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Sales:
Midwest Sales Office Hot out of the Starting Gate
PR, Marketing and Partnerships:
Advanced Reservation Systems
Brings in Business
Green and Beautiful: Fairmont Sonoma
Mission Inn Receives Award
A Little Wine with that Cheese?
Cyber Surfing for Sonoma Wine
Country
SCTB Info:
Writer Looking for Guidebook
Information
Heritage and Cultural Travel on
the Rise
Odds and Ends:
Saving
Our Redwoods and Parks
‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ to Raise Money
SRJC Proposes Lodging and Tourism Certificates
'Greening' Your Restaurant Seminar Slated for April 14
Savoring
Flavors at Slow Food Nation
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Sales Midwest Sales Office Hot out of the Starting Gate
Sonoma County Tourism Bureau's Midwest Sales Office just completed its first three months in Chicago. Here are a few highlights:
• Within the first month after opening on Dec. 1, the Midwest Sales Office generated two separate e-mail blasts to nearly 900 Chicago area clients: One to promote Holiday Showcase we participated in; and one to announce the Midwest Sales office.
• The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau joined the Chicago Area Convention Bureau Satellite Offices (CACSBO). CACSBO is an organization of Chicago Midwest sales offices that promotes the benefits of using local convention bureau sales offices. CACSBO serves as a key sponsor to local industry events to include Meeting Professionals International, Association Forum and Professional Convention Management Associations (PCMA). CACSBO produces a Midwest sales office directory and distributes to local association and corporate planners.
• Attended PCMA Annual Convention in January and was in Sonoma County for five days for a client familiarization tour and sales training
• Served as board liaison to MPI-CAC's Educational Conference. The event was held in February with 300 local members in attendance. SCTB was promoted at this event for its future sponsorship of MPI-CAC's Awards Gala in June.
• Presentations were set up through CACSBO and made in February to American Bar Association (ABA), where 17 planners from both the meeting planning department and ABA sections attended, and to the local Experient office.
• CACSBO sponsored PCMA's educational event on March 11. 200 people were in attendance. SCTB was included in CACSBO's slide show presentation.
• Personal sales calls include: Price Waterhouse Coopers, Select Meeting Sites, American Society of Plumbing Engineers, the Center for Association Growth, Association Management Center, McDonald's Corporation, Association of Legal Administrators, Riverwest Meetings and American Healthcare Information Management Association (AHIMA).
• The Midwest Sales office has produced sales leads from the American Bar Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, Select Meeting Sites/GE Healthcare Financial Services and the commercial real estate organization CCIM Institute.
• The first definite meeting was signed in February with American Academy of Pediatrics for May 2008.
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PR, Marketing and Partnerships
Advanced Reservation Systems
Brings in Business Advanced Reservation Systems, Inc. (ARES), which provides the online booking engine for visitors to purchase hotel rooms, airline tickets, attraction/activity and tour tickets, car rentals and vacation  packages, has done an incredible job.
Since launching ARES on the redesigned www.sonomacounty.com on Jan. 7, visitors have booked 84 room nights. Also, 16 tickets to Sonoma Jazz + have been sold.
These numbers put SCTB and partners on track to book more than 500 rooms through ARES in the first year.
If you're interested in showcasing your business to 22,000 unique visitors a month, contact Justin Stratford at ARES, justin.stratford@aresdirect.com, to see how you can sell tickets or rooms through the website's booking agent.
Green and Beautiful: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn Receives Award
The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, in Sonoma, received a 2008 Best Practices Award from the Business Environmental Alliance. Some 15 other Sonoma County businesses joined the Fairmont in receiving this award. General Manager Kelley Cosgrove received the award from Supervisor Tim Smith.
 The businesses chosen represent a variety of industries, business strategies, and motivations, but have one thing in common: each has implemented environmental practices that serve as an example for businesses around Sonoma County.
The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn - nominated by the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau - underwent a complete electric retrofit of its Heritage Building. The Fairmont estimates that it saves $61,000 a year because of this retrofit. The inn recycles its hotel linens and towels to the Adopt-a-Shelter YWCA in Santa Rosa and donates its kitchen oils to create biodiesel.
The benefits of these sound environmental practices have also come in different forms for each of these businesses, highlighting the myriad opportunities for economic and environmental improvements. The BEA recognized these businesses not only for the money they saved, but also for the value added to the product, workspace, and daily operations.
A Little Cheese with that Wine? 
For the second year, California's Artisan Cheese Festival was a huge success.
Again, SCTB partnered with the event to provide additional marketing and advertising support. The event is a way to showcase Sonoma County as more than just a wine destination. Sonoma County artisans offer an amazing array of cheeses.
Craig Haskell, SCTB information specialist (left), and SCTB President/CEO Ken Fischang (second from right) say "cheese" for the camera with Craig's parents, Joy and George, at one of the event's special events.
Cyber Surfing for Sonoma Wine Country
In February, the PR team hosted a Sonoma County tour for the Bay Area Travel Writers. As a result, the team has fielded calls for fact checking, as well as networking. The tour has resulted in a story, by Renata Polt, with others the way, www.culturevulture.net/Destinations/sonoma_3-08.htm.
