Tip #1: Eating & Drinking

Cafe Culture

The Viennese coffeehouse goes back a long, long ways. And yet, despite its age – or perhaps because of it – the coffeehouse is more alive and diverse than ever before. You can find dozens of traditional cafés in Vienna´s Old City. Here you will encounter Viennese coffee house culture in its most original form. For example: Landtmann Franz Landtmann created a coffee house institution when he opened Vienna´s largest “café locality” in the year 1873. His patrons have included Sigmund Freud, Marlene Dietrich, Romy Schneider, Paul McCartney and Hillary Clinton. Open daily 7.30 a.m. – midnight.

Landtmann, Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring 4 (Public transport: Tram D, 1 Rathausplatz/Burgtheater, Underground U2 Schottentor)

Vienne Cuisine

A true bon vivant will know that Viennese Cuisine is the only cuisine in the world to be named after a city. Viennese chefs draw on influences from various countries to conjure up exciting dishes that never fail to capture the imagination. For example: Zu den 3 Hacken. Open Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer. Open Thurs-Sat 12 a.m.-11.30 p.m.

Zu den 3 Hacken, Singerstrasse 28 (Public transport: Underground U1, U3 Stephansplatz, U3 Stubentor)

Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer, Weihburggasse 4 (Public transport: Underground U1, U3 Stephansplatz)

Tip # 2: Art Exhibitions

Vienna’s Albertina presents the first extensive exhibition on Michelangelo for more than 20 years. Precious works from the Graphic Arts Collection of the Albertina and loans from museums and private collections in Europe and the United States offer an unparalleled overview of the artist´s oeuvre. Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1,  (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D, Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlplatz/Oper)

Tip #3: Family Activities

Adventure Parks

Dive into the colourful adventure world of the Prater where 250 different stands and attractions wait for you: from a traditional merry-go-round to the ghost train to ultra-modern highlights. Open daily 10.00 a.m.-midnight.

Prater Adventure Tours (Public transport: Underground U1, U2 Praterstern)

Museums for Families

What do children expect from a sightseeing trip? Pretty much the same as the grownups do: variety and entertainment. Many Viennese museums and organizers have therefore created programs that are fun for the entire family … The motto is “hands on.” For example: Schönbrunn Palace, open daily 8.30 a.m.-5 p.m., Maze, Labyrinth & Labyrinthikon, open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Zoo, open daily 9 a.m.-5.30 p.m. Guided zoo tours at night can be booked at: tel. +43-1-877 92 94-500 (business days). Imperial Palace & Sisi Museum, open daily 9 a.m.-5.30 p.m.

Imperial Palace, entrance under the Michaelerkuppel

Public transport: Underground U3 Herrengasse, Tram 1, 2, D Burgring or Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring

Tip #4: Hip and Trendy

Motto am Fluss lies right on the Danube Canal at Schwedenplatz like a racy speedboat. The new hotspot doubles up as a mooring station for the Twin City Liner and is an architectural highlight. At first sight, the building could be confused with a boat. The heart is the restaurant on the first floor. The bar and a shop adjoin the restaurant. On the second floor is the Motto Café, together with a large terrace. Open daily 6 p.m.-2 a.m. (restaurant), 6 p.m.-4 a.m. (bar), 8 a.m.-2a.m. (café), 8 a.m.-7.30 p.m. (shop)

Motto am Fluss, Franz-Josefs-Kai/Schwedenplatz, (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, Underground U1, U4 Schwedenplatz)

Café Drechsler on the Naschmarkt is open 23 hours a day. Clubbers as well as market stallholders appreciate that fact. The legendary café has been given a stylish makeover by famous British designer Sir Terence Conran. It still retains its popularity as a place to meet, and enjoy Viennese cuisine and excellent coffee. Open daily 3 a.m.-2 a.m.

