An Aussie, living in Texas since 1987, Paul W. McCallum is currently the Executive Director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. We chat with Paul about all things wine, Texas, and the evolution of travel.
Paul W. McCallum has been the CEO at the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau for the past 29 years. At present, Grapevine is number four in the state of Texas for budget and meeting facilities.
Paul also implemented the New Vintage Wine and Art Festival, Butterfly Flutterby, Christmas Capital of Texas, North Pole Express, Grapevine Heritage Foundation, Grapevine Wine Pouring Society, and Dirty Dozen, among much, much more.
Despite his inspiring professional life, Paul says his proudest contributions to date are his five children, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren.
We talk to Paul to find out more about his journey and Grapevine…
As an Aussie from the outback, how on earth did you find yourself in Grapevine, Texas?
I came to the United States in 1981 from the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau with the express purpose of spending a couple of years here to expand my knowledge on destination marketing with every intention of returning to Australia to take on a larger role within the Australian tourism industry.
You moved there 33 years ago in 1987! How was it then and how has it evolved to today.
When I came to Grapevine in 1987, there were only two hotels and no hospitality presence. Basically, Grapevine was a small agricultural country town on the edge of a large metropolitan area. It presented the perfect canvas to build a destination.
33 years later, Grapevine has exceeded the original vision, which was considered very grandiose, taking eight to ten years of great concerted effort to create what now is referenced to as an “overnight success.” We were looking for a balance of convention group and leisure as well as overnight guests and day-trippers due to our proximity to such a large population base.
In 33 years, we went from having no events to year-round events; three restaurants to over 200 restaurants; no attractions to dozens of attractions; and two hotels to more than 20 hotels and resorts.
Tell us about Grapevine, what do you love about it and why should we visit? What would Aussies love about it?
Aussies would like the ambiance of Hometown USA that Grapevine generates. It’s a people place.
Grapevinians are all about establishing a friendship from the first encounter. Hotels, attractions, winery tasting rooms, etc., – everyone wants to welcome you to town. You will immediately find yourself engaged with them, sharing life stories, history, and more.
Also, Grapevinians love to party, and that would not be lost on Aussies.
Tell us about the Grapevine festival. We hear it was you that founded the idea? Amazing! How has it grown and would Aussies love it?
We kicked off GrapeFest® in 1987. It was then a daytime, 10:00 – 17:00 event that attracted about 900 people. Now, it is a four-day festival with pre-festival events in the two weeks prior and attracts more than 260,000 attendees annually.
GrapeFest is dedicated to all things wine and in 2021 we look to feature South Australia Barossa Valley wines during the festival.
As an Aussie, what do you love about living in Texas and Texans? Are there similarities?
What I like about living in Texas is it’s pretty much like living in Australia. I like to tell Texans that they are just like Aussies because both countries (Texas once being its own country) really grew out of remoteness and the need to cooperate for survival and preservation. Everyone had to help each other to make it.
Texans really are larger than life, and here you can achieve anything, or be as big as you want to be if you really want it.
What do you feel is Grapevines biggest draw card?
The heritage of this community that resides in Historic Downtown Grapevine, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It truly is the heart of our community.
Whether you come to Grapevine for the wine experience or are a train lover looking to get a glimpse of the Historic Grapevine Vintage Railroad. If you love art, Grapevine’s artisans and art galleries may be the draw, or maybe just planning dinner in Historic Downtown Grapevine.
No matter what brings you to Grapevine, you find your experience enhanced by all that Historic Downtown Grapevine has to offer, and it brings visitors back time and time again.
During your 33 years as executive director of the Grapevine CVB – was are you most proud of?
In building the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, the longevity of team members and staff is something I am quite proud of.
Also, the ability to build programs from absolutely ground zero to be successful, whether it be financially successful programs such as attractions and events or culturally successful programs such as our three Sister City programs, Grapevine Wine Pouring Society and the Grapevine Heritage Foundation, just to name a few.
You were awarded the ‘Tall in Texas Award’, the highest honour for the state’s travel and tourism industry in September 2011 by the Texas Travel Industry Association. How did that make you feel?
To be recognized in a state that is so fiercely proud of being Texan, being a non-Texan receiving that award was extremely gratifying to me. I recall two overwhelming surprises in a few short minutes.
One, I didn’t know I was receiving the award and two, I didn’t know my family was in the wings to share in this experience with me.
Has Grapevine pivoted to provide virtual events in place of the large scale events?
Grapevine has pivoted to provide virtual events and virtual site inspections in place of large gathered events. However, Grapevine is very convinced that this is just a short-term situation and the necessity for the virtual and zoom world will soon pass.
When the pandemic is over, people will be eager to return to large in-person conventions, festivals, and social interactions.
What’s next for Grapevine? Where do you see the next evolution and products for the destination?
I see the next piece being more resort-like attractions. The future appears to be more localized with more focus on the drive market, again. The population in Texas in the next 10 years will be approaching 40 million, providing a massive market to draw from.
Visitors will be looking for accommodations and attractions that are self-contained. With our close proximity to the airport and five major highways converging on Grapevine, we are well-positioned to expand.
This will be the third waterpark resort in Grapevine, joining Great Wolf Lodge and Gaylord Texan Resort’s Paradise Springs.
What advice would you give to an Australian Travel Agent to help them sell Grapevine?
It is all about convenience. You can get on an airplane in one of Australia’s capital cities and turn up at DFW Airport 17 – 19 hours later.
Once you clear customs and immigration, in less than 15 minutes you can be into the shower in your Grapevine hotel and 15 minutes after that be having a refreshing beverage and enjoying the hometown charm of Grapevine, Texas.
Do you have a favourite wine you’d recommend for first time visitors?
I would recommend that the first time visitor spend a couple of days on Grapevine’s Urban Wine Trail, experiencing each of the winery tasting rooms.
Depending on their preference, whether it is light and fruit-forward or a bold, full-bodied Cabernet, all come from grapes that have been kissed by the Texas sun, washed in glimmering morning dewdrops and cooled by a gental breeze allowing the fruit to take up the Texas flavour.
It is then pressed into a wonderful wine for you to enjoy.
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