Rebuild. Review. Reenergize.
Warm regards,
Joe Bartolomei Chair, SCT Board of Directors
1 DRIVE OVERNIGHT VISITATION
5 RUN AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS KEY INITIATIVES
2 CREATE AND CONVEY VALUE
4 SPEARHEAD LONG-TERM DESTINATION PLANNING
3 ENGAGE PARTNERS/ PARTNERSHIPS
A ROBUST ECONOMY FOR SONOMA COUNTY BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS AMPLIFIED BY RESULTS-DRIVEN TOURISM PLANNING AND MARKETING.
COREVALUES MISSION PROMOTE
OVERNIGHT STAYS AND ENCOURAGE TOURISM WITHIN SONOMA COUNTY.
This is accomplished through administering a two-fold program of work:
1. Sales/Marketing
a. Develop and infuse a new brand and engage partners in its integration.
b. Plan and execute sales and marketing programs that drive overnight stays from both domestic and international visitors.
c. Sell the destination to meetings and tours that align with the key identified segments.
2. Education – three areas of focus:
a. Create professional development opportunities for members of the Sonoma County tourism industry that raise the level of expertise across all industry sectors.
b. Educate key local stakeholders and communities about the value of tourism and the positive impacts of travel and tourism on Sonoma County.
c. Educate potential visitors through a robust integrated marketing program about the experiences available throughout the county.
TRANSPARENT
All budgets and programs administered by Sonoma County Tourism are done so within an environment of transparency. This helps ensure all stakeholders have a high level of understanding regarding the operational effectiveness of the organization and can champion the organization as an efficient steward of the funding provided.
STRATEGIC
Sonoma County Tourism approaches all programs and opportunities with a framework built on a foundation of research and structured with consideration for all potential program outcomes and impacts.
SERVICE CENTERED
The organization is committed to providing best-in-the-industry service to both trade professionals and consumers.
COLLABORATIVE
Sonoma County Tourism is successful only if its partners and stakeholders are successful. This occurs within a robust businessdevelopment environment offering opportunities for constituents to benefit from partnerships with the organization and gain business-driving benefits from the programs administered by the organization.
INNOVATIVE
Sonoma County Tourism ensures its programs represent the latest thinking in tourism sales and marketing. SCT doesn’t embrace “fads,” but rather measures new opportunities against its core values and program strategies to continuously move the organization forward. The organization achieves its mission through incorporating new technologies, sales and marketing methodologies, and both traditional and non-traditional partnerships.
VISION
VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS AND STATISTICS $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 2014 2015 2016 DESTINATION INDUSTRY DESTINATION INDUSTRY DESTINATION INDUSTRY VISITOR SPENDING IN SONOMA COUNTY (IN $MILLIONS) JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2017 2016 2015 2014 90 81.25 72.5 63.75 55 $170 $128 $85 $43 $0 2014 2015 2016 2017 SONOMA COUNTY OCCUPANCY RATE (%) 2017 2016 2015 2014 $170 $128 $85 $43 $0 2014 2015 2016 2017 SONOMA COUNTY ANNUAL AVERAGE DAILY RATE ($) 1 2 3 4 5 San Francisco Oakland San Jose, CA Sacramento-Yolo, CA Los Angeles Riverside Orange County, CA San Diego, CA Seattle Tacoma Bremerton, WA TOP 5 FEEDER MARKETS (BY VISITATION): AVERAGE AGE OF THE SONOMA COUNTY VISITOR: 48 HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $115,000 MARRIED: 67.5 PERCENT SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH (STR) STATS: JUL/17 AUG/17 SEP/17 OCT/17 NOV/17 DEC/17 JAN/18 FEB/18 MAR/18 APR/18 MAY/18 JUN/18 OCC. % 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 83.8 % CHANGE -2.9 -0.9 -1.2 -7.8 13.4 12.9 17.2 16.7 9.0 10.0 5.0 3.7 A/D RATE $ 191.24 186.87 202.19 184.54 170.77 153.87 147.01 155.34 161.31 174.25 192.77 196.98 % CHANGE 2.7 3.3 4.4 -1.8 8.6 15.6 13.3 12.1 12.5 9.3 4.2 6.6
DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS / FY 17/18:
+10,100 FOLLOWERS
25,486 as of June 30, 2018
(versus June 30, 2017: 15,386)
+67,891 LIKES
289,974 as of June 30, 2018
(versus June 30, 2017: 222,083)
+4,018 FOLLOWERS
29,738 as of June 30, 2018
(versus June 30, 2017: 25,720)
+264,417
VIDEO VIEWS
594,917 as of June 30, 2018
(versus June 20, 2017: 330,500)
The digital marketing team found that social traffic referrals to the website were down 50 percent in September 2017 compared to the previous year. They identified a Facebook post about “glamping” that was responsible for 2,000 clicks to the SCT website in September 2016. The team designed another post about “glamping” with new images and a video and linked it article on SonomaCounty.com.