Café Drechsler, Linke Wienzeile 22, Public transport: Underground U4 Kettenbrückengasse

MuseumsQuartier is Vienna´s exciting art complex near the Imperial Palace offers that contains not only renowned museums such as the Leopold Museum, with its numerous works by Schiele, the Museum of Contemporary Art, but also the Kunsthalle: a lively array of restaurants, cafés and bars make this museum district even more attractive. See and be seen is the motto – and above all: enjoy …

MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1 (Public transport: Underground U2 MuseumsQuartier, U3 Volkstheater)

Tip 5: Vienna Music

Opera

Open-air opera “Oper Live am Platz“ is back in October with live broadcasts of selected performances on a giant outdoor screen – entry is free of charge. October 22^nd, 8 p.m.: “L´elisir d´amore”, Gaetano Donizetti.

Vienna State Opera, Herbert von Karajan-Platz, (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D, Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlplatz/Oper)

Experimental Music

House of Music In the musical adventure world in the heart of the city, music can be experienced with all of the senses. Giant instruments, computers and state-of-the-art electronics are great for playing, experimenting and discovering. Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

House of Music, Seilerstätte 30 (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D, Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlplatz/Oper, U1, U3 Stephansplatz)

Tip #6: Nightlife

Dancing and “chilling” of the highest quality – after all, Vienna´s electronic music scene is world-renowned. Clubs such as Flex at the Danube Canal were selected as one of the best locations worldwide. The program there varies as much as it does at other party locations in the city. The Gürtel establishments in the City Rail Arches such as Chelsea, B72, Rhiz have been permanent fixtures on Vienna´s nightlife scene for years. A new party strip is developing in the Prater with Fluc, Planetarium and Pratersauna. For Example:

The Passage, Burgring/Babenbergerstrasse (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D Burgring)

Platzhirsch, Opernring 11, open Fri/Sat from 10 p.m. (Public transport: Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D, Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlplatz/Oper)

Tip #7: Sightseeing

Tours & guides Learn about the many faces of the city. Discover her secrets. During guided walks or with your own personal guide, during sightseeing trips by bus, boat, streetcar, bicycle or during torchlight tours through Vienna´s underworld …

Medieval quarters and hidden courtyards: Sun, October 24^th, 2010, 2.30 p.m., meeting point Albertinaplatz/Maysedergasse (Tourist Info), EUR 14, as of 3 people, no booking required.

Remarkable sights of Vienna in 2 hours: Fri, October 22^nd, 2010, 2.30 p.m., meeting point Albertinaplatz/Maysedergasse (Tourist Info), EUR 14, as of 3 people, no booking required

Tip #8: Shopping

Flea Market & Food

Vienna Naschmarkt Vienna´s best-known market has around 120 market stands and restaurants for a colourful culinary offering ranging from Viennese to Indian, from Vietnamese to Italian. The Naschmarkt has developed into a meeting point for young and old. The Flea Market on Saturday is already a cult event.

Naschmarkt, Wienzeile, between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse (Public transport: Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz/Oper, U4 Kettenbrückengasse)

Clothing

Trend shopping around Naschmarkt Close to Vienna´s famous Naschmarkt market and not far from an established fashion quarter – the Freihausviertel – a small yet fine shopping treasure trove is emerging.

Around Kettenbrückengasse, Schleifmühlgasse, Margaretenstrasse, (Public transport: Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz/Oper, U4 Kettenbrückengasse, Bus 59A Schleifmühlgasse, Pressgasse, Ziegelofengasse or Margartenplatz)

Chocolate

Confectionery from Vienna Vienna is a Mecca for chocolate lovers. Sweet treats are hand-crafted in small factories: from flowering confectionery to exotic truffles. For example: Xocolat Manufactur, open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Xocolat Manufactur, Servitengasse 5  (Public transport: Tram D Schlickgasse, Underground U4 Rossauer Lände)

Tip #9: Sports

Danube Island The 21-km Danube Island offers fun and relaxation for the whole family. The U1 and the U6 stations are convenient points of access to this oasis for skaters, cyclists, joggers and walkers.

