How Calistoga’s Paid Tasting Pass Drove $135K+ in Sales and Revitalized the Off-Season
The Problem: Off-Season Slowdowns
Each year, Calistoga’s wineries, restaurants, and retail shops face a challenge – from December through March, they experience a slow season, leaving businesses struggling to stay busy, and in some cases, forcing staff layoffs.
The Calistoga Chamber of Commerce knew they needed a way to drive foot traffic into the doors of their local wineries – so they turned to Bandwango.
The Pass: Winter in the Wineries
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To solve their challenge, the Chamber partnered with Bandwango to launch their Winter in the Wineries Pass – a paid tasting pass designed to bring people into Calistoga and its local wineries. It ran from December to mid-February, offering free tastings at up to 19 participating wineries.
Their goal? To bring visitors to town and convert them into long-term customers through bottle sales and memberships.
Bandwango’s platform streamlined the process, handling digital pass sales, delivery, and tracking, ensuring the Chamber and participating wineries could focus on providing a great experience. The Chamber also provided unique promo codes to encourage wineries to promote the pass, utilizing them to track sales.
The Marketing: Digital Ads and Winery Engagement
The Calistoga Chamber of Commerce is proof that a great pass and intentional marketing can make an impact. They promoted the pass through a mix of paid and organic efforts, with Meta Ads and Google Display Ads driving the most sales. Instagram and Facebook posts added additional visibility, while participating wineries were encouraged to use promo codes to track their individual impact and free corkage to draw in passport holders.
The Results: Record Sales and Economic Impact
According to the Chamber, “this year was a huge success for everyone involved.”
The Winter in the Wineries Pass drove significant results:
- Over $135,000 in passport sales
- A $10,000+ increase in Chamber revenue compared to the previous year
- Participating wineries saw boosts in bottle sales and wine club memberships
Notably, Chateau Montelena alone drove approximately $40,000 in passport sales by actively using their promo code and engaging with the program.
Not only did the pass boost winery traffic during the slow season and drive in visitors who may not otherwise have walked through their doors, it also pushed the local economy to thrive – helping to prevent staffing cuts and support the broader business community.
The Winter in the Wineries Passport has now become a key strategy in Calistoga’s efforts to sustain tourism and reinforce the destination’s reputation as a must-visit destination year-round.
“We are absolutely thrilled at how the passport program turned out this year, as were all of the wineries involved.”
The pass has finished for 2024, but you can find more information here.
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