Why you need to be endorsed for your award winning impact!

You've got a great product or service that's adding capability and competitiveness to the Australian grape and wine industry. Your current clients are amazed at the value you're providing them. You're really having a positive impact on their business. You know there are other companies out there that you could be adding value to. How can you reach them in an efficient and effective way?

The wine industry has a lot of barriers for suppliers to reach their market effectively. Firstly, it's a geographical barrier with your customers hundreds if not thousands of kilometers apart which means you and your sales team face a lot of windscreen or airport time.

Secondly, it's a close-nit community with business driven largely through relationships and recommendations more than success from a cold call.

Thirdly it's a very noisy world with a number of suppliers in your field all fighting to service the same market. So you need a way to stand out from the crowd and put yourself on top of the list.

Part of your marketing strategy should be seeking ways to address those three barriers. Find a way to reach a number of potential clients in one single pass, be recommended and get ahead of your competitors by being the supplier the industry is talking about.

An effective way is to stand by your business model, product or service and let it be independently evaluated and recognised by the industry. Wineries do it... they enter wine shows. You too can enter an awards that delivers credibility to your business and brand.

The Wine Industry Impact Awards is the only avenue where the Australian grape and wine supply sector can be endorsed for the impact their value chain partnerships have on the capability and competitiveness of grape and wine producers.

The application process is a simple case study process covering an overview, background, solution and industry impact and it doesn't matter where you fit on the value chain there's a category for you.

Award Partners and Categories:

• Harding Wealth Management – Start-Up Award – NEW in 2017
• Bentleys SA – Grape Growing Award
• DW Fox Tucker Lawyers – Winemaking Award
• Pernod Ricard Winemakers – Engineering Award – NEW in 2017
• Australian Vintage Limited – Packaging Award
• MGA Insurance Brokers – Distribution & Logistics Award
• Australia’s Wine Business Magazine – Marketing & Communication Award
• AV Plus – Tourism Award

Each category is judged by an independent panel of three industry representatives. For the first round, judges individually assess applications giving a score out of 10 each for Capability, Competitiveness and Impact. From this initial round finalists are selected in each category and importantly all entry's receive feedback.

Through the partnership with Australia's Wine Business Magazine finalists are encouraged to participate in their September / October Wine Industry Impact Awards feature. 

Then a meeting of judges is facilitated to discuss and decide on an ultimate winner. Results are embargoed until the gala presentation dinner.

At the awards gala night on the 19th October at the prestigious Adelaide Town Hall we expect 400 industry guests to gather to celebrate the success of the finalists and ultimate winners. 

Lastly, winners are further supported by our media partner with a winners featured in their November / December edition. 

It's a full ramp in and ramp out process, with a 4 month long campaign to recognise finalists and winners that hits a large target audience, validating your business and delivering an independent endorsement of the capability and competitiveness you deliver to industry. When marketed diligently it is the most effective way to build confidence and awareness for your brand.

But don't take our word for it, here's just three comments from our winners last year:

"As a small team, being encouraged to nominate for the Wine Industry Impact Awards was already a wonderful encouragement. To win was amazing and something we greatly appreciated and were humbled by. Being recognised by such an industry organisation was a welcome reaffirmation of the culture of care and innovation we strive to achieve at BSC. We know we can't do what we do without the wine community and this award motivates us to continue to push forward. We are very grateful." Dan Sims - Director/Founder of Bottle Shop Concepts.

"Winning the 2016 Wine Industry Impact Award - Distribution & Logistics category has had a significant impact on our business both internally and externally. Being a supplier to the wine industry where there are so many awards and so much recognition for our clients, it is nice to be noticed for your efforts. It also gives the wine industry, including current and potential clients, an understanding where our business sits within its own field and how hard we work to maintain the service levels that allow us to be recognised with awards such as this. Internally it provides extra motivation for our staff to continue to strive for excellence and deliver the best possible service to our clients, and the industry as a while, day in day out." Kent Brown - General Manager of WineWorks Australia

"Receiving the Wine Industry Impact Award (Packaging) in 2016 was both pleasing and beneficial for BHF on several levels. Firstly, it constitutes peer recognition of our conjoint efforts with Vinpac to improve production efficiency and efficacy for both our customer (Vinpac) and their customers in equal measure. Aside from the intrinsic validation provided by our approach to wine filterability measurement and implementation, this external endorsement is icing on the cake. Secondly, we have been able to use the information generated by this project to advance BHF’s status and international credibility, and also to elevate the standing of Australian packaging on the international stage. Thirdly, it has allowed BHF to showcase the true potential of its customer-centric approach to business engagement, which has improved the standing of BHF not only within the Australian wine industry, but also to the other industries that we service." Paul Bowyer (PhD) - Regional Manager SA / Group Oenologist of Blue H2O Filtration - BHF Technologies

Is it about time your business was recognised for the impact its value chain partnerships has on the capability and competitiveness for Australian grape and wine producers? Entries are now open and you need to register your nomination by the 26th May with final applications due by the 7th July.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact WISA Executive Officer, Matthew Moate, on either phone (M 0409 783 221) or email (eo@wisa.org.au).