WINEUP FAIR IN TRANSYLVANIA: ARCHITECTING A CITY-WIDE ECONOMIC & CULTURAL PLATFORM

We've built WineUp not just as a premium wine event, but as an economic and cultural platform

OVERVIEW

When we began the WineUp project in 2015, Romania had no premium, international-caliber platform able to showcase its wine industry, educate its consumers, or elevate its products to global standards. The market was fragmented, under-activated, and lacking a unified identity.

WineUp was created to fill this structural void.

Over the past decade, we have not built an event.

We architected:

• a self-sustaining economic engine,

• a national industry platform,

• a city-wide gastronomic network,

• a multi-community cultural ecosystem,

• and an internationally recognized sensory experience brand.

Today, WineUp stands as one of the most complex and strategically impactful platforms in the Romanian wine market — a project that redefined Cluj-Napoca’s position on the national and international map.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2015, the Romanian wine and hospitality sector faced three major systemic gaps:

1. Market Gap — No premium platform of international standard

Romania lacked a serious, curated, world-class platform capable of:

• presenting the best producers

• offering high-value educational experiences

• enabling international stakeholders to assess the market

• elevating consumer perception

• building long-term cultural value

Major events existed, but none met the criteria of:

• premium experience

• sensory sophistication

• stakeholder integration

• industry-wide coherence

WineUp needed to become the benchmark.

2. Brand Gap — Cluj-Napoca needed a signature premium event

Cluj was growing as a tech and cultural hub, but it lacked:

• a leading gastronomy-focused event

• a signature premium experience

• a platform capable of attracting national and international attention

• a unifying project for its HoReCa sector

WineUp became the first event to position Cluj as a premium gastronomic destination.

3. Community Gap — A fragmented industry

The Romanian wine ecosystem in 2015 was deeply fragmented:

• producers operated independently

• Sommeliers lacked a unifying professional platform

• HoReCa businesses worked in silos

• consumers had limited education

• cultural institutions and sponsors were disconnected

The challenge was to create:

One identity. One voice. One strategic ecosystem.

This required long-term architecture, not event management.

THE ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION

A multi-year, multi-stakeholder ecosystem built from scratch.

WineUp was designed using a 4-pillar strategic architecture that mirrors Artvinium’s core methodology.

Pillar 1 — Premium Brand & Identity Architecture

We built WineUp as a premium brand, not an event identity.

Strategic elements included:

✔ A coherent, minimal, elevated visual language

Clean typography, elegant palettes, and storytelling-driven layouts.

✔ A modular, reusable exhibition system

Crafted from wood and copper — a radical departure from typical fair materials.

This system:

• elevated product perception

• created premium cohesion across producers

• ensured brand consistency year after year

• positioned WineUp visually at an international level

✔ Experience-first design

Every detail — lighting, booth architecture, tasting flow, sound — was designed as a premium sensory experience.

This pillar created the foundation for a decade of brand recognition.

Pillar 2 — City-Wide Economic & Hospitality Activation

WineUp activated the entire HoReCa ecosystem of Cluj-Napoca.

We designed:

• gastronomic dinners

• thematic tasting experiences

• chef collaborations

• city-wide sensory evenings

• restaurant partnerships

• curated menus and wine programs

This created:

• new revenue streams for local businesses

• a tourism attraction that grew annually

• a strong incentive for HoReCa to support WineUp

• a sustained economic cycle connected to the platform

WineUp became both:

a cultural festival and a hospitality accelerator.

Pillar 3 — Complex Stakeholder Integration

We unified producers, sommeliers, wine educators, chefs, artists, importers, critics, and designers into a single premium ecosystem.

This required:

✔ long-term diplomacy✔ managing conflicting interests✔ harmonizing brand narratives✔ onboarding new partners each year✔ maintaining premium standards✔ designing cross-functional experiences✔ building community loyalty

Stakeholder integration is one of the rarest capabilities in event architecture — and WineUp successfully executed it for 10 consecutive years.

Pillar 4 — International Credibility & Industry Benchmarking

To elevate the platform internationally, we secured global authorities such as:

• Steven Spurrier

• Essi Avellan MW

• Nicole Snozzi (Laurent-Perrier)

• Moët Hennessy ambassadors

• LVMH brand houses

These collaborations transformed WineUp from a local initiative into a recognized, credible, international platform.

Through this, WineUp became:

• a global evaluation point for Romanian wines

• a source of international visibility for producers

• a premium platform that shaped the industry’s reputation

  
  

STRATEGIC THEMES — A TOOL FOR CONTINUOUS INNOVATION

Each WineUp edition featured a multi-layered thematic narrative, serving not just creativity but strategic purpose:

• “Art & Wine” – merging fine art with sensory tasting

• “The Art of Storytelling” – narrative architecture for producers

• “Journey Through Time” – multimedia historical installations

• “Symphony of Senses” – full sensory explorations

Thiовornnly thematic choices — they were behavioral design frameworks:

• attracting different audience segments

• increasing emotional engagement

• differentiating each edition

• enabling continuous innovation

• reinforcing brand equity

STRATEGIC PILLARS IN ACTION

1. Building International Credibility

WineUp became the only platform in Romania to host:

• Steven Spurrier (Judgment of Paris)

• Moët Hennessy houses

• Laurent-Perrier ambassadors

• global Master of Wine educators

These collaborations elevated the entire national industry.

2. Innovation & Social Responsibility (ESG)

WineUp became a launchpad for inclusive innovation, including:

• the “Totally Blind Tasting” immersive experience

• introduction of the tactile color code

• accessibility-driven sensory education

• public awareness of color accessibility

This was not an add-on — it was industry leadership.

3. Multi-Sensory & Gastronomic Architecture

We built:

• city-wide tasting routes

• chef-driven dinner concepts

• multi-sensory exhibitions

• integrated cultural experiences

WineUp became the national reference for sensory-driven wine events.

4. Market Education & Professional Development

We developed both:

B2C education systems

• sensory masterclasses

• curated experiences

• the Sensory Exploration Kit

• thematic tasting maps

B2B development frameworks

• WineUp Official Selection (industry benchmark)

• global jury assessments

• professional tasting programs

WineUp became a market development engine for Romania.

THE STRATEGIC IMPACT

✔ Cluj-Napoca is now a recognized wine & gastronomy destination

WineUp became a key cultural pillar of the city.

✔ The Romanian premium wine market has a unified platform

Producers gained visibility, validation, and education.

✔ The HoReCa community gained a powerful revenue engine

Dozens of restaurants experienced economic uplift annually.

✔ A multi-stakeholder ecosystem was built and sustained

Producers, sommeliers, chefs, consumers, educators, artists — united.

✔ WineUp set an international benchmark for Romanian wine

Global authorities validated producers and elevated the country’s profile.

✔ A decade-long, scalable model was created

WineUp can now be replicated across markets, sectors, and regions.

WineUp is more than a project. It is a structural transformation in how Romania experiences, evaluates, and celebrates wine.

It stands as a testament to the power of:

• long-term strategic architecture

• multi-stakeholder integration

• behavioral and sensory design

• cultural leadership

• and consistent, visionary execution

WineUp is the clearest demonstration of Artvinium’s ability to build ecosystems, not events; platforms, not activations; and market evolution, not simply brand presence.

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INSIGHT LAB