The Benefits of Winery Private Events and How to Master the Top Challenges
When it comes to creating memorable private events, few venues can compete with the natural beauty and sophistication of a winery. Whether it’s a corporate retreat, a milestone birthday, or a picturesque wedding, wineries offer a unique combination of breathtaking views, world-class wines, and elegant settings that make any event extraordinary. Beyond the ambiance, private events at wineries provide a host of benefits for both guests and hosts. On average a winery can see a revenue growth of 30% by hosting private events.
If you have been thinking of starting an event program within your winery or vineyard, you may have some hesitancy. If you are thinking about all possible challenges this could bring, we have some great solutions to leverage the event demand.
In this blog, we’ll explore the many reasons why wineries make an ideal venue for private events and highlight a few standout wineries that have perfected the art of hosting these occasions. We also will address some common concerns a winery may face when hosting private events – and opportunities on how to overcome them!
Why Should a Winery Host Private Events?
Hosting private events at your winery opens up several key opportunities to grow your business and enhance your customer experience.
Winery Private Events are an Additional Revenue Stream
Hosting private events like weddings, corporate retreats, and celebrations can generate significant income beyond regular wine sales and tasting fees, especially during the off-season or slower periods.
Increased Winery Brand Exposure
Events bring in new guests who may not have visited otherwise. These guests can become loyal customers, return for future events, and spread word-of-mouth recommendations, boosting overall brand awareness.
Enhanced Customer Experience
A winery that offers private events can provide a memorable, tailored experience, deepening customer loyalty. This connection encourages attendees to purchase wines and sign up for wine clubs or future events.
Leveraging the Winery’s Ambiance
Wineries often boast scenic views, beautiful landscapes, and a charming atmosphere that can be perfect for events. Offering private events allows the winery to make the most of these natural assets, creating a destination venue.
Cross-Selling Opportunities
During private events, wineries can promote their wines, merchandise, or memberships. Guests are more likely to purchase products when they experience the wine in a celebratory setting.
Year-Round Engagement
Private events can help a winery maintain a steady flow of visitors and revenue, even in seasons when tourist traffic might otherwise be slower.
Stronger Relationships with Corporate Clients
Many businesses look for unique venues for corporate meetings or retreats. By offering private events, wineries can form long-term relationships with companies that could bring repeat business.
Customization and Upsell Potential
Private events allow wineries to create packages that upsell wine tastings, catering, vineyard tours, and personalized services, increasing per-event profitability.
How Does a Winery Overcome Challenges in Hosting Private Events?
Concern: Private Event Space Limitations
The spaces within a winery typically serve a day-to-day and also operational purpose. Depending on where the winery is located, as well the space, it may feel limited and challenging to envision large parties in.
Solution:
This doesn’t mean that some of this space can’t be utilized for private events as well! Think about setting up a tasting bar, using outdoor space, or set up a table in your barrel room. To overcome this challenge, consider implementing a system to allow guests to book their event spacewell in advance, and also a reservation system for even tasting guests to reserve time for wine tastings. These platforms will help you outline a schedule for when the winery may or may not have a dedicated space saved for private events and where on site!
This also demonstrates to guests that they, too, could host a party – which could create more business! Also consider a buyout during less busy or off season times, and collaborating with nearby venues to accommodate larger groups.
Concern: Winery Event Marketing and Promotion
Promoting events and marketing them may be challenging especially if your winery does not have a large existing customer base or network. Investing in marketing and advertising may be needed to attract guests to host their event.
Solution:
Promoting your private events is incredibly important for attracting attendees and potential business! To get the word out, reach out to your existing customer base with email newsletters and your social media. Collaborate with venue listing websites like EventUp, local publications, and word-of-mouth promotion – this can also be powerful in encouraging attendees to share their experiences with others! The more events you start to host the more customers and future event hosts you will be welcoming in the door.
Concern: Menu and Drink Offerings
Event guests often want some type of food service provided when attending events, in addition to drink service outside of just our wines. Some wineries may have little to no kitchen space to accommodate a full menu.
Solution:
This is a great opportunity to partner with local food vendors, caterers and food trucks in the area who could provide this service for you! Especially for food trucks, guests could order what they want and pay for themselves. Typically these partnerships have their own setup and handle the prep/cleanup. This could also build relationships for general or community events if the winery hosts them! Wineries additionally could partner with local restaurants for take-out orders; you can still add a small up-charge for managing and cleaning these catering orders.
Concern: Managing Guest Expectations for Wine Tastings and Education
Guests attending private events at a winery often expect a high level of service, including personalized wine tastings, tours, and education. However, accommodating these expectations—especially with larger groups—can be resource-intensive and time-consuming, leading to logistical headaches.
