Several of the sponsors of the inaugural West Hartford Wine & Food Festival found ways to make their sponsorship much more meaningful.

By Jill Fletcher

Trends in advertising and marketing today prove it is not enough to simply broadcast a message, companies must demonstrate value at the same time. This weekend, many West Hartford businesses did just that in support of the first annual West Hartford Wine & Food Festival through unique and one-of-a-kind sponsorships and giveaways.

Presented by Maximum Beverage and Lead Wine Sponsor JUSTIN Winery, the West Hartford Wine & Food Festival welcomed guests from all over to New England and showcased more than 250 fine wines from around the world, more than 30 top area restaurants, Connecticut craft breweries, top shelf spirits, live musical entertainment, and more.   

Other businesses that wanted to be part of the festival found unique ways to participate, bringing value and relevance to their sponsorships.

Stanger Stanfield Law was among those who sponsored the LYFT Safe-Ride Program, a program developed to ensure riders have a safe and reliable ride to and from their destination. “We’re running a safe driver social media campaign this summer, this is a perfect way to demonstrate our commitment to the community in a very meaningful way.” Attorney Bruce Stanger said.

Other local West Hartford businesses showing their support for the festival are Lisa Martin and Faye deHaas of Cruise Planners who wanted a way to introduce West Hartford business owners to river cruising, and luxury vacations that can feature wine tours and incredible cuisine at stops local markets, eateries and cooking classes in Europe. With their guidance and travel prowess, and the support of Keating Insurance, another West Hartford small business, together they generously donated their time and services and an incredible opportunity for Wine & Food Festival attendees to win a world class river cruise on board an AMA Waterways  or Oceania Cruise. Attendees attempted to toss a wine cork into a wine glasses and then be entered into a drawing where the one lucky winner could enjoy the trip of a lifetime.

“At this event you can taste wines from around the world, on our river cruises you can drink select wines in their country of origin, amidst breathtaking landscapes, enjoy a glass of champagne on the Seine or Rieslings on the Rhine,” said deHaas. “We think this festival is the perfect venue to help people from our area learn about these wonderful vacation opportunities that match their interest in great food and wine,” added Martin.

ProCourier, known for same-day deliveries, arranged with Maximum Beverage to deliver cases of wines purchased at the festival directly to attendees’ homes, in most cases at no charge. Since cases of wine are bulky and heavy, it was a chance for the company to show the convenience of exactly what they do, every day.

We-Ha.com and West Hartford Magazine were media sponsors of the event, and other major sponsors of the festival include: Hoffman Auto Group, iHeart Radio, FIJI Water, and Channel 3 Eyewitness News. A full list of sponsors can be found on the Wine & Food Festival Sponsor Page. 

For more information about the First Annual West Hartford Wine & Food Festival, its beneficiaries, sponsors, chefs and wineries, please visit www.WestHartfordWineandFood.com.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!