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SCTB Info
Writer Looking for Guidebook Information
Writer Michele Bigley is writing a chapter about Sonoma County in the "Explorers Guide to Northern California." She's looking for information about attractions in Sonoma County, including spas, museums, wineries and outdoor adventure. The book has sold almost 500,000 copies. Please contact Michele directly at mishmell@sbcglobal.net.
Heritage and Cultural Travel on the Rise
According to the Travel Industry Association of America, more travelers are seeking the authentic American experience offered through cultural and heritage tourism. The organization said 81 percent of the 146.4 million U.S. adults who took a trip of 50 miles or more away from home in the past year included historical or cultural activities on at least one of their trips.
Does your property or business offer cultural or heritage experiences? If so, we'd like to know about it. Please e-mail publicrelations@sonomacounty.com with detailed information.
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Odds and Ends for $800, Alex
Saving Our Redwoods and Parks
Saving Our Redwoods and Parks
The Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, spearheaded by Executive Director Michele Luna, hosted a standing-room-only town hall meeting in Guerneville last week to discuss efforts to keep Armstrong Woods and Austin Creek Recreation Area from being closed.
This is in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement that his proposed budget would shut down 20 percent of the state's parks. Closing these 48 parks would save around $9 million, an estimated less than 0.1 percent of the state budget.
If you missed the meeting and still want to be involved, you can attend Park Advocacy Day in Sacramento on April 7. The Stewards are chartering a bus, or buses. This annual event, sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation, brings more than 100 state park supporters to meet with policymakers to discuss issues facing California's 278 state parks. These meetings make a great impact in legislators' support for key park policies and issues.
Please sign up to attend this event on the California State Park Foundation's website www.calparks.org and list Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods as the organization you are affiliated with.
If that doesn't fit your schedule, please either call, e-mail or write letters to the governor, your legislators and local representatives. For addresses and message points, please visit www.stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org/keepparksopen.htm.
‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ to Raise Money
The Wine Country Chefs of Tomorrow present Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, a benefit for Sonoma County high school culinary arts programs, that will feature Food Network star and local chef and restaurant owner Guy Fieri.
The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the Vintners Inn Event Center. Sponsored by the Sonoma County Lodging Association, the event includes an appetizer reception, a classic American dinner and live and silent auctions. For information, call (707) 239-5272 or www.WOWeventsolutions.com
SRJC Proposes Lodging and Tourism Certificates
Santa Rosa Junior College needs your help in designing a new lodging and tourism certificate program. This program will include two certificates: Lodging and Tourism Skills Certificate, eight units; and Lodging and Tourism Achievement Certificate, 32.5 units.
Your industry knowledge and input in this process are important steps in building a meaningful program. Please visit www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227JSV8NQQY to answer the survey, which will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
The courses for the SRJC Lodging and Tourism Skills Certificate include: (first semester) Wine Industry Event Planning, Introduction to Tourism/Sonoma Co ; Introduction to Customer Service; Introduction to Hotel Industry; A Cook's Tour of Sonoma County; MS Office or equivalent; and Intro to Solving Business Problems w/Spreadsheets.
The Lodging and Tourism Achievement Certificate include the courses listed above and: (second semester) World-Class Customer Service; Hotel Operations; Principles of Selling; and Financial Basics.
Third semester classes are: Written Communication in Organizations; Communication in Organizations; Quantitative Skills/Math; and Skills for Managers/Supervisors.
The fourth semester will include an internship or work experience. Also, three units of electives from the following are required: World Viticulture and Wine Styles; Sonoma County Appellations; Wine Service and Hospitality; Wine Regions of California; Restaurant Operations; Sanitation and Safety; Culinary Arts Survey; Food and Beverage Operations; Wine Appreciation; Food and Wine Affinities; One-on-One Management Communication; Managing Work Groups; Motivation and Empowerment; Managerial Leadership; Human Resource Responsibilities; Managing Employee Performance; or Plans and Controls in Organizations.
'Greening' Your Restaurant Seminar Slated for April 14
It’s easier than you think to be green. By using energy and water efficient practices, incorporating local products onto menus, and composting food waste, Bay Area restaurants are finding a little more green in their bank accounts.
Sponsored by the Sonoma County Water Agency and PG&E, the Business Environmental Alliance is hosting “Greening Your Restaurant” (www.sonoma-county.org/bea/events.htm), a seminar specifically geared to showing restaurateurs the financial benefits of going green. The seminar will be held Monday, April 14, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Redwood Credit Union, 3033 Cleveland Avenue, in Santa Rosa.
Space is limited, so advanced registration is required. The registration deadline is Wednesday, April 9 and the cost of attendance is only $15. For more information contact Laura Kim at (707) 565-6455 or e-mail sonomagreen@sonoma-county.org
The seminar will cover energy efficient equipment options, green-influenced architecture and design, cost-saving practices for water management and waste disposal, and tips on marketing your establishment to eco-conscious consumers. The seminar will also introduce Bay Area Green Business certification for restaurants in Sonoma County. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience, size or location.
Savoring Flavors at Slow Food Nation
The inaugural Slow Food Nation event will be held in San Francisco on Labor Day Weekend. Sonoma County's restaurateurs have been a driving force behind the movement. The event will include all sorts of styles of foods: best cheese, bread, chocolates, jams, beers, spirits, wines, pickles, cured meats and more.
Please e-mail info@slowfoodnation.org for a nomination form if you know of a product that should be part of Slow Food Nation '08. More details are available on www.slowfoodnation.org.
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