News & Resources
The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.
Reminder: Green Wine Future Virtual Conference, May 23-26
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is taking part in the upcoming virtual Green Wine Future Conference from May 23 to May 26.
Registration for one day of the conference is $47 USD. Through TOTA’s partnership, Thompson Okanagan stakeholders get a 55% discount by using the code TOTA55.
Green Wine Future Virtual Conference
May 23 - 26
North America Segment: Monday, May 23 | 2:00 - 6:30pm PT
Register with TOTA Discount Code
Registration for one day of the conference is $47 USD. Through TOTA’s partnership, Thompson Okanagan stakeholders get a 55% discount by using the code TOTA55.
About Green Wine Future
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is taking part in the upcoming virtual Green Wine Future Conference from May 23 to May 26. The event is the most ambitious environmental conference ever organized for the global wine community and will launch as a fully online gathering.
The Green Wine Future Conference will address critical topics of sustainability, climate crisis, biodiversity, wine tourism, regenerative agriculture, carbon amelioration, hydric resources, energy efficiency and create truly green business opportunities to respond to current world conditions. Speakers will present information through video footage, documentaries, and live broadcasts from vineyards and wineries.
TOTA is supported by several provincial and regional funding partners, including Destination British Columbia and Wine Growers British Columbia; and host wineries who will showcase the Thompson Okanagan wine region: Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, and Monte Creek Winery. Other Thompson Okanagan wineries are invited to participate and represent the Thompson Okanagan wine region by hosting a Green Wine Future Virtual Trade Booth.
Thompson Okanagan Wine for the Planet Documentary
The conference includes the premiere of the Wine for the Planet docuseries, including a short documentary about the Thompson Okanagan wine region unveiled on May 23. The docuseries shows the support of the wine industry towards the most sensitive parts of the planet such as ice caps and glaciers, rainforest, marine environments, and areas sensitive to flooding and water scarcity.
Watch Thompson Okanagan Press Conference Recording from April 20
TOTA and Wine for the Planet hosted a Special Press Event at the BC Wine Information Centre in Penticton on April 20.
Green Wine Future founder, Pancho Campo, shared his work around the world and offered insights of what to expect at this year's Green Wine Future Conference. Several industry leaders and enjoy a small sampling of some of the area's various wine varietals.
Special Press Event for the Green Wine Future Conference on April 20, 2022
Media and stakeholders are invited to attend a Special Press Event for the Green Wine Future Conference on Wednesday, April 20 at 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM at the BC Wine Information Centre in Penticton.
Limited Availability. Attendance by Registration Only.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Reception: 2:30 PM
Presentation: 3:00 PM
BC Wine Information Centre
553 Vees Dr, Unit 101, Penticton
Hosted by
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and Green Wine Future
Guest Speaker: Pancho Campo
Pancho Campo is a world renowned wine expert, environmental activist and entrepreneur who has worked with celebrities such as President Obama, Sting, VP Al Gore, Enrique Iglesias, and many others.
Limited Availability. Attendance by Registration Only.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) together with our partners at Destination BC and several regional stakeholders are very pleased to be part of Green Wine Future Conference 2022, taking place virtually on May 23-26. Recognizing the challenges and undeniable impacts of climate change worldwide, this conference, now in its eight year, will bring multiple leaders from around the globe together to discuss how each is working to address the issues.
As part of the conference, this month TOTA is hosting Pancho Campo, founder of Wine for the Planet and the Green Wine Future event, in the Thompson Okanagan region to film a documentary highlighting the dedication of our wine, culinary, and tourism industry to implementing strategies and business practices to help combat the climate crisis.
TOTA and Wine for the Planet invite you to join us for the Canadian Press Event officially launching our participation in this May conference on April 20, 2022 at 2:30 PM.
At the press conference, you will hear directly from Pancho and learn of his work around the world. He will offer insights of what to expect at this year's Green Wine Future Conference.
You will also have the opportunity to hear from several industry leaders and enjoy a small sampling of some of the area's various wine varietals.
We look forward to your attendance. Please RSVP as soon as possible as numbers will be limited.
Host a Green Wine Future Virtual Expo Booth on May 23 to 26, 2022 | Apply by March 18, 2022
TOTA is seeking wineries to represent the Thompson Okanagan wine regions by hosting a Green Wine Future virtual booth.
Hosts of the Green Wine Future Virtual Expo will have the opportunity to showcase their wines, products, and services. Delegates, speakers, and exhibitors can network virtually with companies through the booths on the days of the event, May 23 to 26, 2022, starting two weeks prior to the event.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has joined with Green Wine Future (GWF) as a corporate sponsors and strategic partners. The event is the most ambitious environmental conference ever organized for the wine community and will launch as a fully online gathering May 23-26, 2022.
Wineries in the Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program are invited to represent the Thompson Okanagan wine regions by hosting a Green Wine Future Virtual Expo Booth.
Hosts will have the opportunity to showcase their wines, products, and services to an international audience interested in sustainable wine. Delegates, speakers, and exhibitors can network virtually with companies through the booths on the days of the event, May 23 to 26, 2022, and starting two weeks prior to the event, May 9.
Availability is limited.
Benefits of hosting a virtual booth include:
Virtual booth networking opportunities during the conference, beginning 2 weeks prior.
Share company information including description, video, and website link.
Operate a Video Chat with ability to share your video with up to 10 people and share a presentation.
Host live virtual tastings with up to 10 clients.
Advertise an Event Offer, a special promotion curated especially for attendees, with a Call to action button.
Receive attendee Registered Interest requests to engage.
How to Apply
The cost for the virtual expo booths is $1,000 USD (invoiced in CAD based on the exchange at the time of invoicing + GST). The first ten Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program wineries to apply by March 18 are eligible to receive a $250 USD discount.
Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program members or those interested in joining can apply for the virtual expo through TOTA. Email Kavan@TOTABC.com with any questions.
Other wineries can can email Wendy Vallaster, Green Wine Future Canadian Agent and Contact at WendyVallaster@Gmail.com.
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association Collaborates with Green Wine Future 2022
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has joined with Green Wine Future (GWF) as one of its corporate sponsors and strategic partners. The event is the most ambitious environmental conference ever organized for the wine community and will launch as a fully online gathering May 23-26, 2022.
Miami, Florida, USA - The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), to show its commitment to protecting the environment and sustainability, has joined with Green Wine Future (GWF) as one of its corporate sponsors and strategic partners. The event is the most ambitious environmental conference ever organized for the wine community and will launch as a fully online gathering May 23-26, 2022.
“Because Green Wine Future is an international summit which will be broadcast around the globe and from eight different time zones, we will be able to show the entire planet, why and how the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada became the first destination in the Americas to successfully achieve the Biosphere Certified designation distinction from the Responsible Tourism Institute,” said Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO for TOTA.
As part of TOTA’s participation in the conference, TOTA is supported by several provincial and regional funding partners: Destination British Columbia, Wine Growers British Columbia, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia; and host wineries who will showcase the Thompson Okanagan wine region: Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, and Monte Creek Winery.
To address critical topics of sustainability, wine, and matters related to the climate crisis and the environment, Chrand Events has created Green Wine Future as the culmination of its Climate Change & Wine and Wine Future conferences. The conference will be broadcast in four languages simultaneously (English, Spanish, French, Italian) from 8 different parts of the planet in their respective time zones: USA, Chile, Portugal, Spain, France, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
In 2006, Chrand Events pioneered the world’s first international conference on Climate Change and Wine, and the first event examining the impacts of the climate crisis upon any one industry. Since that edition in Spain, Chrand Events has organized numerous other international conferences in Hong Kong, Portugal, and other parts of the world featuring the most influential names of the wine industry and such visionary global leaders as US President Barack Obama, Nobel Laureate Al Gore, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan amongst many others.
“Green Wine Future will share with wine professionals innumerable, valuable aspects of how their peers are addressing sustainability issues in creating solutions to problems in the vineyard, winery, supply, and sales streams,” said David Furer, host and co-organizer of this unique international event.
In response to current world conditions, the premiere edition of Green Wine Future will offer a totally new way to attend a conference and for speakers to present their information: a hands-on and practical approach through video footage, and documentaries. Live broadcast from vineyards, footage from innovative solutions to the climate crisis, interactive documentaries specially recorded for the event are just a few highlights of GWF.
This virtual technology will allow wineries and wine companies to be present at the GWF Virtual Expo, showcasing their wines, products, and services. The innovative technology will also allow delegates, speakers, and exhibitors to network virtually for a period of 2 weeks prior to the conference.
GWF also announces the addition of “Wine for the Planet” (W4P) docuseries which will showcase the wine industry’s work in protecting areas of the Earth most sensitive to the climate crisis, including:
Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, the Arctic;
Coral reefs in different parts of our planet;
The Amazon and other rainforests;
Regions already suffering from water shortages and floods;
Areas implementing sustainable initiatives, such as the Thompson Okanagan region in British Columbia, Canada.
Recorded and presented by GWF and W4P founder Pancho Campo and his team from the above listed regions, W4P will stream free globally during regular breaks of GWF. Documentaries will be available through Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, where the team will highlight wine tastings in Greenland, Iceland, Antarctica, the Amazon, and the Great Coral Reef.
As part of these documentaries, Pancho will travel to the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia at the beginning of April to record a documentary that will showcase the region’s wine industry, sustainable tourism commitments, and environmentally friendly strategies and initiatives that are being undertaken as part of the provincial focus to address the global climate crisis.
The event has obtained the support of many key wine organizations and allies including the International Institute of Vine and Wine, Wine Institute of California, Napa Valley Vintners, Interprofesional del Vino de España, Barossa Australia, Wines of Chile, Wines of Portugal, and the Porto Protocol.
Registrations and all information regarding GWF’s speakers and program, as well as the program for W4P, are available at GreenWineFuture.com.
About Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association is a non-profit society, governed by an elected Board of Directors, which represents business and community tourism interests throughout the region, and is supported by and representative of Destination British Columbia British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, & Sport. It is an industry-led organization that represents and supports all business and community tourism interests in the region, while also helping to implement provincial tourism policies.
For more information, visit TOTABC.org.
About Chrand Events
Chrand Events, founder of Green Wine Future, is an agency founded by former tennis professional and Olympic captain Pancho Campo. Chrand has organized world-class events for over 30 years in more than 20 countries. Chrand has managed and produced concerts, sporting events, summits, and conferences with some of the most important world leaders, celebrities, and Nobel Prize winners including: US President Barack Obama, US Vice-President Al Gore, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, film director Francis Ford Coppola, Sting, Pink Floyd, Andre Agassi and Enrique Iglesias amongst other notables.
For more information, contact:
Pancho Campo
Founder / Conference Director
Sponsorships
Michael Wangbickler
Publicity & Communications Director
Balzac Communications & Marketing
David Furer
Host / Program Director
DF Consults
Ellen Walker-Matthews
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)
Kavan Vijayakumar
Industry Relations & Stewardship Specialist
Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program Winery Virtual Trade Booths
Wendy Vallaster
Certified ISG Sommelier & Professional Wine Consultant
Green Wine Future Virtual Trade Booths