Creating tools to generate value
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I loved seeing so many of you at our annual meeting on Aug. 30. It was an excellent opportunity to assess all that has happened in the past year, and to sharpen our focus on how we can work together to shape our future.
I’m excited and ready to move forward, and today I want to start by looking at value, and how it relates to Sonoma County Tourism and you.
Understanding and creating value
As your destination marketing organization, it’s critical that we generate value for you, so that you find worth in our programming, and our organization helps your business.
Value is a short word with a broad and varied meaning. The Merriam Webster Dictionary lists six different definitions for the word, and two of them best meet our purposes:
- The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
- Consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of.
While creating the mission and vision for our new strategic plan, we shifted the focus of the vision away from Sonoma County Tourism as an organization and redirected our purpose squarely into what we do for you – the value we generate. The current vision is:
A robust economy for Sonoma County businesses and residents amplified by results-driven tourism planning and marketing.
Through our marketing, sales, and trade programing, we’re working hard to create awareness of and interest in our (new) Sonoma County brand and to bring business to your door.
If you don’t see value from your partnership with Sonoma County Tourism, please let me know. We will work with you and your industry segment to find ways to bolster your business.
We understand this summer has been challenging and we forecast some headwinds this fall as we navigate complex economic and natural conditions. The only way we will succeed is by working together to embrace opportunities, identify challenges, and find solutions.
Generating Business
Many of you have voiced concerns about a drop in visitation this summer. We’re addressing this serious issue in a few ways, starting with research.
Immediately following the October fires, we conducted two surveys. The first was to determine consumer perception of and interest in traveling to Sonoma County. The second was directed at determining business levels experienced by you, our partners.
We are in the midst of conducting follow-up surveys for each of these audiences. If you’re contacted through the outreach to local businesses, please take a moment to complete the survey. We will provide results of these surveys in next month’s Tourism Update, and this information will help shape our marketing efforts.
Second, to accompany the brand launch, we’ll begin our new creative campaign in October. This is designed to align with SCT’s charge of driving visitation from November to April. Unlike years past when we had two campaigns, we will now have an ongoing “Always On” campaign that will run continuously from October to April. We’re working with MMGY Global to develop the creative and media plan for this, which will help keep Sonoma County top of mind among travelers.
Finally, we’re going to work with all of you to gain better real-time data. We’re working now with a contractor who has set up similar programs in other destinations. The goal is to keep us updated on business levels and trends. This will help us better address opportunities and find gaps.
For all these steps, your participation and support are essential. We want to hear from you about what works and what doesn’t, and what will generate true value for you and your business. Together, we can do this.
- Claudia
Claudia Vecchio, president/chief executive officer
Sonoma County Tourism
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Cell phone alert test set for Wednesday, Sept. 12
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Be sure to let staff and visitors know that Sonoma County is testing its systems by sending out a wireless emergency alert to cell phones and mobile devices in Healdsburg, Guerneville, Rosalind, Glen Ellen, Kenwood, and Penngrove between 10 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The alert includes a special tone and vibration, with a brief text message. It will look and sound like a real emergency warning. Local radio and television will also broadcast a test message at about noon.
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SCT launches new brand platform
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One the most exciting aspects of Sonoma County Tourism's annual meeting on Aug. 30 was the unveiling of its new brand platform under the tagline "Sonoma County: Life Opens Up." This marks one of the most comprehensive branding effort for our destination in its history.
Research with more than 1,000 consumers revealed that Sonoma County is perceived to offer a different brand of luxury to both potential visitors and residents
— one that is intimate, organic, and engaging.
"Our new brand helps us to evolve from simply talking about the destination's assets to showing how those assets provide transformational experiences," said Claudia Vecchio, SCT president/chief executive officer.
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The new brand campaign will be rolled out globally starting in late October and will encompass Sonoma County Tourism's advertising, PR, mobile, social, and web assets. For more details, please visit
sonomacounty.com/life-opens-up.
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Rebuild. Review. Reenergize.
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More than 200 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, for SCT's annual meeting, which looked back at an unforgettable year and forward to the implementation of an overarching strategic business plan and an exciting new brand platform.
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Claudia Vecchio, SCT president/CEO, addresses the crowd; Stephan Stubbins of Transcendence Theater Company tells his organization's story; Vecchio presents the Tourism Champion Award to Lira Filipino, president of the Bodega Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (center) and Patty Ginochio, owner of Ginochio's Kitchen, representing the entire Bodega Bay business community (honored for its heroic efforts immediately after the onset of the October wildfires); Joe Bartolomei, chair of SCT's board of directors, reviews the events of the past 12 months; and Sonoma County Sup. James Gore (Dist. 4) praises tourism and agriculture as renewable industries, providing a strong foundation for our economy.
