Application for assistance to develop strategies for the McLaren Vale wine industry

The funding from Wine Australia provided the impetus to commence a long and detailed planning process which required consultation with many industry stakeholders. The process of business planning and consultation could not have been achieved without external assistance from a specialist wine industry facilitator. With the assistance of this person a project team was able to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan and Operating Plan by which the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association could confidently move forward to achieve its objectives set down in 2000. Aside from developing strategies for the McLaren Vale Industry a sound long term funding structure was established to ensure that projects identified within the plans could be appropriately staffed and funded over the next 5 years. The practical benefits for growers in the McLaren Vale region are far reaching with an extensive program of workshops being undertaken in 2003-2006. In addition, all stakeholders in McLaren Vale are benefiting from a range of marketing initiatives which were previously unattainable due to the lack of resources available.