Spousetivities at VMworld 2015
Published on 14 Aug 2015 · Filed in Information · 606 words (estimated 3 minutes to read)It’s that time of year again—time for VMworld! And along with VMworld comes another highly-anticipated event: Spousetivities! That’s right, Spousetivities is back again this year for another set of outstanding activities organized for spouses traveling with conference attendees. If your spouse is traveling with you to San Francisco for VMworld, this is a great opportunity for him (or her) to meet up with other spouses and attend some exclusive activities.
So what’s on tap for Spousetivities this year? Here’s a quick look at some of what’s planned:
- The week will start out with the ever-popular “Getting to Know You” breakfast, held again this year at Jillian’s (right next door to Moscone North). Meet some new folks, eat some great food, and win some great prizes. (Low-fat and gluten-free breakfast options will be available.)
- Following the breakfast is a cooking class at Sur La Table
- Not interested in a cooking class? No worries—Monday afternoon also offers a walking city tour that includes an exclusive opportunity to shop at the San Francisco Jewelry Mart and Gift Exchange (not open for regular retail customers!) as well as a stop at the Ferry Building.
- On Tuesday will the first of two wine tours. This tour will be hosted at Frei Ranch in Sonoma, and this is an exclusive tour that is not open to the general public. The event includes a property tour of beautiful Frei Ranch, followed by a wine blending in the cellar mezzanine and then an interactive lunch with renowned chef Gia Passalacqua. In the interactive lunch, participants will learn to pair pizza toppings with wines. Obviously, attendees will get to eat lunch at Frei Ranch, and participants will also leave with their own bottle of wine.
- Also available on Tuesday are two bike tours—an easy tour and a moderate (slightly more challenging) tour. These tours will include visits to Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, the Mission District, and sights of Victorian architecture. The moderate tour also includes views of SoMa and Castro.
- On Wednesday, the second of the two wine tours happens. This is another exclusive event, not available to the general public (only for Spousetivities participants). This event takes place at William Hill Estate in Napa, CA. This “chardonnay experience” includes step-by-step instructions on proper wine tasting. Before lunch, participants will get the opportunity to learn how their palate responds to various spices and ingredients in salad dressing, and get the chance to blend their own salad dressing. Each participant will get their own bottle of salad dressing to take with them.
- If you’re not interested in the exclusive wine tour, that’s cool—also available on Wednesday is a tour of Japantown. This food tour is done in partnership with Edible Excursions and will be visiting San Francisco’s Japantown (one of only three Japantown’s left in the US). There will be stops at the “hidden gems” of Japantown, including various “mom and pop” shops (a total of 5 to 6 stops are planned).
- Wrapping up the events on Thursday is a San Francisco City Tour. This bus tour will include a chance to see all the highlights of San Francisco. It’s great for first-timers to San Francisco or anyone who enjoys the beauties of San Francisco. Bring your camera—there will be plenty of stops for pictures! A dim sum lunch is also included.
All in all, this is an awesome set of activities. So what are you waiting for? Get over to the Spousetivities registration page and get signed up for some of the activities. Based on past years, some of these activities will sell out, so don’t wait until the last second or you’ll miss out.