Terroir Wine ServicesPresident/Program Lead/Events Manager
Sep. 2012 - May. 2020Philadelphia, PAExclusive tour operator for a major international wine education company for wine professionals. Tour operation ceased in May 2020 due to COVID pandemic with 10 sold-out tours on hold. • Program managed 10-12 complex 7-10 day tours/events per year in Europe, for groups of 15-25 guests. Managed the entire operation: customer service, fiscal management, multitasking on multiple projects in a high-pressure environment, management of staff of 4-5 people, risk management. • Built an innovative wine tours program and grew gross sales from zero to nearly $1 million in 6 years, using superior strategic planning and operations skills, improving marketing techniques, creating new revenue sources using business development skills,, and using years of experience and expertise in tourism, event management, sales, and corporate management to increase sales by 10-15% each year. • Hired, negotiated contracts, and worked in close collaboration with a team of world-renowned wine experts, tour manager, and vendor collaborators in France and Italy. • Used business management skills to perform all budgeting and invoice reconciliation, create all team task processes, and all client tracking systems. • Used excellent team building skills to develop a team of loyal, skilled tourism professionals who stayed with the company for 7 years. • Strong sales and customer service abilities and an excellent product generated a loyal clientele with a high proportion of repeat clients. • Developed constructive relationships with WSG CEO, Education Director, and subject matter experts to achieve educational goals for the tours.