wine_tasting_slovakia
Photo Credit: Bratislava Region Tourism

ONLINE WINE TASTING

Kongres Magazine chatted with Marek Farkaš, the Director of Enjoy Slovakia DMC, a company that has been successfully operating in Slovakia for the past 19 years. Marek is among the rare entrepreneurs that did not succumb to the fate of many in March 2020. Instead, he sought new ideas that kept them in business regardless of the pandemic.

The corona crisis might have had the greatest impact on DMCs, which heavily rely on foreign business guests. As borders were closed and restrictions put in place, chances of organising incentives were next to nothing. After organising their first online conferences, Marek started thinking about something more funny and engaging.

wine_tasting_slovakia
Photo Credit: Bratislava Region Tourism

He first decided to change the company’s target group and switch from international to Slovak companies. He intertwined his rich experience in organising incentives with his love for wine. After getting in touch with winemakers from the Little Carpathians region, in autumn 2020, an online wine tasting programme saw the light of day. The unique online wine incentive has since been selected by numerous companies that bolstered team bonding among their employees. A recent addition to the wine tasting has been the sought-after beer, whisky and rum tasting. All programmes are suitable for groups from 20 to an unlimited number of participants, last for 1 to 2 hours and are run by renowned sommeliers. Considering wine goes hand in hand with exquisite cuisine, Marek also invited catering companies to cooperate and create a holistic tour.

Further information about the online tastings is available at: www.eventnadialku.sk.

wine_tasting_slovakia
Photo Credit: Bratislava Region Tourism

What their clients say:

“Thanks to EventNaDialku.sk, we were able to provide our employees with pleasant online teambuilding, regardless of the pandemic limitations. During the preparation and organisation, everyone was extremely kind and reliable. The online tasting itself was fantastic, the selection of wines was great, the sommelier was attentive and actively included us in the conversation. Thus, the tasting did not look like a lecture but a true team building. We look forward to furthering cooperation, and we would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to give their team a pleasant evening,” said Judita Rintel – TRUSTPAY company.

“Everything was fine, the event was excellent and distinctly different than if we were in person somewhere in a wine cellar, but everything went perfectly well. It is quite interesting how it can be executed online. Colleagues were satisfied, and I have to say the incentive was excellent. As for the wines, they were excellent, and I think everyone found their favourite. Thank you very much again,” concluded Victoria Csonto – EUFC.

“We are extremely satisfied with the tasting, but also with the organization. I very much appreciated your communication from the first contact to the final tasting. I have not yet encountered such a professional and helpful approach to organizing the event, but also solving problems that arose from a third party. The sommelier was also very nice. I will definitely recommend you in the future and at the next opportunity, I will be happy to contact you again to organize another event for our company,” added Andrea Šírová from AARDWARKS.

wine_tasting_slovakia
Photo Credit: Enjoy Slovakia DMC

GOGO WINE

The fruitful contacts with local winemakers contributed to the inception of another product that will be introduced in the post-corona period. The GoGo.Wine project will enable both local and foreign guests to taste the wine at local wine cellars where it is produced. Marek Farkaš realised that people mostly know the wines from the supermarkets, but they don’t know who is behind. On the other side, winemakers don’t know how to attract visitors to come to their wineries. The GoGo.Wine application enables visitors to find the wineries close to their location, check the offer, tasting prices and finally book the tastings and tours. Target groups are FTI groups, travel agencies, companies, international tourists,… Set to start in Slovakia, GoGo.Wine has also set its mark for neighbouring countries in the Central European region rich in wine traditions.

Find out more at www.gogo.wine and the Slovak version at www.zavinom.sk.

wine_tasting_slovakia
Photo Credit: Bratislava Region Tourism