Big vision. Bold location. Smart tech. Here’s how South Coast Wine Festival levelled up its entire experience.
Key Achievements
SEAMLESS DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
DATA-DRIVEN EXHIBITOR INSIGHTS
SUSTAINABILITY AND EFFICIENCY WINS
INSTANT ACCESS TO TICKET REVENUE
Background
Founded in 2024, the South Coast Wine Festival combines the worlds of wine culture, art, tourism, and experience into one unforgettable weekend – all set within the historic Highcliffe Castle on the Dorset coast. As the only wine festival in the UK hosted in a castle, it’s as ambitious as it is iconic.
From day one, founder Simone, set out to do something different – to create not just another tasting event, but a cultural celebration that champions great wine, local people, and local business. CrowdComms was proud to be part of that journey from the very beginning, helping transform an idea on paper into a digital-first festival experience that continues to grow year after year.
“We started from zero – no event tech knowledge, no blueprint. The support from CrowdComms was incredible. They weren’t just a supplier, they were a partner who said, ‘We’ve got this. Don’t worry.’ That kind of care is rare.”
Event Goals
- Create a seamless, sustainable, and tech-enabled festival experience for wine lovers and exhibitors.
- Deliver real-time updates and flexibility as schedules and experiences evolved across the event.
- Build a community that could connect both during and after the festival -encouraging year-round engagement.
- Manage cash flow more efficiently, ensuring ticket revenue was instantly accessible to reinvest back into the festival.
Products Used
A fully branded, seamless ticketing and registration system that gave the festival instant access to revenue and a smooth check-in experience from start to finish.
A personalised festival app delivering real-time updates, digital wine lists, schedules, maps, and interactive features that elevated the attendee experience.
In-app engagement insights and favouriting data that helped exhibitors understand attendee interest and demonstrate real, measurable ROI.
An evolving hub designed to bring wine lovers together year-round with features for connection, recommendations, notes, and ongoing engagement beyond the festival weekend.
Challenges
When the South Coast Wine Festival began, the founder had little experience with event technology. In its first year, the team introduced an event app to enhance the festival experience – giving attendees access to digital programmes, wine lists, and the ability to save their favourites.
The app was a hit with festival goers, and the team saw real potential to build on that success in year two by expanding their use of technology across registration, ticketing, and communication.
However, the second year brought new challenges. As the festival grew, managing funds throughout the year became increasingly important, especially when working with multiple suppliers and preparing for a multi-day live event.
One of the biggest benefits of switching to CrowdComms’ ticketing platform was instant access to ticket revenue, giving the team the ability to reinvest, plan ahead, and keep everything running smoothly right up to festival day.
“With our old platform, we had to wait until after the festival to access our money. That’s not sustainable when you need to pay suppliers or invest in growth throughout the year. CrowdComms was an obvious choice!”
As the event grew, the team also needed a more flexible platform – one that could handle real-time updates, host a digital wine list, allow attendees to save favourites, and reduce printed materials for greater sustainability.
The goal was clear: find a single, connected platform to manage registration, engagement, and reporting – without compromising the smooth, high-quality experience their audience had come to expect.
Solution
CrowdComms stepped in with a tailored tech ecosystem, combining ticketing, a branded app, and website integration into one seamless event platform.
The impact was immediate.
- Instant access to ticket revenue allowed the team to pay suppliers on time and scale faster.
- The mobile app replaced printed guides, saving costs and reducing waste while keeping attendees fully informed.
- Real-time updates meant schedules, FAQs, and maps could change on the fly – no reprints, no confusion.
- Exhibitors could see which wines were being “favourited” by attendees, giving them powerful insight into buyer behaviour.
- Attendees could save, review, and rate wines directly in the app – replacing the old paper tasting notes with a modern, digital experience.
“We went from using a simple container app in year one to a completely custom, branded app – and now we’re developing it further with features like purchasing, note-sharing, and community engagement. It’s ground-breaking.”
The collaboration between the festival and CrowdComms has become a model of what’s possible when creativity meets technology, and when a tech partner truly invests in your vision.
“CrowdComms went way beyond what we needed. They believed in the concept before anyone else did. That belief made all the difference.”
Conclusion
The collaboration didn’t just solve challenges — it unlocked real momentum.
Here’s what changed for the South Coast Wine Festival.
- Instant ticket revenue access improved cash flow and supplier relationships.
- Previously unprovable ROI now delivered to exhibitors.
- Real-time feedback and data capture helped improve the experience live at the event and year after year.
- A trusted partnership between CrowdComms and South Coast Wine Festival that continues to evolve with every edition of the festival.
The South Coast Wine Festival is now building new features for 2026, including in-app purchasing, exhibitor ratings, and a digital community hub for wine lovers to share notes, favourites, and recommendations long after the event has ended.
What They Say
“If you’re running a festival and not using CrowdComms, you’re missing out. It’s not just about saving money – it’s about elevating the whole experience.”
Simone Ippolito – CEO
South Coast Wine Festival
CrowdComms In Action
At CrowdComms, we dive headfirst into every project, becoming full-on members of your team to ensure your event’s success. From seamless on-site registration and badging to our feature-rich event app, networking tools and live polling, our commitment to collaboration drives dynamic and memorable experiences.
See us in action below and discover how we make every event extraordinary.
Frequently Asked Questions
A mobile event app is a mobile or web-based application that supports event attendees with agendas, engagement tools, content, notifications and interaction.
The best event app depends on your goals. For engagement-led events, specialist mobile event apps often outperform all-in-one platforms.
Attendees use event apps that are intuitive, interactive and relevant to their experience. Are event apps dead? Definitely not. Read or watch our 2025 Event Advice on event apps.
Yes, modern event platforms support in-person, hybrid and virtual attendees through mobile and web-based access.
About
South Coast Wine Festival is a vibrant consumer event celebrating English wine, bringing together award-winning vineyards, local producers and wine lovers for a weekend of tasting, entertainment and community.
The festival showcases the best of the region while creating an engaging, high-footfall experience for exhibitors and attendees alike.
- event app| Lead Capture| Registration| Ticketing