Danube Island (Public transport: Underground U1 Donauinsel, U6 Handelskai or Neue Donau)

Tip #10: Vienna, Wine & Design

From September 15 – November 15, 2010 the Vienna, Wine and Design promotion provides the perfect opportunity to see, sample and experience Viennese wine and design. There is also a competition with a star prize of 999 bottles of Viennese wine to be shared between three lucky winners. There are also instant prizes to be won at the tourist information office in the city center. Open daily 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Tourist Info, Albertinaplatz, (Public transport: Tram 1, 2, D, Underground U1, U2, U4 Karlplatz/Oper)

For More Information!

Tourist Info Vienna Our Vienna experts are happy to advise you and help you plan your stay in Vienna.

Albertinaplatz/Maysedergasse (close to the Vienna State Opera), open daily 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

info@vienna.info

media.rel@vienna.info

www.facebook.com/ViennaTouristBoard

Twitter Account Coming Soon!

Tel. +43-1-24 555

Vienna Card

Vienna Card More than 2010 discounts and unlimited free travel by underground, bus and tram for 72 hours – with this card for only EUR 18,50. Available in your hotel and at the tourist information centre on Albertinaplatz

Please feel free to leave your questions in the comments below.

However, we are still looking for major sponsors to support the event. If you are interested in having your brand amplified around the world by bloggers from over 20 countries, we kindly ask that you contact us here.

We are still accepting registrations, and names will be added to our Waiting List which will be given on a first come, first serve basis. If you have already registered for the conference but cannot make it, please let us know right away, as there are many people who would happily take your place.

The post-conference trips to the Danube and Bergunland are still open and available for registered participants. If you have registered yourself for the EWBC but have not signed up for the post trip, please do so right away. Pre trips are still in the making, and will be announced in the near future.

For those of you who have not booked your hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel, there is still space available. We have also extended the discount price to the 21-25th for those of you coming early or staying later. If you need the price extended further, please contact the hotel directly.

Finally, thanks to all of you who have continued to support the EWBC by making our conference an annual tradition. And for those of you who are new to the EWBC, allow us to welcome you with open arms. We love having new faces, new cultures and new ideas at the EWBC, and we truly hope we can make this conference a memorable and valuable one.

And as always, never hesitate to contact us with any and all questions, because this conference is only as powerful and productive as the community who supports it.

Thanks to all of you and we look forward to seeing you in Vienna!

Gabriella, Robert and Ryan

The trips will leave first thing on Sunday, October 24th from the lobby of the Renaissance Wein Hotel and return by 5pm, allowing those participants with an evening flight to catch it.

In late September, early November, we’ll send out a questionnaire that will allow you to choose with trip you would like to participate in, but in the meantime, take a moment to peruse the list of fabulous options below!

Austrian Wines Along the Danube River
Explore the Danube with a boat trip to the Wachau region: wines from all over the Wachau will be tasted in the world’s top cooperative – the Domäne Wachau. Then, continue along the Danube to find out more about one of Austria’s most up and coming regions, the Wagram. At the last stop, you get to taste wines from the regions of Thermenregion and Carnuntum in the beautiful monastery of Stift Klosterneuburg.

Weinviertel – Home of the Grüner
All about Grüner! Discover Austria’s flagship grape, Grüner Veltliner, and its home – the Weinviertel! Taste Grüner in its purest character, as Weinviertel DAC wines. Also, discover the food friendliness of Grüner Veltliner in a special wine and food tasting. Then, visit the historic cellars of Retz – 20 kilometers of paths that wind underneath the town. And finally, take part in a special Grüner Veltliner harvest: grapes that will become Austria’s first EWBC wine!!!

Come and See the Burgenland
Come to the Burgenland and experience wine, tradition and culture during a visit to Schloss Esterházy (as seen in picture) the beautiful palace dominating the town of Eisenstadt. Then explore the region around the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl), visit the famous Wine Academy in Rust, and taste
wines from all regions of Burgenland.

Please note that there may also be opportunities for pre-trips outside of Austria. However, we unfortunately will not have this information for you until mid-August.

