Under Pressure: Wine Event Professionals Reveal Their Top Stressors and Coping Strategies
Event pros are easy to spot.
They’re the ones walking at breakneck speed with a communication device within reach, ready to pounce on any imperfect detail, staying calm in the storm.
But for those who take care of business, who takes care of them? As a follow-up to last week's post on the secret stressors for event pros, I checked in with some industry pros on how they make it look so easy under pressure.
Angela McCrae created her event company Uncorked and Cultured in 2020 during the early days of COVID, and is now producing some of the industry's most dynamic wine summits and symposiums, including the State of the Black Wine Business forum, the LatinX Wine Summit and the Juneteenth Napa Experience.
Forgetting details is a major stress, and Angela relies heavily on setting processes up front, and pivoting to solutions when things go wrong. She also recognizes the importance that the attitude of the event team plays in the overall experience, noting that "anxiety, emotions, and other limitations can be triggered, so the people behind the scenes can have a huge impact on the experience for everyone involved."
To that end, Angela requires, and shows, respect grace and gratitude to every member of the team. Navigating the post-event comedown, Angela swears by quiet solo time, with activities such as massage, binge watching TV, or anything that does not require thinking, managing, or talking.
Siu Ki Wan and her team at SKW Production create more than a dozen high profile events a year in the luxury brand space across metro cities of the US. From small preview tastings and private media previews to the annual Wine and Spirits Top 100 events, Siu Ki is never far away from a wine key and two-way radio, ensuring details are all in order.
For Siu Ki, pre-event sleep and shower time is often interrupted by contemplating last minute details or replaying scenarios to anticipate the unknown details that come with every event. Learning how to manage her own wellbeing has also taken some time. "We always put everyone's needs ahead of our own, whether the client, the guests, or the vendors, leaving little room for ourselves, if any."
Siu Ki has learned to set work boundaries, trust her gut on making decisions, and set time blocks on calendars for undisturbed work and email. She also carries a solid regime of vitamin supplements to keep her healthy while traveling and producing events with large crowds.
From Pinot Palooza and Game of Rhones, to MOULD: A Cheese Festival, Revel Global CEO Dan Sims is one of Australia’s most innovative wine event producers.
But while his consumer and trade events aim to mix tastings with education, sales and a touch of fun, it's not always angst-free sailing. Pre-COVID, Revel Global were producing more than 40 events across 14 cities, but COVID decimated his business, down by 75%.
Like many event producers, Dan thrives in the event chaos, and gets freaked out when things are calm, but it's managing expectations of event attendees that stresses him out.
"My biggest fear is not delivering for producer and punter. We have a duty of care and genuinely, and wholeheartedly, give a sh*t about all involved in our events and we want to ensure it’s a great experience for all. I literally lose sleep over it."
Sims sees ticket holders as guests and the exhibitors as investors with all eyes on a solid return on investment. (Side note: check out the Post Event Report for 2022 Pinot Palooza festival for some impressive stats.)
For Dan, self-care starts with setting a schedule that allows for recovery time for his team, and retreating to his rural home in Gippsland, Victoria for silence. He also swears by changing shoes and socks mid-event to give tired feet a break and keep fresh for the miles of walking that his large-scale events demand.
Back in Manhattan, Karlitz & Company has been behind some of America's most successful food and wine events, including City Harvest, Harlem Eat Up and private events for American Express members. Founded in 1990, the company produces more than 200 wine and spirits experiences a year, still under the watchful eye of President, and Founder, Herb Karlitz.
Herb admits that self-care is not exactly top of his list, particularly when the work involves chefs, restaurants and lifestyle environments that require long days and late nights, but it's precisely that environment that enables the team to do more of what they love — food, wine, music and philanthropy. It's a fine balance.
With (literally) thousands of road miles under his belt, it's the unknowns that still cause the biggest stressor — weather being the number one stress for any outdoor event. After more than three decades, Herb's go-to advice for newbies in events is to put yourself in the shoes of the guest: "If (the experience) excited you, then you probably have a winning experience. If it doesn't the concept, or execution needs to be tweaked."
To quote Angela McCrae, "being surrounded by good people helps execute a phenomenal event, and that's when the magic can truly happen.
And here's cheers to more magic.
Beck