Solution:
Offer customizable event packages that scale based on group size and event type. For larger groups, opt for a guided wine tasting bar format rather than individual seated tastings. Include informative yet brief winery tours for those who are interested, while giving other guests the option to explore the venue on their own. Utilize digital tools like QR codes to provide self-guided tour information about the winery, wines, and production process.
Example: Stoller Family Estate in Oregon offers tiered event packages that include wine tastings led by certified wine educators for smaller, intimate events and a more casual tasting experience for larger parties. This allows the winery to manage expectations without overextending its staff.
Concern: Winery Private Events Rain Plan
We start to host events and guests want to take advantage of spending time or taking pictures on our winery grounds. How do we plan for inclement weather? Especially if we have limited indoor space and our regular operations inside.
Solution:
Draw inspiration from a restaurant or event venue that offers indoor/outdoor options – guests are happy to have a rain plan and reserve their event with one in mind! By having a system that allows you to communicate reserved space for events, this will hold the spaces indoors accordingly in the case of inclement weather. This ensures your team can schedule regular operations knowing this space is reserved.
Concern: Navigating Licensing and Local Regulations
Wineries must adhere to strict alcohol licensing laws and local regulations, which can complicate the process of hosting private events. Noise restrictions, occupancy limits, and additional permits may be required, especially if the winery is located in a rural or protected area.
Solution:
Ensure that you’re fully aware of your local regulations and stay up to date on any changes to alcohol licensing laws. Obtain the proper permits well in advance of the event, and communicate any restrictions (such as noise curfews or guest limits) to your clients ahead of time. Consulting with a legal expert familiar with event planning in your region can help you navigate complex regulatory requirements.
Concern: Limited Staffing and Resources
Hosting private events on site could require more resources and staffing, which could impact the current staff and also our budget. Wineries would need to hire additional staff or even contract with outside vendors to provide other services like food and entertainment.
Solution:
Stop and smell the rosé! This could be a great opportunity to grow your current staff in their careers and see if they may want to help build and grow the events program! They can be tasked with building processes for events and executing them. Employees that are good at juggling multiple projects could be great to fill these roles so you won’t need a full time event coordinator right away. They could handle assisting these smaller parties as you grow and figure out how to expand your events program!
Example: While 40 Knots Winery (Vancouver Island) doesn’t provide its own in-house meals for events, they offer options for guests to bring in chefs or catering teams, either from nearby hotels, resorts, or local providers. They have facilities like commissary and manufacturing kitchens that these external partners can use to create or plate food on-site, which allows for a seamless event experience without needing a permanent in-house staff dedicated to events. This approach allows the winery to focus on delivering high-quality wine and venue experiences while leveraging the expertise of local culinary professionals.
Concern: Winery Events Pricing and Packages
Getting started with selling a new product and assessing the demand can be challenging. How much are folks willing to pay for private or semi-private event space? What should pricing and package structures look like for a winery?
Solution:
Event package and pricing structures differ for each business – there are many different variables to consider which will also change and evolve as you grow your event business. A good rule of thumb is to charge beverage minimums for each event; one glass of wine per person per hour is the most common beverage minimum. If you only offer table reservations for smaller groups, setting food and drink minimums will be enough to generate extra revenue. If you are reserving spaces for private events you are able to also charge a room fee, admin as well as cleanup fees. This helps expand your potential revenue earnings to outweigh the additional efforts it takes to prepare and plan for larger events.
Concern: Handling Increased Demand for Private Events
As word spreads about your winery’s private event offerings, demand may outpace your ability to accommodate bookings. Overbooking or turning away clients due to scheduling conflicts can lead to frustration and missed opportunities.
Solution:
Implement an event management system, like Tripleseat, to streamline the booking process and avoid scheduling conflicts. Automating certain aspects of the planning process, such as invoicing, contracts, and deposits, will reduce administrative work and ensure a smooth client experience. Consider creating seasonal or off-peak event packages to spread demand across the calendar year and prevent overloading your busiest months.
Example: Brooklyn Winery in New York, offers a modern, industrial space perfect for weddings, corporate gatherings, and private dinners. They use an advanced event management software, Tripleseat, that allows them to efficiently handle high demand for private events while also keeping winemaking and tasting room operations running smoothly.
Are You Ready to be on Cloud Wine with Private Events?
Need help managing events at your winery or vineyard? Tripleseat, the #1 guest and event management software for wineries, streamlines the event process without increasing your workload—access all the event features you need from a single platform. Book a demo to learn more!