SCT was nominated as 2018 finalist for Visit California’s Poppy Awards for category “best social media campaign” for viral Facebook post
The goal for the new post was 2,000 referral visits from Facebook to SCT website. The post produced astronomical results for awareness (21 million Facebook reach), reaching drive and certain flight markets, traffic to website and goal conversions for accommodation views, outbound referrals to lodging properties, and visitor guide orders/e-mail sign ups.
*Collectedon10/02/17viaFacebookInsightsandGoogleAnalyticsbyAH
FACEBOOK VIRAL POST RESULTS*:
REACH:
21,824,183
LIKES:
458,797
COMMENTS:
147,403
SHARES: 84,472
NEW LIKES/ FOLLOWERS: 35,000
ADVERTISI NG/DIGITAL MARKETING /PUBLIC RELATIONS
TOP LEISURE AD PLACEMENTS / FY 18/19:
PUBLIC RELATIONS/ MAJOR HITS
:
WEBSITE METRICS: sonomacounty.com
OVERALL TRAFFIC:
Visits/Sessions: July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018: 3,225,523
(versus July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017: 2,621,770; 23% YoY increase)
Pageviews: July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018: 6,414,164
(versus July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017: 5,692,650; 13% YoY increase)
Visit California >
SF Travel >
TripAdvisor >
Sunset Magazine >
Homeaway >
Travelzoo >
Kayak > National Geographic >
Comcast >
Weekend Sherpa >
Adara >
Spotxchange >
Cheapflights >
SF Gate >
SF Chronicle >
Public Relations – Major Hits
THE OFFICIAL SONOMA COUNTY VISITORS GUIDE & MAP
DIRECT VISITOR REQUESTS up 5% over previous year!
•$77 million total economic impact of the Visitors Guide.*
•92% of recipients said the Visitors Guide influenced their trip.*
•$2.09 billion total direct travel spending in Sonoma County.**
•15.7% of recipients said they extended their trip after reading the Visitors Guide.*
*2017VisitorGuideReturnonInvestmentStudybySCT.
**VisitCaliforniatourismreportonTransientOccupancyRevenues.
•MORE THAN 100 FAMILIARIZATION TRIPS WITH MEDIA FROM: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. Fams included hosting the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC) annual meeting; Cooking Cottage – retreat for 20 top-tier media.
•IN-MARKET VISITS: Met with top-ranked journalists in Australia, Denver, France, Germany, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Sacramento, Scottsdale, United Kingdom, and of course, Sonoma County.
•SENT MONTHLY AND AS-NEEDED PUBLICITY ALERTS to hospitality partners, with opportunities to work with media.
HUNDREDS OF POSITIVE TRAVEL, WINE, AND LIFESTYLE STORIES GENERATED NEARLY 1.3 BILLION IN CIRCULATION, WITH AN ADVERTISING VALUE OF MORE THAN $30.3 MILLION.
An hour north of San Francisco, world away from ordinary. 1.800.576.6662 SonomaCounty.com sonoma wine country An hour north of San Francisco, world away from ordinary. taste the good life
Tina - I was thinking it might be nice to include a “tradeshow/sales” PHOTO HERE. Do you have any that could work? I remember seeing pics from a familiarization tour, but couldn’t nd any! (?)
