Proposal for the Acquisition of Services for IVDP France 2010 / 2011 / 2012 Prepared by Green Seed France Paris, November 25 th, 2009
MARKET BACKGROUND INFORMATION MARKET ASSETS 1 : France is the first wine consumer country in the world. Portugal, Spain and Italy make 53% of wine imports in France. 2 France is the country importing the biggest volumes of Port wines: 2 481 329 cases of 9 litres in 2008 France: about 28% of Port exports. French consumers are getting more and more interested and trained in Ports thanks to sommeliers and barmen. Port wines have a sophisticated image. High potential market in France since Port is a product from the terroir, authentic, with a history (Port is the oldest DOP in the world) and offering a large range of wines to be discovered. Sales of high quality white Ports in the retailing sector increased of 15% in value in 2 years. A multiple product: Port and Douro wines can be served as an aperitif, to accompany a meal, with foie gras or cheese, or as a digestive. MARKET CONSTRAINTS: Port French market appears as a mass market made essentially of vintage and classic wines. Many superior quality wines are not well-known. French people are accustomed to wines, especially national wines: as a result the introduction of foreign wines on the French market is a true challenge. Port wine consumption in France tends to concern mainly a specific group of consumers (profile: 45 years old and more). HORECA channel suffers from the European and governmental measures regarding tobacco and alcohol (tax increase, etc.) 1 Figures given in this paragraph are based on a thematic article published in the French professional drink magazine The Shaker in April 2009. 2 For the year 2007
4.1.1 PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL We will ensure the production and printing of the following material: Press release (8 pages): 1500 copies/year - 3000 copies the year of Vinexpo Folder (containing the press release + leaflets): same as above Tasting book: 3000 copies/year - 4500 copies the year of Vinexpo Invitation: depending on each event Headed note-paper: 3000 copies/year Leaflet (a 4-page document): 2000 copies/year - 2500 copies for the year of Vinexpo Stand up banner PowerPoint presentation. Please see more about the promotional material in the Annexes. Arguments for our graphic creation: our main objective was to create an original charter emphasizing the distinctive signs of Port and Douro Wines. We selected two elements that appeared to us to be essential to us: o The set of wine glasses and colours as a baseline to show the large tasting variety Port and Douro Wines offer. o The logo as a heading of all documents to catch the eye and know directly what they are about. On top of that, we chose a rather dark but refined colour for the general layout so that all communication documents reflect the Port and Douro Wines image: high quality and sophistication.
4.1.2 NATIONWIDE CONTEST FOR THE RESTAURANT TRADE Green Seed France recommends the creation and implementation of content for restaurants based on food parings with Port and Douro Wines. Concept: a gastronomy competition to create an original recipe based on a specific theme (for example: seasons, desserts, meat, fish, etc.) in order to reveal the flavours of Port and Douro Wines and the various possibilities they offer in culinary creations. This activity would also include educational activities connected with the theme of the contest. The Chefs would present one dish associated with a Douro wine and one dessert with a Port wine. The value added to the flavours of the Port and Douro wines and the presentation s originality will be amongst the criteria used by the jury. Depending on the number of chefs participating in the contest, a pre-selection of recipes could be organized in advance. 1 st step: tasting session midday in the Ferrandi School on the up-market left bank in Paris (1 500 students, 2 000 interns, 2 training restaurants). During that session, the professional jury will test the recipes of the competitors and select their favourite combination. 2 nd step: the award ceremony in the evening will take place in a leading hotel bar or restaurant in Paris (like the Park Hyatt) where a cocktail will be provided for the jury, chefs and guests. Professional jury: award winning chefs, journalists and people in the gastronomy field. Prizes awarded: a weekend for 2 people in the region of Douro and Port wines, with local wine tasting, meeting with a leading chef and a meal in a sophisticated restaurant, along with some bottles of wine. Partnerships could be set up with the trade union of meat, fish or fruits Timing: the concept takes place over several months (for example: May: launching of the contest July: deadline to receive the recipe description September: preselection of 10 recipes October: final selection and award ceremony). Objective of the contest: promoting Port and Douro wines through new food and wine combinations with leading chefs, thus showing professionals all the possibilities that Port and Douro wines offer in culinary invention. The PR activities would be in 2 steps: 1) Before the contest: writing of a press release announcing the event 2) After the contest: writing of a press release about the awards.
The press release/kit is sent by email to journalists of both professional and consumer press (specializing in gastronomy and wines) in order to promote the event and consequently the Port and Douro wines. It is assumed that all Port and Douro wine samples are provided free of charge via IVDP.
