Architecture influences the perception of the value of food and wine experiences.

Marketing research shows us that consumers and tourists alike are seeking “personalised sensory and bodily-place experiences.” Due to changing wealth distribution, education, individualism, marketing scepticism, and the increasing importance of experience economies, the hospitality industry needs to change how and by which means it represents itself in order to stay viable.

Tobias Danielmeier, Principal Lecturer in Architectural Studies, explains how the role of place and the narration of place will increase in importance as they are used in conveying uniqueness and points of difference. Experiences and place performances are expected to increasingly take precedence over the mere consumption of wine or food products. Tobias examined how architecture enables the enactment and narration of company values by individual wineries and can enhance the perceived value of an experience.

“What we have found is that there is an expectation of customers, as they become more aware, for ‘authentic experiences’. Basically the customer wants to feel like they are getting the total package, and architecture can be a vehicle for enabling the customer to feel like an actor or voyeur to a different lifestyle.”

For many tourism and winery operators there’s a disconnect between the service or product they are offering, and the desires of the consumer:

“What we identified in our research is that there are eight distinct drivers which will shape the future of food and wine tourism including cultural and social capital, luxury tourism, the balance between technology and the natural environment, globalisation and climate change, and competition among attractions and destinations. Embracing the role of architecture in adding value to food and wine experiences is one way to respond to the pressure of these drivers.”