It's all about sharing and connecting
“If you are really thankful what do you do? You share.”
– W. Clement Stone

In a year that will go down as one of the most challenging in Sonoma County’s history, we’ve all seen extraordinary examples of people sharing. 

Sharing financial resources, intellectual resources, and – possibly the most precious – time to help neighbors, visitors, fellow Californians, and a host of others. This is the spirit of Sonoma County. This was the case before October 2017 and certainly continues to be the case today.

As Sonoma County Tourism embarked on creating a new brand for its outbound marketing efforts, it was imperative that we conveyed the true spirit of this area. Through a number of stakeholder interviews, a few key descriptors were voiced time and again. 

Sonoma County is progressive, connecting, fiercely independent, real, unpretentious, and generous. These terms showcase a place that is singular in its ability to open its arms to all people and welcome, through the very essence of hospitality, visitors from within the state, across the country, and around the world. 

In a state where we tout the opportunity to Dream Big and a destination where we say Life Opens Up, California and Sonoma County provide a haven for visitors seeking a place that, through its enormous capacity for generosity, encourages travelers to connect to something bigger.

As we give thanks for living in such a stunning place, and among friends and family who allow us to be our best selves, let us also give thanks to those with whom we get to share this destination. Those who also seek a place with a generous heart, a zest for opening up, and a dedication to protecting these values for generations to come.  

Sonoma County Tourism is thankful for this extraordinary DNA that makes this such an amazing place to live, work … and visit. We’re also immensely grateful to our tremendous partners who work tirelessly every day to ensure visitors to Sonoma County gain the unmatched lifelong memories and transformational experiences that can only be found here.

Our sincere wishes to you and yours for a wonderful Thanksgiving and new year filled with a generous helping of happiness and prosperity. 

- Claudia

Claudia Vecchio, president/chief executive officer
Sonoma County Tourism
Help for restaurant workers after the wildfires
Food-service workers who were impacted by the October 2017 wildfires can get grants of up to $1,000 from Restaurants Care, a program of the charitable California Restaurant Association Foundation (CRAF). The grants can help cover costs as straight-forward as missing time from work, all the way to loss of property. For more details and an application, visit calrestfoundation.org/restaurantscare .
SCT News
Meet Todd O'Leary
Sonomca County Tourism welcomes Todd O’Leary as our new vice president of marketing and communications. He comes to SCT from San Francisco Travel, where he was vice president of global partnerships and strategic alliances. 

Todd has a long history in the destination marketing arena, having worked as both director of marketing and director of membership for Visit Milwaukee. His experience also includes the airline industry, as a sales manager for Midwest Airlines.
 
Todd brings to SCT not only an extraordinary background in tourism, but also a passion for Sonoma County and a true commitment to bolstering our community engagement and partnerships outreach. He will be a welcomed addition to the leadership team and a solid leader for our marketing and communications group. Todd began work at SCT on Oct. 21 by traveling to New York City for SCT's brand launch media event.
Sonoma County and the Media
Visit CA Canada Mission Vancouver Oct 4, 2018
Visit California hosted its third Canada Sales and Media Mission from Sept. 30 - Oct. 5, 2018. The Mission included stops in the cities of Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, covering four provinces. 

Some 30 California delegates – including SCT’s Birgitt Vaughan, director of global media relations, and Jaimie du Bois, tourism development manager – met with more than 115 Canadian journalists and influencers and 275 travel trade professionals at 10 hosted events over five days.

Gold-medal Olympic skier and California native Jonny Moseley joined the group in Toronto as the keynote speaker for the Discover America Day luncheon as well as special guest for the VIP media dinner. Jonny is a great ambassador for California and we are already working on a number of media follow ups to bring even more attention to the state via his ambassadorship. 

A highlight of our week was the inclusion of French-language material for our Montreal market. For the first time, we brought translated sales books, visitor guides, and fact sheets for our media and trade events. These were extremely well received, and SCT will continue to do this moving forward.

Throughout the week, various trade publications joined us at our events and the coverage was extremely positive. Sample coverage includes:

Launching 'Life Opens Up" in New York City
At right, Pete Seghesio, of Journeyman Meat Co., discusses his Sonoma County-produced meats with an editor at Meredith Corp.
Sonoma County Tourism launched its new Life Opens Up brand to journalists and influencers in New York City with a series of events Oct. 22-24.

SCT staff – Claudia Vecchio, president/CEO; Birgitt Vaughan, director of global media relations; and Todd O’Leary, vice president of marketing and communications – were joined by partners – Farmhouse Inn, Boon Hotel and Eat + Drink, Wine Road, and Journeyman Meat Co. – at various events.

SCT’s public relations agency, Lou Hammond Group, organized several events:

  • A “Taste Sonoma County” event at Meredith Corporation, with editors from Martha Stewart Living, Travel + Leisure, Parents, and Food & Wine.

  • A brand launch event at The Cellar at Beecher’s. Several media outlets attended, from ABC to Food Network, and NBC to Vice.