Post EWBC Trip the Danube: Kremstal DAC, Kamptal DAC and Traisental DAC
Monday, Oct 25th, 8:30 am – Tuesday, Oct 26th, 5:00 pm

This trip will show you Austria’s new origin-typical wines: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the Kremstal, Kamptal and Traisental DAC-regions. The first day will begin at the beautiful Stift Göttweig monastery, where you will be given an overview of the regions and their wine archetypes. This will be followed by a tasting of Kremstal DAC wines. Then, in the romantic region of Traisental, you can taste freshly picked grapes and see how they are processed. In addition, a tasting of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling musts in different stages of fermentation will help you learn more about these varieties before you taste Traisental DAC wines. The next day will feature a visit to the Kamptal, where you can participate in a harvest at the Heiligenstein, the most famous single vineyard of the region. Afterwards, Kamptal DAC wines will be waiting for you in the famous wine museum, Loisium. If time permits, a quick stroll through the museum can be taken before the return trip to Vienna.

Post EWBC Trip Burgenland: Leithaberg DAC, Mittelburgenland DAC, Eisenberg DAC
Monday, Oct 25th, 8:30 am – Tuesday, Oct 26th, 5:00 pm

The Pannonian Plains of Hungary meet the last foothills of the Alps on Lake Neusiedl
in Burgenland. Just as the landscape is diverse and stunning – so also are the wines of Burgenland. These encompass not only the dry, mineral, vibrantly structured white wines from the slopes of the Leithaberg, but also exquisite sweet wines from the shores of Lake Neusiedl. Burgenland is also Austria’s predominant source for superb red wines, in particular from the indigenous Blaufränkisch variety. On this trip you will have the chance to compare the inimitable terroirs of the Burgenland appellations Leithaberg DAC, Mittelburgenland DAC, and Eisenberg DAC. You will encounter state-of-the-art winery architecture and meet numerous vintners. Because there is no end to food pairing options with the wines of Burgenland, you will have a chance to experience this versatility with a hearty, rustic meal in regional wine tavern as well as in a fine restaurant with haute cuisine. More exact details for this trip will follow mid-August.

Massimo is a lawyer admitted to the Turin Bar Association in 1996. He is specialised in commercial and contract law, with a focus on intellectual property. He carries out the main part of his activity in the IT/ IP and telecommunication sectors, negotiating and drafting IP/IT agreements, as open source and free licenses contracts, advising public and private entities in special projects as well as in judicial proceedings. He carries out regular teaching activity at Masters and specialization courses and writes for national and international journals. He is member of Turin Bar Association Commissione Informatica, International Association for Entertainment Lawyers Executive Commettee, “Centro Studi di Informatica Giuridica” Scientific Committee and fellow of Nexa Center. He participates to the Italian working group for Creative Commons licenses.

We are very excited to announce that Elin McCoy has agreed to share her experience and insights at the European Wine Bloggers Conference this fall! According to Elin, her talk will be based on:

“Beyond Ivory Tower Wine Criticism
The internet and the explosion of wineries and wine regions worldwide have changed the landscape of fine wine criticism forever. What will the future bring? Is the era of gurus ending? A look at what wine writing is in 2010 and how I’d like to see it evolve in the future.”

Biography: Elin is an award-winning journalist and author, focusing on the world of wine. She is a wine and spirits columnist for Bloomberg News, where she writes a bimonthly column for their global news wire as well as a monthly column for Bloomberg Markets, and a columnist at Zesterdaily.com. McCoy’s most recent book is The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste, which garnered international praise and has appeared in seven foreign editions. She is also the co-author of Thinking About Wine, as well as several children’s books, a parenting book, and a travel guide.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, McCoy attended graduate school at the University of London and New York University. She was a contributing editor on wine at Food & Wine for 25 years and has been a columnist for House Beautiful, Las Vegas Life, Shattered, and Drink. In addition, she has written on a wide variety of subjects for many national publications, including The New York Times and House & Garden. McCoy serves regularly as a wine judge in American and international competitions, appears on radio and television, and is a frequent speaker at wine festivals, symposia and industry events.

