TOURISM INDUSTRY NEWS & RESOURCES
This partner communication exists to provide timely information on Sonoma County’s tourism and hospitality industry, along with resources to help partners navigate through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
May 26, 2021
A huge shoutout to all hospitality partners working to reopen safely and with great challenges such as workforce and determining how to navigate the safety guidelines, brand protocols and potential desire of the business to continue the mask requirements. Once again we’re heading into unchartered waters with the mask or not to mask question and how to work around vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated patrons. These questions will again require our front-line workers to handle potentially volatile situations. It will be really important that employees are given clear messages to provide to guests and the manager/owner is available as back-up should a disagreement arise. This, during what we believe is going to be a really busy summer, could result in disgruntled visitors. Let’s go into this summer knowing incidents may occur and be ready to mitigate these before they happen. Clear direction, employee training and realistic expectations around operations will need to be the foundation for recovery this summer. Thank you for all you continue to do to navigate a challenging time.
Claudia Vecchio
President and CEO
Sonoma County Tourism
707-522-5804
Sonoma County Hospitality Association panel
Sonoma County Hospitality Association (SCHA) is hosting a Group Meetings and Events Strategies panel on Thursday, June 3 from 10 to 11 a.m.

This digital and in-person presentation will look at national, state, and county levels of reopening and address challenges at each level in successful reopening, from business and leisure consumer sentiment, to policies and plans to protect your business.

Gain insights on national business and consumer trends from Tyler Davidson, VP and Chief Content Officer at Meetings Today; hear the latest state level updates and insights from California Hotel and Lodging Association President and CEO Lynn Mohrfeld; and join in a discussion on Sonoma County issues and updates presented by Jennifer Richards, VP Group Business Development at Sonoma County Tourism; Marisa Manna Ferrell, President, So Eventful; and Scott Satterfield-Guest Moderator, General Manager, Hotel TRIO.

In-person attendance at the Hotel Trio Conference Room is $25 for SCHA members and $50 for non-members.

Remote attendance via Zoom is free for all with use of the promo code REOPENING.

Advance registration, accessible here, is required by June 2. 
Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors
Beginning June 15, all sectors listed in the current Blueprint Activities and Business Tiers Chart may return to usual operations (with the limited exceptions noted below for Mega Events) based on the following general public health recommendations:
Vaccine Verification/Negative Testing

Required for Indoor mega events
Recommended for Outdoor mega events
Capacity Limitations

No restrictions
Physical Distancing

No restrictions for attendees, customers and guests
Masking

Travelers

Follow CDC recommendations and CDPH Travel Advisory
Employers 

Mega Events are characterized by large crowds greater than 5,000 (indoors) and 10,000 (outdoors) attendees. Mega Events may have either assigned or unassigned seating, and may be either general admission or gated, ticketed and permitted events. 

To lean more about Mega Events and California’s move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, visit the California Department of Public Health website here
Sonoma County Evacuation Zone maps
The County of Sonoma has released standardized evacuation zone maps designed to help residents be ready for an emergency that may require them to evacuate their homes. Knowing your evacuation zone number is a key element of a disaster preparedness plan.

Previously, evacuation zones were different for each incident. Now zones will remain the same, and residents are encouraged to write down their zone number along with other zones of importance (place of work, children’s school, etc.).

The maps show evacuation zones for unincorporated areas in Sonoma County as well as most of the incorporated communities. To find your zone, go tohttps://socoemergency.org/evacuation-map/
Sonoma County Recovery Campaign
Sonoma County Tourism sent out a special communication to its partners last week, outlining the Sonoma County Recovery Campaign. If you missed it, you can learn about the campaign (including timing, targeting, creative elements and how you can plug into what SCT is creating to help power your own marketing and public relations efforts) by clicking here
2021 Sonoma County Wedding Guide
Sonoma County Tourism’s Group Business Development team recently unveiled its 2021 Sonoma County Wedding Guide. This gorgeous and informative resource provides ideas and inspiration for couples considering a destination wedding in Sonoma County. We encourage you to check it out and share it with others. You can learn more at sonomacounty.com/weddings
Quick Note from the Editor
This Tourism Industry News & Resources communication, previously sent out weekly, is changing to an every-other-week release schedule. Its companion newsletter, Tourism Industry Performance & Insights, is shifting to a monthly release. Partner Alerts will continue to be sent out as needed for urgent communications. Thank you.