If you live in Europe, you know this. For those of you who do not live in these parts, just a quick list about living in Europe in August:
- Restaurants are not guaranteed to be open
- Stores of almost any type are guaranteed to have strange hours
- Offices are closed by 3pm
- Emails bounce
- Meetings are rarely made
- Wineries are closed, or depending where you are, they are harvesting/preparing
It’s easy to differentiate yourself as a European business just by answering your office phone. If you’re a winery near Barcelona for example, this could be a HUGE chance to attract new customers, if you are willing to play outside the rules. Tourists flood the city and the beach is the only place open 24-7. So why think outside the box and offer up a special on your wines to all the beach-side watering holes? Chiringitos, as they are called in Spain, serve up loads of cool refreshments to the happy beach bums parading the coasts. If you want a leg up on the competition, why not create a new wine cocktail, or simply ensure that your wines are being offered at a competitive price?
Or why not offer up some free content to all the great travel blogs out there? “Summer Wines for Beach Goers”? I’m sure there are plenty of travel bloggers out there looking for a bit of free content while they’re relaxing by the pool.
You could also rent a bus and make rounds to all the local hotels to collect eager tourists interested in escaping the beach for something more culturally stimulating: a winery tour! Pitch a discount on your “End of Summer Tours”, I’m sure there are loads of eager wine lovers interested in tasting your wines. You could also collaborate with local wineries and work as a team.
In short, the possibilities are endless!
Just some random ideas on a random hot day in August.
Ryan