We have been having so much fun hosting meetings and meet-ups at the winery. There are so many interesting people, opportunities and connections. Now I am not the most social person in the world and I have a hard time walking up to a stranger and putting out my hand and saying “HI”.
I was as a Networking training class just a few days ago and the presenter, Jonny Dupre, gave us a few tips on how to break the ice:
He explained that when you first meet someone, most people get stuck with small talk; he calls it Level 1. “Hi, how are you…”, “I am fine, how about you…”, “The weather has been…”, you get the point. Boring and doesn’t get you to really know the person.
So change one word in your sentence and see what happens; “Hi, how GREAT are you today?”. This makes people stop, think and typically answer with a more genuine response. Or try, “What fantastic things happened to you today?” as an opening line.
Now adding a little wine and wandering around a relaxing and interesting environment can also help stir the creative juices and loosen the lips a little. We have had meet-up groups as small as a few people to over 75 people all chatting, networking and having a good time.
For one of the meetings, we taught a little wine lesson as we explored 6 different wines and discussed the aromas, textures, and finishes. We learned about tannins and acids and why one wine pairs well with certain food and not other. It was a blast.
We also hosted a guest speaker, Allison Maslan who runs multiple businesses and is known internationally by helping people succeed in business and life using her common sense and holistic approach. Everyone walked away empowered and feeling good. What a great time.
So when thinking about hosting a meeting, meet-up or special event, you need to come check us out.
Cheers,
Lisa and Darius Miller