Wineries, it’s time to crush your crush party
It’s that time of year again — you’re gearing up for crush. Harvest parties are a great opportunity to bring new guests onto the property and drive revenue for the rest of the year. Approximately 6.34% of winery and tasting room visitors will take the steps to become club members.¹ We compiled a guide with a few simple steps to help you get organized, optimize sales, and provide the best in hospitality. It’s time to throw your most successful harvest party to date.
1. Manage everything on one platform
It’s really easy for RSVPs to become convoluted between Eventbrite, Facebook, your website, email and phone reservations. Here’s the thing: with Tock, you can manage all of your reservations (tasting appointments and special events) in one place. There’s no need to create a one-off Eventbrite page — just add your crush party as a special event on your Tock page alongside ordinary tasting appointments and tours. Not only does this make your job easier, but it improves the guest experience with a seamless booking process.
2. Let guests upgrade their experience
When you offer reservations for your harvest party this year, give your guests an option to make special upgrades, such as a reserve tasting or an estate tour. Most people will upsell themselves, especially if they’re given tiered options (see: The Good-Better-Best Approach to Pricing). This will 1) increase sales 2) enhance your guests’ experience and 3) allow for customization, which gives your team a unique opportunity to provide hospitable touches. What upgrades can you offer? Think about what makes your winery unique. Is it a private estate tour with the winemaker? A special table with a view? Commemorative wine glasses? Get creative.
3. Use smartgroups to give your most valued club members exclusive or early access
Last year, we were thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with WineDirect. With this integration, you can automatically filter and give your VIPs early access to your harvest party (or any event for that matter) with a personalized booking experience. This makes it so much easier to comp or discount tastings for club members. Tock is the only platform with this capability. Make use of it.
4. Reduce no-shows with prepayment
People are willing to pay in advance for a special experience, and when they do, you can bet they’re going to show up. Utilize prepaid reservations, or take a deposit for your harvest party. When you have an accurate guest count and the right overhead, you can get focused on what matters. Cut costs, reduce waste, and save time preparing the best for your guests.
5. Take advantage of Tock’s communication tools
Tock’s guest communication tools can automatically provide answers to frequently asked questions. Streamline communication by providing all guests (at once) with information on event location, transportation, parking, club membership pick-up, and anything else that’s relevant. Then, on the day of your event, use Tock’s automated detailed guest list so your team will know who to expect. With QR codes, check-in is a breeze.
What’s Next?
- Learn more about using Tock at your winery.
- Already using Tock? Let us help you get your event up and running.
¹ Stitcher, Molly et al. “Insights for Successful Consumer Wine Sales.” Silicon Valley Bank: Wine Business Monthly, 2019.