4.1.3 TUTORIALS FOR TRADE PROFESSIONALS We will set up a kit that can be applied to several countries. Concept: educational seminars about Port and Douro wines held during select gathering and aimed at trade professional s sommeliers, on-trade, journalists and retailers. Based on our experience in the field, we recommend organizing the seminars in the same place every year but each time targeting specific professionals because the discourse in not the same depending on the audience and their expectations. We believe it is essential to provide the audience with a made-to-measure presentation in order to answer the audience s concern. Targets and structure of the tutorials: o Year 2010: retailers and wine shops - Port and Douro wine blind tasting session with spittoons - Discussion with a wine marketing expert about the best way to promote Port and Douro wines to consumers, what criteria to look at for the right selection in supermarket chains, ideas for in-store promotion o Year 2011: HORECA actors (sommeliers and chefs) - Port and Douro wine blind tasting session with spittoons - Discoveries of new food parings with Port and Douro wines - Discussion with a Port and Douro wine expert: what glasses to serve the different kinds of Port and Douro wines in, at which temperature, how to emphasize the Port s characteristics to consumers o Year 2012: retailers and wine shops. Documentation about Port and Douro wines is provided at the end of the tutorial. Timing: a half-day seminar per year. Possible location of the tutorials: a famous Chef Cooking School in Paris (Guy Martin, Atelier des Chefs, Alain Ducasse) It is assumed that all Port and Douro wine samples are provided free of charge via IVDP. 4.1.4 COMMUNICATION OF PORT WINE DURING THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL We have contacted the Cannes Film Festival managers and they already have official partnerships with several alcohol brands such as Remy Cointreau for Champagne,
Baron Philippe de Rothschild for wines and Pernod Ricard for Whisky, vodka and port. As a result, we recommend setting up a partnership with the French people magazine GALA which is the equivalent of the Spanish HOLA magazine. GALA is a national weekly consumer magazine of about 310 000 copies. About the news of famous people, actors, singers, models, with lots of pictures. Audience: 2 967 000 readers. Concept: at the Festival, some partners have their private lounge where they welcome actors, producers, film directors, advertisers, etc day and night. GALA also have their private VIP lounge on the Cannes beach where they welcome people from the movie industry. We propose the IVDP to set up a partnership with this famous magazine. This sponsorship would imply that IVDP provides the wines for the lounge. The wines would be presented and served at the bar but also during lunches and dinners. A sommelier would be present in the lounge every day of the Festival as well as two hostesses. This activity would be supported by promotional material like a stand-up banner and posters. This partnership with GALA would guarantee pictures of people drinking Port/Douro wines or in front of a Port/Douro wine poster published in the French magazine. The increased budget provided by the IVDP in 2011 and 2012 would make it possible to add one more activity on those 2 years: the setting up of a showcase with Port and Douro wines in a selected Cannes hotel. This would raise the visibility of the wines during the Festival. Objective: to guarantee an active presence in Port Wine promotional activities during the Cannes Film Festival, especially for professionals involved in the film business. It is assumed that all Port and Douro wine samples are provided free of charge via IDVP. 4.1.5 PARTICIPATION IN THE VINEXPO 2011 FAIR - Bordeaux We will manage the rental of floor space, the design and rental of a stand, the registration of the IDVP s co-exhibitors, the hiring of the support staff, the monitoring of the event and on-stand activities. Please note that the stand designed in France would also be used in Germany for the Prowein fair. We recommend setting up a program consisting in 3 tasting animations per day: o Port wine/cheese o Douro wine/dish o Port wine/chocolate.
Concept: a sommelier presents the wines along with 1 chef, 1 chocolate maker and 1 cheese maker. Objective: emphasize the quality food paring of Port and Douro wines with specific dishes. An invitation is sent by email to professionals (importers, agents, retailers, journalists ). Tasting sessions are announced in the Vinexpo s official program. On top of it, a hostess will book visitors for the demonstration all day long. It is assumed that all Port and Douro wine samples are provided free of charge via IVDP. 4.1.6 TRANSPORT OF GOODS & INSURANCE COVERAGE Green Seed France has experience in storing significant amounts of products (food, alcohol ) and benefits from contacts that specialize in the best logistics and insurance for its clients. We will stock the bottles and material in an insured location. We have a logistics provider who will be in charge of dispatching bottles or material depending on the events. 4.5 PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR TRADE PROFESSIONALS ROAD SHOW From our own experience in organizing wine events in France, it appears necessary to dispatch the venues within different cities beside Paris (Lille, Bordeaux, Lyon). Nevertheless, considering the yearly budget provided by IVDP, we recommend carrying out only one event per year. Concept: an annual gathering with a tasting session involving the trade and customs people related to the Port industry (about 150 people). The presentation would be quite formal but aimed at creating informal contacts between officials, import trade partners, senior port industry, civil servants in the French administration The targets would comprise major buyers for large supermarket chains, opinion leaders, locals, mayors, customs managers along with the consumer and professional press. The main objective of the road shows is to demonstrate the advantages of drinking in moderation quality wines produced in demarcated regions of the European Union.
Sessions are organized at lunch time or in the evening. Professionals are invited to meet Port/Douro experts and sommeliers, and taste the whole range of Port and Douro wines. We recommend offering goodies to guests such as a tasting box with Port and Douro wines in tubes (see pictures in the Annexes). Event One 2010 LILLE - March 2010. Green Seed France recommends holding the event in a leading hotel, for example the 4* Carlton Hotel. Event Two 2011 LYON - March 2011. Green Seed France recommends holding the event in a leading hotel, for example the 5* Sofitel Hotel. Event Three 2012 BORDEAUX - March 2012. Green Seed France recommends holding the event in a leading hotel, for example the 5* Regent Grand Hotel.