Food and Wine Festival Soft-Opens

Dann,

Thanks for the link. While some might see it as advertising, it provides a big service to the wine & food crowd.

Though it has been going on for quite a few years, Disney has never given this event the service that it deserves and needs. I've attended several and have had to scout out the actual events, often by word-of-mouth from exhibitors/ producers. Even those with inside "membership" to various Disney programs, know little about the Epcot event and what it entails.

I'll be missing this year's festival, even though a favorite chef, Alan Wong, will be there. Travel will keep me away until early Nov. However, next year I hope to once more be in attendence and will check out your site (bookmarked) in the future.

Hunt

I agree with you, Hunt, about Disney not giving the event the service it needs. I spent all day Friday (and WAY too many dollars at the food kiosks) at the Festival, and three people asked me (or others nearby) what was going on to cause a line to form at the tastings and cooking demos. The kiosks with the samples are easy to find, but the truly educational stuff about wines, cooking and cuisine are "hidden" from all but those who follow WDW news and traditions religiously.

To me, this year's Festival is at least as good as the past ones. (The official tee-shirt is very cool.) However, one of the wine tasting sites is located in the large hallway next to "Character Connection," and the noise from the meet-and-greet drowns out the guest speaker if you're sitting in the back.

Best,

Dann www.ar> > >

Yes, in years past, even the WDW "insiders" did not get much info. At one of the earlier expos, we were hunting for a few of the seminars (not even mentioned in our signup packets), when we encountered an old friend, who had moved to the Orlando area. She asked what brought us to Disney, and when we replied, "well, the Epcot Wine & Food Expo, of course," she knew nothing of it, even though she was a member of the Disney program at the highest level. She even hosted several of the Disney management seminars for the healthcare field and knew nothing of the event!

I hope that the expo is a continued success, and that Disney comes to realize what the potential is and advertises it.

Each year that I have attended, has been better than in previous years, so they seem to be going in the correct direction.

I'll be seeing Chef Wong after this year's expo, and will ask how the attendence was - and if he'll be back in '07.

Again, thanks for the link and I'll be checking it out for next year's event.

Hunt