Lafayette Hosts Napa Valley Social Media Event

A Napa Valley winery hosted a "Tweetup" gathering yesterday on the sun drenched patio at Pizza Antica in Lafayette, drawing a crowd of about 20 guests and social media enthusiasts. The Flora Springs Winery staff traveled from St. Helena to host the event and interact with Lamorinda wine lovers.

A Tweetup is a gathering of Twitter users, in this case for the purpose of promoting a business and its products. Several Flora Springs representatives were on hand to pour the winery's signature Sauvignon Blanc blend, the Soliloquy. Pizza Antica supplied pizza hors d'oeuvres with toppings ranging from goat cheese to truffle oil.

Twitter user guests posted updates using a variety of keywords to help promote both Flora Springs and Pizza Antica. Guests were able to watch the Twitter feed populate a laptop screen while sipping wine and networking. Many guests took turns playing with the winery's two new iPads, and all at some point assumed the bowed head position comically referred to as the "Blackberry prayer."

Other Lafayette businesses are using social media to attract customers by offering specials, deals and prizes to people who interact with their company online. Across the street from Pizza Antica at Yankee Pier, the restaurant operates a Facebook page that touts half price wine promotions and $1 oyster happy hour.

Local celebrity and Petar's performer "Diamond" Dave Hosley operates a busy Facebook page, and has gained over 300 fans. His Facebook wall is littered with photos from weddings and videos from fans, all helping to maintain his status as the East Bay's best one-man band.

It is still unclear whether social media efforts lead to increased foot traffic for Lamorinda businesses. The target audience for such campaigns is citizens under age 30, but the median age in Lafayette is 43. The incentive to participate is low, and the commitment is high, because it is often difficult for small business owners to find the time and content to share.

Still, at Pizza Antica on Wednesday night, Flora Springs earned itself and the restaurant a little extra buzz from curious passersby. The smell of the pizza and the lure of white wine attracted several inquiries from pedestrians on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, and as one attendee declared, "Social networking never tasted so good."