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT:
• FAMILIARIZATION TOURS IN SONOMA COUNTY = 26 TOURS > 129 PEOPLE > 14 COUNTRIES
• TEAM ATTENDED 23 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRADESHOWS AND SALES MISSIONS
• TRADESHOWS ACROSS 10 COUNTRIES (UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, US)
NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK – elevated local awareness of tourism’s positive impacts to the local economy, workforce and culture.
• SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM CARES - three events, 78 volunteers, 291 hours –30 percent increase in volunteer participation from last year’s events. Video shot and distributed in Sonoma County Tourism Cares newsletter.
• EDB SPRING ECONOMIC FORECAST BREAKFAST – 450 statistic postcards distributed at tables, booth with posters and window clings, and retractable banner display in lobby. This marks the first time SCT has had a strong presence at the breakfast.
170NEW BUSINESSES/ PARTNERS
• 1,500-PLUS POSTERS AND 1,200-PLUS WINDOW CLINGS DISTRIBUTED to industry businesses.
• IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT SANTA ROSA 10’ x 3’ banner hung in Courthouse Square.
• ROBUST COMMUNICATIONS WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS, CTAs, chambers of commerce and Community Liaisons via mail, email, social media and in-person.
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT/SALES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
SALES:
•NUMBER OF LEADS GENERATED FOR SONOMA COUNTY INCREASED BY 22%
•DEFINITE ROOM NIGHT PRODUCTION WAS UP 14.3%
•TEAM BOOKED 22 MORE GROUPS INTO THE COUNTY COMPARED TO PRIOR YEAR
•ATTENDED 29 TRADESHOWS
TOP 10 ORIGINATING COUNTRIES FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS (Source:VisaVue2017AnnualInternationalReport)
CERTIFIED TOURISM AMBASSADORS:
• 243 new CTAs certified
• 188 Sonoma County high school students certified
• 2,457 Total CTAs certified since 2012
• 14 Educational Events in 2017 with 594 attendees
• CTA volunteerism for local nonprofits and events:
12,000 hours / 23 events / 350 CTA volunteers
CANADAUKGERMANYAUSTRALIAFRANCECHINAMEXICOJAPANDENMARKIRELAND
• CTA Annual Awards / 200 attendees
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1
FUNDING
SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM SOURCES & USES OF FUNDS
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019
REVENUES (FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019)
BIA Assessments $ 5,297,870
Transient Occupancy Tax 2,107,840
Interest Income 24,816
Total Revenues $ 7,430,526
EXPENDITURES
Advertising $ 1,294,000
Marketing Materials & Distribution 1,042,500
Tradeshows & Sales Missions 611,981
Sales & Marketing Promotions 868,360
Destination Development 279,290
Research & Development 421,800
Public Relations 282,480
Sales & Marketing Tools 102,800
Labor 2,963,356
Administrative Expenses 938,968
Capital Expenditures 17,151
Reserve Funding (new) 0
TOTAL USES $ 8,822,686
TOTAL REVENUES LESS USES $ (1,392,160)
RESERVE USAGE
Catastrophic & Strategic Reserves $ 1,392,160
TOTAL SOURCES LESS USES $ 0
SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM / STAFF
Lyn Beam, CTA Executive Assistant
Nicole Bradin, CTA Director of Community Engagement
Erika Costa CTA National Sales Manager
Sierra Downey, CTA Digital Marketing Coordinator
Jaimie duBois CTA Tourism Development Manager
Nancy Garvey CGMP, CTA National Sales Manager
Gilda Gonzales CTA Accountant
Ariane Hiltebrand CTA Digital Marketing Manager
Paula Johnson, CMP, CTA Director of Administration
Bill Judson, CTA Chief Financial Officer
Deleyse Langdale, CTA Vice President, Global Tourism Development
Charmaine Louzao, CTA Meeting Sales and Services Manager
Tina Luster CTA Communications Manager