  • Several individual media appointments ranged from Financial Times to Robb Report and everything in between.
UK media visits Peanuts headquarters
Crossing the sidewalk in front of Snoopy's Home Ice are, from left: Anna Slater, freelance writer for regional UK newspapers; Max Wooldridge, Daily Mail; Biggi Vaughan, director of global media relations for SCT; Ally Fraser, Countryside Magazine; and Harriet Ball, public relations account manager at the Black Diamond agency.

Sonoma County Tourism and local partners hosted a United Kingdom press trip in October in conjunction with a Peanuts exhibition at the Somerset House, a privately-owned gallery in London. The exhibit opened Oct. 25, and will be on display until March 3. The media visit resulted in quite a few articles, including:

Sonoma County in the news ...
Here's a sampling of the results of Sonoma County Tourism's work with the media — just a few of the many recent articles and blogs promoting Sonoma County.

By Elaine Glusac
The New York Times (UMV: 29,886,442)
After dedicated pitching efforts, this article includes The Astro Motel under “Bargains by Design.” The story also syndicated to MSN (UMV: 10,033,031) and  CNBC (UMV: 26,071,453).
By Emerson
Only in Your State (UMV: 1,416,630)
This article highlights Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, saying, “Reading about California history in a textbook is one thing, but experiencing it firsthand is something entirely different.”
By Sunny Montefiore
Men’s Journal (UMV: 3,466,849)
As a result of dedicated pitching efforts and a deskside visit with contributor Perri Blumberg, the NorCal Beer Geeks Festival in Santa Rosa made the list.
National Geographic Traveler South Korea 
This cover story resulted from a press trip SCT and local partners hosted two years ago. It includes sections on the Olive Oil Trail, Cheese Trail, and Pork Trail. 
Research
September is one of Sonoma County's busiest months and there is growth in both sectors tracked: year-over-year occupancy and average daily rate. Please see the statistics page for regularly updated information: www.sonomacounty.com/statistics .
Industry news
Post-storm message from Florida: We’re open for business
Visit Florida is moving forward with a $9 million marketing plan to combat media reports and negative public perceptions about how much of the state remains in ruins from Hurricane Michael. The plan includes highlighting what has reopened in areas hit by the deadly Oct. 10 storm in Northwest Florida, and calling attention to other areas of the Panhandle, such as Pensacola, that were largely unscathed and deliver a message that “the rest of Florida is wide open for business.”

New Zealand asks visitors to take care of New Zealand
When you fly to  New Zealand on the national carrier  Air New Zealand, you’ll now be invited to take the pledge to look after the country’s unique land and environment while visiting. The New Zealand tourism industry has come together to launch the  Tiaki Promise, which actively encourages all visitors to experience New Zealand in a way that keeps them safe; protects the natural environment; respects all cultures; and preserves the country for future generations. 
 
Tourism for good: Thailand showing the way
Tourism isn’t perfect, but sometimes its mission can be. Four projects in northern Thailand are dedicated to creating more sustainable livelihoods for locals, preserving customs and traditions, and developing better conservation efforts for elephants. This is the good that tourism can do.

Puerto Rico taking digital steps to enhance tourism
In recent months, Puerto Rico has taken visible steps to regain its footing after Hurricane Maria and a debt crisis halted its tourism momentum. The work has emphasized making it easier for potential travelers to plan trips, correcting visitor misapprehensions, and helping the travelers who do come to navigate experiences while they’re on the island. Two recent efforts include the building of a trip concierge mobile app and the creation of a business intelligence tool for island professionals.
 
Ohio debuts 144-mile outdoor art gallery
Southeastern Ohio is trying to attract visitors by giving them something unique to look at. The Ohio Art Corridor consisting of 144 miles of sculptures and other works of art debuted in late October. Eventually, the corridor will grow to 230 miles.
South

Fort Lauderdale dropping ‘Hello Sunny’ slogan
Fort Lauderdale’s tourism promotion leaders are saying goodbye to the area’s years-old slogan, Hello Sunny. While cheerful and upbeat, “it could’ve been about any place with sun,” said Stacy Ritter, executive director of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. A new branding slogan will be developed in coming months.
 
Morningstar says restaurants need to ‘evolve or die’
"Evolve or die" is the theme that best captures the restaurant industry in 2018, according to Morningstar research, which says that restaurant operators must take the time to reinvent themselves with respect to menu innovations, restaurant designs, operational technologies, and channel diversification strategies to accommodate consumers' evolving preferences and survive over a longer horizon.
 
Measuring the value of wellness to a hotel brand
Every time you turn around these days, a major hotel company is announcing that it has hired a chief wellness officer. But will this wave of devotion to wellness be a phase or a long-lasting phenomenon? Look to the return on investment for that answer.

Greece bans obese tourists from riding on donkeys
Greece has banned fat tourists from riding on donkeys after campaigners said the animals were being left with spinal injuries. The move comes after shocking images emerged of donkeys climbing the narrow steps of the Greek island of Santorini holding obese holiday makers. Lawmakers in Greece have since pledged to do more to help the animals.