About Us
Illumination Hospitality Group specializes in customer service and sales training for tasting rooms. Our professional trainer, Pamela Personette, M. Ed, will educate your tasting room staff using proven teaching methods developed by Dr. Maria Montessori and used for over one hundred years. The Montessori approach emphasizes the way we interact with others. The Montessori environment provides an inviting, non-intimidating atmosphere. This approach translates beautifully to the winery tasting room setting. By creating a positive atmosphere, being gracious and respectful, the stage can be set for a wonderful tasting room experience--an experience that leads to satisfied and repeat customers.
Illumination Hospitality Group offers a variety of training packages. Pamela Personette, Our Director of Hospitality Training will come to you and train your staff in your winery setting. She's an educator. She has a Master of Education degree. She's a teacher and an entertainer...the workshops are fun. Wait until you hear the stories!
Illumination Hospitality Group is the perfect fit that provides tasting room staff with the tools necessary to successfully interact with tasting room customers. You will learn how to become the dynamic link between your tasting room and your clientele.
Workshop topics include making the customer feel special, asking appropriate questions, accommodating different types of customers, handling mistakes, and asking for the order.
Illumination Hospitality Group provides exclusive tips on evaluating the needs of your customers, allowing time for exploration and ultimately discovering the joy of learning about wine at their own pace. You'll be able to guide your customers to the “ah ha” moment when they discover the thrill of understanding, appreciating and purchasing your wine.
Please call Illumination Hospitality Group and discuss scheduling your first workshop. We look forward to helping you give outstanding customer service and ultimately to providing your clientele with the pleasures of true wine country hospitality.
It is with great pleasure that I recently had the opportunity to attend a hospitality group workshop conducted by Pamela Personette. After being in the wine industry for 32 years, you always wonder if there is something new and exciting that you can learn and apply to your work with the public. Lo and behold, there is not a whole lot of new information but so much of what you know and have learned over the years does gets forgotten and not used. The very next time I was able to re-try some of the techniques taught in the class, I got immediate response.
Pamela brings to the table a real enthusiasm to her teachings as well as many, many fun stories. I would highly recommend her class not only to the novice but to us tried and true in the hospitality industry as well. Thank you Pamela!
Melinda Klescewski - Manager, Wine Collector Program
Chateau Julien® Wine Estate
Carmel, CA
...Landmark Vineyards has a fantastic group working in the tasting room. With that said, we always like outsiders to come in and give us a little energy boost. Illumination Hospitality Group did just that...even taught us new tips and techniques we are using in the tasting room...a few good laughs too!
Bruce MacKay Hospitality Director Landmark Vineyards Kenwood, CA
I enjoyed your workshop. I worked at Carol Shelton Wines last weekend and was able to practice some of your ideas. The tastings seemed to go very smoothly and I had a good time talking to the visitors. The day
flew by!
Robin Linstrom
Napa Valley College Workshop Attendee