Devin McConnell, CTA Office Coordinator/Receptionist
Susan Montes, CTA National Sales Manager
Lilly Owsley CTA Sales & Services Coordinator
Jennifer Richards CTA Vice President, Sales
Beth Snow, CTA Marketing Manager
Susan Takano CTA Tourism Development Manager
Kristin Treiber CTA Marketing Operations Manager
Birgitt Vaughan CTA Public Relations Manager
Claudia Vecchio, CTA President/CEO
SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM / BOARD MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE / FY18-19
Joe Bartolomei / CHAIR / Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant
Steve Jung CTA / VICE CHAIR / Doubletree by Hilton, Rohnert Park
Michelle Heston / SECRETARY / Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
Keo Hornbostle / TREASURER / FINANCE & LEGAL COMMITTEE CHAIR / Safari West
Percy Brandon / GROUP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR / Vintners Inn
Jennifer Buffo / TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR / Pure Luxury Transportation
Rachel LeGrand, CTA / GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR / Russian River Getaways
Crista Luedtke / MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR / Boon Hotel & Spa
BOARD DIRECTORS
Tom Birdsall Hampton Inn – Windsor
Sheryl Bratton Sonoma County Administrator
Greg Brown Mayacama Golf & Residences
Thera Buttaro Bodega Bay and Beyond
Karen Collins Sonoma Valley
Dustin Groff Hotel Petaluma
Karissa Kruse CTA Sonoma County Winegrowers
Jennifer LaRocque Sonoma County Adminstrators Office
James Luchini Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Kristen Madsen Creative Sonoma
Dan Parks, CTA Sonoma Creek Inn
Ashish Patel Olea Hotel
Bert Rangel CTA Rivers End Restaurant & Inn
Gary Saperstein Out in the Vineyard
Ben Stone Sonoma County Economic Development Board
Bodega Bay Chamber
www.bodegabayca.org
707-347-9645
Bohemian Connection
707-874-9407
Cloverdale Chamber & Visitors Center
www.cloverdale.net
707-894-4470
Cotati Chamber and Visitors Center
www.cotati.org
707-795-5508
Forestville Chamber
www.forestvillechamber.org
707-887-1111
Fort Ross State Historic Park Visitors Center and Museum fortross.org
707-847-3437
Geyserville Chamber
www.geyservillecc.com
707-276-6067
Healdsburg Chamber & Visitors Bureau
www.healdsburg.com
707-433-6935
Hispanic Chamber
www.hcc-sc.org
707-575-3648
Jenner Visitors Center
www.stewardscr.org
707-865-9757
Lake Sonoma Visitors Center & Fish Hatchery
www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/ Recreation/LakeSonoma.aspx
Mark West Area Chamber & Visitors Center
www.markwest.org
markwest@markwest.org
Monte Rio Chamber
www.monterio.org
707-865-1533
North Bay Black Chamber
www.nbbcc.org
707-838-7608
Occidental Chamber
www.occidental.org
707-874-3279
Petaluma Area Chamber
www.petalumachamber.com
707-762-2785
Petaluma Visitors Program
www.visitpetaluma.com
707-769-0429
Redwood Coast Chamber & CVB
www.redwoodcoastchamber.com
707-884-1080
Rohnert Park Chamber
www.rohnertparkchamber.org
707-584-1415
Russian River Chamber & Visitors Center
www.russianriver.com
707-869-9000
Russian River Visitors Center at Korbel
www.russianriver.com
800- 253-8800
Santa Rosa Metro Chamber
www.santarosametrochamber.com
707-545-1414
Visit Santa Rosa & California Welcome Center
www.visitsantarosa.com
707-577-8674
Sebastopol Area Chamber & Visitors Center
www.sebastopol.org
707-823-3032
Sonoma Coast Visitors Center
www.visitbodegabayca.com
707-377-4459
Sonoma Valley Chamber
www.sonomachamber.com
707-996-1033
Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau
www.sonomavalley.com
707-996-1090
Windsor Chamber & Visitors Center
www.windsorchamber.com
707-838-7285
& VISITOR
CHAMBERS
CENTERS
Sonoma County Tourism 400 Aviation Blvd., Suite 500 Santa Rosa, CA 95403 707-522-5800 l 800-576-6662 www.SonomaCounty.com/partners