi-Fi and smart phones has only increased society’s dependence on online interaction. A number of your club members spend more of their time communicating screen-to-screen than face-to-face, and they may actually prefer relationships this way.
That being said, make sure your wine club maintains a regularly updated, user-friendly website with blogs, forums, wine lists, and event calendars. By stepping up your digital presence, club members will be able to interact with your company even when they’re not on site. Digitally engaged members translate to a loyal and contented club.
2. Offer Eclectic Wine Options
Wine clubs often lose members when the variety of wines offered is less than stellar. To retain members’ loyalty and interest in your club, it is best to give them an option to pick the wines they love.
You can do this through an interactive online survey (see tip number one), collectively voting at club meetings, or through personalized questionnaires you send via email. Offering members the opportunity to handpick their wine increases club engagement and interest, and it also affords you the chance to try wines you may not have actively sought out yourself.
3. Interact with The Local Community
Having your club seen in a positive light by your surrounding community enables new opportunities for your membership to grow. Expanding membership ensures a new set of personalities and palettes to keep your club diverse and members engaged.
Get out in your community by hosting wine tasting events for the public, sponsoring local charities, and coordinating fundraising activities centered on the love of wine. Establishing your company as an integral facet of the community secures your successful place within it.
4. Provide A Variety of Activities
Appealing to the masses can be a difficult task as wine lovers come from various backgrounds with their own personal preferences. Some prefer tasting and conversation in a nice cozy setting, while others would rather walk through vineyard caves and squash grapes barefoot.
Club members are always looking for a variety of activities that include wine. The leadership of a successful wine club should offer a wide variety of opportunities for membership to be actively engaged.
What a club does not want is for its members to be dissatisfied by the club activities offered and seeking outside stimulation as a result. Establishing a variety of activities safeguards membership loyalty and engagement; the key, however, is finding means by which your club can provide collective satisfaction and variety.
If you’re not careful, doing the same types of events can lead to some members feeling isolated and discouraged. This dissatisfaction can lead to a potential drop-off in membership and hurt your club stability. Offer a variety of events, tastings, and guest vineyards to visit.
Remember—your members have a wide range of interests, but they do share one thing: a passion for wine.
5. Book a Cruise
One of the best ways to ensure that your club’s eclectic membership is satisfied is through booking an Epicurean cruise. Although this sounds like a lofty task, planning group travel doesn’t have to be intimidating.
At Food & Wine Trails, we have our own network of food and wine experts around the world offering local insight into regional culture, cuisine, and wine-making; they serve as tour guides throughout cruises and arrange a wide array of activities for club members to experience and enjoy. This network sets us apart from our competitors, as we are the only company in the world that offers this web of interlinked wine enthusiasts.
Our cruises offer a variety of activities and locations for actively engaged club members. Our cruise destinations include the Rhône and Saône rivers of French wine country, Mediterranean cities along the coasts of Italy, Croatia, and Spain, the tropical islands of Key West and Cuba, the magnificent lands of Australia and New Zealand, and even the “last frontier” of Alaska.
The shore excursions included in Food & Wine Trail cruises take you off the beaten path and introduce you to local traditions and flavor, providing you with an authentic experience unparalleled in quality and value. Cruises with us are sure to satisfy every desire and curiosity of your wine-loving compatriots through a diverse offering of adventure and amusement. Having secured high-spirits and engagement, you’ll reap the benefits of loyal membership for years to come.
Ready to book your next wine club cruise? Contact us today to speak to a group travel specialist!