Thursday - July 2, 2009

The day started with a final review by the program’s marketing professor, Olivier Kovarski. It was a format most of us had not experienced, as each group was evaluated publicly, in a gentle, but direct way. Professor Kovarski announced the top two groups in the running for the “best project” award…my friend Keri’s group, with its blueberry wine product was one of the top two, as well as our group with our Saranac Summer Brew beer! We were thrilled!

Professor Kovarski gave general praise and opportunities for improvement in a way as to not give away which group was favored to be the winner. The criticism was constructive and valuable, definitely a learning opportunity. He presented a final lecture on some significant marketing points that needed revisiting by the entire group, core components of the program’s learning. Again, he is very knowledgeable and delivers teachings in an interesting and understanding manner.

We boarded a bus at 3:45pm to go to the Torres Winery for a tour and our final farewell banquet. The afternoon/evening turned out to be quite a treat! The winery is a family run business in its 5^th generation with vineyards not only in Spain, but Chile and Napa Valley. I was so impressed with the facility for many reasons. Not only is it an award winning winery for its product, but the “experience” offered to visitors is “state of the art” (more later on that), and the operation is almost completely sustainable physically. The organization has received many awards for its support of the environment, as the facilities were not only “green”, but much of the terrain is cared for to support wildlife. The Spain vineyard is almost 100% solar powered, and has storm water recycling systems in place. The storage facility is built underground for energy efficiency in providing exact climate control, and all systems operate with exact precision for maximum utilization of resources. Torres offers a plethora of wine products as well as brandy, and the products are available worldwide.

The “visitor experience” included “tunnel theatre” that included multimedia to appeal to the eyes, ears and nose. Visitors then board a small train and go out into the vineyard, through the processing, storage, and packaging areas. To view the storage area, the train went underground where we saw another multimedia presentation including holograms, and the screens were then raised to reveal the thousands of barrels lined up in storage. The entire presentation was completely automated and truly astounding It was one of the most impressive marketing tools I have ever seen, and sure enough it worked! Upon completion of the tour, there was a wine tasting and time in the wine shop. Many purchases were made - consumers influenced by the “experience” and set up for the “ultimate circumstances for consumption and/or purchasing”. Torres welcomes visitors to experience not only the wine but the culture of wine.

We took a group photo of our final get together, then it was off to the banquet, and a feast it was! Our private dining room was set perfectly to enhance the wine experience, and the menu planned to compliment four different wine servings plus a final cap of brandy. The meal started with a vegetable and squid dish with wine #1, then a beef with caramelized onions with wine #2, followed by a serving of two different cheeses with wine #3, and an orange sorbet dessert with a dessert wine, #4. Espresso followed and finally brandy. It was all scrumptious – what a way to celebrate the completion of the Know Europe 2009 program!

Following our meal, each student received a certificate of completion. Our group had become more than just a group in a month’s time, and each person received cheers from the crowd when your name was called. In addition to the learning and the various cultures experienced, friendships had been forged, one of the greatest takeaways of all. We presented a gift of appreciation to Clementine, who had been the program assistant, with us every day, helping with arrangements, answering questions, putting out fires, and helping us make the most of the trip. She was touched by the gesture and the tears flowed.

And finally the announcement of the best project for Know Europe 2009. Professor Kovarski prefaced the announcement by saying the decision was a difficult one, and he praised the collective effort of the group one final time. Then it was announced that Saranac Summer Brew was the winner – that was my group! Woo hoo – the hard work paid off, and I brought the trophy home! It had been a challenging project, but one that yielded much learning and understanding of marketing and releasing a product in Europe. Much thanks to Jibsam and Nicole for hanging in there with me to push a little further than just satisfactory with every step. But then again, if you know me, you know that’s pretty common for me the overachiever. VOILA we did it!

After final pictures at Torres, we boarded the bus to head back to the hotel in Barcelona. It was our final night as a group in Barcelona, so we all intended to celebrate. There was a great place just down the street called The Elephant that was hosting another school’s program completion, so we were among other students celebrating accomplishments and each other. It was a fun “after party” for all.