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2019 Sonoma County Visitors Guide coming soon
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California Economic Summit in Santa Rosa
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There's still time to sign up for the 2018 California Economic Summit, set for
Nov. 15 and 16
in Santa Rosa.
This is the largest group of business, equity, environmental, and civic organizations working year round to improve upward mobility, build more housing, create a strong workforce, and strengthen the state's water sustainability.
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A Walk in Sonoma County: Jack London State Historic Park
This short video (34 seconds) illustrates the beauty and serenity of this eastern Sonoma County park, which offers 29 miles of trails.
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A Walk in Sonoma County: Riverfront Regional Park
Enjoy the towering redwoods and stunning riverfront access in this Healdsburg park.
Get inspired
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Sonoma County and the Media
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Sonoma County Tourism supported Off The Beaten Path and Venone Public Relations as they hosted 16 wedding writers from the United States and Canada, Aug. 6 to 8. The group stayed at the Vintners Inn and Hyatt, exploring from Petaluma in the south to Healdsburg in the north. And, judging by their 60 to 70 (or more) Instagram posts about the trip, they loved everything.
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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.
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By Matthew Odam
Austin American Statesman
(UMV: 2,119,816)
SCT worked with Odam on his
story
, which says that “now is the perfect time to visit Sonoma.” The article focuses on Guerneville and Healdsburg, and mentions Russian River Vineyards, El Barrio, Seaside Metal, Big Bottom Market, Porter-Bass Vineyard, Healdsburg Shed, Ridge Winery, Farmhouse Inn, Armstrong Redwoods, Autocamp Russian River, Boon Hotel, and Dawn Ranch Lodge.
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By Ian White
San Francisco Magazine
(UMV: 105,810)
This feature article by Sonoma County resident White mentions Bad Ass Coffee, Blue Beagle, Benovia Winery, DeLoach Vineyards, Sonoma Cutrer, Ca’ Bianca, Bistro 29, Perch + Plow, Bibi’s Burger Bar, Beer Baron, Chicago’s Pizza with a Twist, Amy’s Rive Thru, Chateau St. Jean, B Wise Vineyards, Imagery Estates, Benziger, Gundlach Bundschu, Ram’s Gate, La Salette, El Dorado Kitchen, The Girl & The Fig, and the Red Grape.
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By Melissa Kravitz
Forbes (UMV: 29,769,863)
As a result of SCT helping with her visit last April, Kravitz' story highlights Balletto Vineyards, Sonoma Canopy Tours, Sonoma Coast State Park, Laguna de Santa Rosa, Horse & Plow , Wild Flour Bread, and The Barlow.
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By Jill Fergus
BestProducts.com
(UMV: 647,311)
Slide 11 out of 14 highlights Sonoma County, with mentions of Dry Creek Vineyard, Bella Vineyards, and SingleThread Farm.
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Who spends the most on travel?
Recent research shows that U.S. travelers will spend
more than $100 billion
on summer vacations for the second year in a row. But who spends the most on travel? A new survey endeavored to find out, revealing that while seven in 10 Americans spent money on travel, the biggest spenders were in
Los Angeles
.
What it means to be an emerging destination in New Europe
While destinations with overtourism issues are getting a lot of attention, other cities are emerging as new frontiers for tourism. Sofia, Bulgaria, is one of those cities with a unique opportunity to declare to the world what it wants to be as a destination, and to define a vision and strategy for how tourism can develop sustainably.
Belize: Testing ground for luxury development and environment
Belize, a small Central American country with a Caribbean shoreline and dense jungle, is slowly shifting its global reputation from a destination suitable for paradise-seeking backpackers and the occasional celebrity home to a luxury hotspot that provides world-class service with intimate access to nature and indigenous communities.
Johns Creek, GA, adds digital kiosks for visitors
The Johns Creek Convention & Visitors Bureau installed “ExploreBoard” digital kiosks in area hotels where visitors can learn about local restaurants, shops, and destinations. Each ExploreBoard describes 50 points of interest around Johns Creek and lets visitors send the information to their phones.
What’s missing in wellness hospitality?
We’re in the first inning of wellness innovation in hospitality. There’s a lot more science, integration, and bold new ideas yet to surface.
How 3 small restaurants make 'no tipping' work
It’s one thing to talk about eliminating tipping, but how does that actually play out for restaurants outside of dining hotspots like New York and San Francisco?
Restaurant recruiters work to take headache out of hiring
An increasing number of hospitality recruitment agencies have cropped up, helping clients recruit mid- and high-level salaried talent from CEO, to directors of food and beverage, and executive chefs — working on everything from crisis hiring to re-orgs, and general turnover.
BrewDog opens ‘beer-hotel’ in Ohio
BrewDog brewery recently opened the world’s first craft beer hotel, DogHouse, in Canal Winchester, near Columbus, Ohio. It features 32 rooms, including eight deluxe suites, and guests have views of brewery, to watch the brewers work.
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