“The digital dawn in book publishing opens up a whole new world for publishers – direct to consumer sales. The delimiting factors to success will be finding ways to logically, and cost effectively, amass an audience of readers who don’t shop for content based on publisher brand. In this talk, he will offer a vision for community based content portals that work with multiple content types from books to blogs to video to magazines and beyond.”

To understand a bit more about Evan’s new role at Bloomsbury, please take a look at the press release copied below:

Bloomsbury makes senior appointment
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc announces today that Evan Schnittman has been appointed Managing Director Group Sales and Marketing, Print and Digital. He will lead Bloomsbury’s sales and marketing in the UK, US, and Germany across all divisions of the group.

Evan Schnittman comes to Bloomsbury after eight years at Oxford University Press where he was vice president of corporate & business development and responsible for digital partnerships and licensing across OUP’s various content divisions. Evan has over 24 years of publishing related business experience having held positions as Executive Vice President at The Princeton Review, Senior Editor at Little, Brown, and editorial and sales positions at FA Davis. Evan started his publishing career at Barnes & Noble’s main store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Evan is widely known in the industry as a thought leader – and is widely sought out to speak and write on the key issues facing content companies in a digital world – across Asia, Europe and the US. His blog, BlackPlasticGlasses, has become required reading for anyone wishing to understand book publishing in the digital age.

Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury, said “I am delighted to welcome Evan to Bloomsbury. The creation of the role of a worldwide head of sales and marketing and the appointment of a highly experienced American with considerable digital experience reflect our view of the future of the publishing market place.”

We’re very excited to have Evan join us at the EWBC, and we’ll be announcing more exciting news in the coming days! So please give Evan a big welcome and stay tuned to further announcements!

What is VinoCamp?

VinoCamp is essentially an extension of Bar Camp, a spontaneous and international network of user-generated technology conferences. Also known as “unconferences” they are geared towards people passionate to exchange ideas as to how they can evolve their industry, but in a more relaxed and informal setting.

VinoCamp has taken that very same model and merged technology with wine. Tomorrow, Saturday, July 10, 2010, wine and tech geeks from around the world will be meeting at La Cantine in Paris. The objective is, essentially, not to have an objective. Though there are several speakers from the tech and wine world, both attending and skyping in, to pitch their individual projects, what will actually be debated and discussed is up for grabs – which is what makes the unconference model so unpredictable and exciting!

How is the EWBC Participating at VinoCamp?

At 6:30pm, Parisian time, our very own Robert McIntosh will be skyping into La Cantine to make a heartfelt pitch as to why each and every one of the attendees should join us in Vienna this fall. Robert has told us that he’ll courageously put his best foot forward and give his speech in French, though we’re not entirely sure if he won’t be speaking in English with his best French accent

We wish everyone at VinoCamp the best of luck, and truly hope we’ll see many of you this coming fall!

This year, we’re going to make it worth your while. TheWineHub.com has been running a fun series of quizzes on regions around the world for well over a year now. And in honor of its quality content, we’ve decided to collaborate to give these quizzes even great exposure! Over the next 5 months, starting tomorrow, we’ll be running an Austrian Wine Quiz on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Each week, you’ll be asked to answer a series of questions about Austrian wines and the top winner of each quiz will win Wine Genesis, with 4 more people also winning t-shirts and books. This is an entertaining and great way to brush up on your Austrian wine knowledge!

However, here comes the real treat! On the 22nd of October, at the EWBC in Vienna, we will host the last and ultimate quiz made up of questions from the past 5 months, plus a few others. Anyone can participate, but obivously, if you’ve played along all 5 months you’ll have the winning advantage. The winner at the  EWBC will get a brand new Apple iPad to take home! We’ll also be giving out a HD Flip Camera as a second prize, and for third prize, an iPod Nano with video! All three prizes are sponsored by APCOR and will be a great addition to any blogger’s tool box!

May 26th is the first quiz so make sure to check it out! http://www.thewinehub.com/learn/quiz