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. |
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Today I’d like to recognize the incredible work of our wine industry throughout this pandemic. In March, many quickly identified the need to pivot customer engagement from in-person to in-home. The virtual tastings and events held by our winemakers kept the Sonoma County connections very real for the months their customers were homebound. The starts and stops of customer engagement have been challenging, but again they made the best of it. Now, with harvest, the growers are doing what’s needed to keep thousands of employees safe. Through it all, the Sonoma County Vintners have created and executed virtual actions and events that have actually made budget and continued to connect Sonoma County with wine enthusiasts around the world.
These are truly unprecedented times, but with the efforts of our wine industry we are stronger and more connected to potential visitors than we would have otherwise been. Thank you for all you do on behalf of Sonoma County.
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Claudia Vecchio
President and CEO
Sonoma County Tourism
707-522-5804
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Register for SCT’s annual meeting
Sonoma County Tourism invites you to register for our 2020 annual meeting, presented in a virtual setting on Aug 26 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Hear from SCT regarding the challenging FY19-20 and plans for the upcoming year.
Joining us is Amir Eylon, president of Longwoods International, who will be providing details on consumer sentiment and Sonoma County’s visitation. Additionally, we’ll be welcoming Dr. Robert Eyler, who will be presenting a “State of the State” and forecast roundup.
We hope you can join us for this insightful 90-minute meeting. Admission is free, but registration is required to attend.
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PSPS and Safety Planning Workshop
Sonoma County Hospitality Association, in partnership with PG&E and Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services, will be presenting a PSPS and Safety Planning Workshop for the Hospitality Industry on Aug 20, from 10 - 11:30 a.m.
This free on-line seminar will cover PSPS management updates from PG&E, and resources for businesses to prepare and manage guests during the dry season.
Learn more and register here.
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Join our Partner Information Program
Do you have a tourism/hospitality facing business in Sonoma County? Then we would love to meet with you, in a virtual setting, as part of our ongoing Partner Information Program (PIP).
What is a PIP?
- It's a bit like speed dating, but with the Sonoma County Tourism team and other participating businesses. You are allotted five minutes to tell us about your business, and we then have five minutes to ask questions.
- Four to six businesses participate in each meeting. PIP meetings run from 9 - 10:30 a.m.
- During your five-minute presentation, you can lead us on a virtual tour of your business (via your smartphone camera) or you can simply tell us about your business as we scroll through your website and Instagram account.
- After your five-minute presentation, the Sonoma County Tourism staff has five minutes to ask you questions, for a total of 10 minutes per business.
- PIP meetings are a fun and informal way for our staff to get to know you and your business, while giving you the opportunity to learn more about Sonoma County Tourism – what we do, and how you can take advantage of our free marketing programs.
Interested in being involved? Please email Devin McConnell at [email protected] to learn more. Past PIP participants are welcome to arrange revisits with us so that our new team members can learn about you.
Please note: due to our funding model, lodging properties that would like to participate must fall within the Sonoma County Tourism Business Improvement Area.
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Power of Travel Coalition Advocacy Toolkit
While the overall economy is in a recession, the travel industry is in a depression—at 51%, travel industry unemployment is double the worst year of the Great Depression. Take action today, and encourage congress to #SaveTravel, bring back jobs, and rebuild our economy by prioritizing relief and protection for the travel industry.
Learn more and access the advocacy toolkit here.
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Grav & Go! Gravenstein Pop-Up
This online celebration of the Gravenstein apple allows you to order products made from local Sonoma County Gravensteins by Sonoma County Farm Trails members. Upon checkout, you select which day and time you would like to pick up your order. Then after receiving your confirmation you simply show up at your reserved time for contactless curbside pickup of your Gravensteins and Grav-related items, and enjoy!
This fundraiser for Sonoma County Farm Trails will help the nonprofit organization continue its mission of promoting local agriculture, saving the Gravenstein, and keeping farms forever in Sonoma County.
Learn more about the Gav & Go! Gravenstein Pop-Up here.
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Emergency preparedness posters for wildfire season
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The Department of Emergency Management would like to remind us all that fire season is here, and with Sonoma County having had an especially dry season, it’s more important than ever to be prepared.
Emergency Management has created posters in both English and Spanish with key messages to help prepare Sonoma Countians for the months ahead.
You can access these posters on Emergency Management’s Facebook page here.
To learn more about wildfire preparedness, please visit the SoCo Emergency website here. #SonomaReady #SonomaStrong
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Resources
Sonoma County Tourism has a Coronavirus Partner Toolkit regularly updated here.
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board has compiled a comprehensive list of local, state, and government resources (including financing options) for businesses at their SoCo Launch website here.
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Get tested and help Sonoma County eliminate the coronavirus. Broad COVID-19 viral testing is now available. Learn more here.
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