Immersive wine tourism pedagogy in the metaverse: NFTs as potential rewards for graduation

Purpose: This paper presents the preparation of a course aimed at enabling students to use the metaverse and TikTok platforms to increase the visibility and marketability of a fictional young winemaker's wine brand. The objective is to facilitate real-world sales of both physical and Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) of wine bottles, while concurrently promoting the metaverse learning experience through TikTok engagement. Design/Methodology/Approach: Students are tasked with creating immersive scenes on a selected metaverse platform (Spatial) to develop a Learning Management System (LMS) for wine education. The scenes include scenarios such as a wine shop, a vineyard, and an oenology laboratory, each with game-like learning objectives, target audiences, rewards, and rules akin to a game. Findings: The course promotes experiential learning by integrating metaverse technology and social media marketing. Findings include diverse and engaging metaverse scenes, a TikTok campaign fostering brand engagement, and an overall emphasis on realistic and innovative approaches to virtual education and advertising. Practical Implications: Students gain practical experience in metaverse content creation, LMS design, and TikTok marketing. The course emphasizes the applicability of emerging technologies to real-world scenarios, preparing students for evolving professional landscapes in fields such as digital marketing, virtual education, and brand promotion.