An Experience Economy Approach to Enhancing Chautauqua-Lake Erie Area Wine Tourism

An Experience Economy Approach to Enhancing Chautauqua-Lake Erie Area Wine Tourism

Summary

In the agri-tourism context of Chautauqua-Lake Erie wine region, farmers and other key stakeholders are dependent on one another to provide a total visitor experience. To build this desired experience, the most appropriate services, products, and marketing efforts must be identified, based on analysis of information collected from businesses and visitors.

Statistical testing performed on the project’s data, collected in 2011, confirmed the value of the experiential elements of the 4Es, education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism were significant in predicting Lake Erie wine tourists’ positive intention to recommend, to return to, and to repurchase wines and products from the region. The element with the greatest predictive strength is esthetics, measuring the winescape, natural and socio-cultural environment, and sensory appeal of the destination. The statistical and practical significance of the 4Es combined as predictors on the three future behavioral intentions were substantive (all R-square statistics for regressions were above .50) while the study’s other hypothesized predictors of demographics (age, gender, income, education) failed to substantively predict future intentions. The number of activities per visit and number of previous visits by Lake Erie wine tourists proved to be statistically significant but with low practical significance in predicting future intentions.

Based on the data collected, training and workshop materials were created. The primary investigator presented two initial workshops to local rural businesses interested in the wine tourist consumer based on the research. Feedback on the workshop content was gathered to create an electronic survey to be distributed in 2013 to assess changes in business strategies based on the materials.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• The 2012 objectives for the project were met. Data was tested and results compiled. An executive summary of the data was presented to participating businesses who requested materials after completing the 2011 survey. (See above.)
  Training materials were created to explain the basis for the research, the results, and examples of how to use the information in four separate categories of wine tourism businesses: wineries and farms; restaurants and retail shops; recreation and cultural attractions; and lodging, with an emphasis on partnership examples within rural and wine destinations.

  Two 90-minute workshops were held; one in Pennsylvania, one in New York State in July 2012. Attendance at the Pennsylvania workshop included 27 individual business owners; the New York State workshop held 12 business operators; totally 39 participants.

  Training materials in the form of power point slide decks were disseminated to the leadership of the local Erie County and Chautauqua Count visitors’ bureaus, North East chamber of commerce, Lake Erie wine trail marketing organization, Cornell Lake Erie Regional Grape Research Laboratory (CLERGRL). CLERGRL sent the files to 210 growers, 63 wineries, 109 researchers, extension agents, and administrators, and 29 political representatives; hosted the files on its home page for four months and moved the files to its business management page for another four months.

  Surveys were collected after the workshops to assist in creating an electronic survey to be distributed in January 2013 to assess any changes made by rural business operators based on the data and workshop materials.

• Tool Kit: Internal Business Audit for 4Es in Rural Wine Tourism

Accomplishments/Milestones

In advance, changes in workshop materials were made at the suggestion of wine trail members and local destination marketing organizations. Hard copies of the slide decks were made for all participants. This was not originally planned. Feedback from the workshops indicated that even more detailed, a larger format and interactive materials were desired by participants.

Automated response systems were not operable at both locations; therefore, hard copies of surveys were distributed after each workshop.

The diversity of businesses attending the workshops was part of the objective of the grant. Types of businesses represented at both workshops included farmers, grape growers, wine makers, bed and breakfast operators, camp ground owners, caterers, specialty retailers (art, jewelry), destination marketers, hospitality and culinary professors from local colleges.

The “experience economy” audit for rural wine tourism business was created to assist businesses in auditing their product offering to enhance the experiential value consumers seek as based on the research data results. The audit form is an action oriented activities which can be tailored to various types of businesses and provided in an editable format (MicroSoft Word document).

A majority (85%) of the workshop attendees indicated that they would definitely or probably implement the internal audit in their business activities. Other workshop indicated the number one obstacle to using these strategies is lack of time (51%) followed by the need for additional money (13%). Esthetics followed by Escapism and Education were the top three elements identified as elements to incorporate in the attendees rural businesses.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Community awareness about the project and linkages of tourism to agriculture in the area were heightened by strong local press coverage of the grant and project. Press coverage about the workshops was generated both in advance of the workshops to promote attendance, between the two workshops, and after the second workshop by a local Erie, PA television (WSEE, CBS affiliate) news program Erie Times News daily newspaper, and local New York weekly newspaper The Observer(see links below for newspaper articles).

http://goerie.com/article/20120715/NEWS02/307149916/Erie-native-to-present-results-of-area-wine-country-survey

http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/574460/The-Experience-Economy–Lake-Erie-wine-tourism.html#.UCQYQJr_hvk.email

The Cornell University Small Farm Quarterly featured the grant and outcomes in its Fall 2012 issue.

http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2012/10/01/taking-agritourism-as-high-as-a-hot-air-balloon/

Leaders of the Lake Erie Wine Trail and Erie County CVB requested a third workshop for members in October 2012 to more directly focus on recommendations and tactical suggestions to enhance the visitor experience with practical outcomes of improving service offerings and profits. An additional workshop was created by the primary investigator entitled “Yielding Returns for Greater Profitability for your Business in Lake Erie Wine Country”. The workshop was presented October 14, 2012 at Mazza Wine Cellars’ South Shore Winery in North East, PA, approximately 55 individuals who did not attend the summer grant-sponsored workshops attended with three repeat attendees to the July grant-sponsored workshops.

Collaborators: