Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.
It was during my initial days in the world of wines. As a natural progression I had started attending many wine soirées and wine events happening in the town where there was always something new to learn besides making like minded friends and contacts.
Normally on such occasions the host ensures adequate avenues for the proverbial breaking of ice where people meeting for the first time can talk to each other and get comfortable. This is a good practice since wine events (especially a formal wine dinner) can become quite intimidating if you are not regular in wine circles.
For this reason itself, people often attend wine parties in a group or as a family or they ensure that some of their known contacts are also attending, so that they feel connected and not out of place. Well I learned that the hard way at a wine dinner.
E & J Gallo Winery is a winery and distributor based out of California. Founded in 1933, it is now the largest exporter California wines. It is also the largest wine producer in the world, producing over 3% of the world’s entire annual supply and is also the largest family owned winery in the USA. But it was their tag line which appealed to me the most and which reads as “We serve enjoyment in moments that matter”.
EJ Gallo Wine Dinner With such commendable credentials I immediately accepted the (paid) invite to attend a wine dinner featuring their wines, at ITC Sheraton in New Delhi.
I don’t know anyone As the proceedings commenced I realised that I’m not familiar with any of the guests attending the wine dinner. Some people had come in a pair, some in a group and many others seemed to know each other already. I felt alone and isolated. The organisers also did not show any efforts towards any introductory interaction amongst the guests.
To make the matter worst, I was accommodated on a single seat table without any one one to talk too on left, right or front. Maybe they thought it would be more appropriate that way but personally it was one time I completely felt out of place.
Not a Social Disaster It was not total disaster though since being a social person by nature I did walk up to some of other guests to introduce myself and to get to know them.
Lesson Learnt So based on the lesson learned that day, I recommend to all of you to always ensure that you know someone while attending a wine event or best is to go with friends or family. I don’t say that this should be a hard and fast rule but it should be preferably so. Cheers !!
💯💖