A groundbreaking training, now available to Sonoma County partners
We’re pleased to introduce the Seven Secrets of Inclusive Hospitality: a new training now available to Sonoma County partners and a key next step in our Wine Country for All of Us initiative.
Following a preview at our Annual Meeting, Sonoma County Tourism is proud to formally launch this globally informed program, developed by HospitableMe, making Sonoma County the first destination worldwide to offer it at this scale.
Based on research across 17 traveler identities, this training offers practical tools and perspectives to help your team create more welcoming guest experiences. It’s an approach to hospitality that creates a meaningful, kind, sensitive, empathetic, and joy-filled experience for your guests: one that promotes connection, builds trust, and encourages lasting loyalty.
This effort complements other ongoing efforts, including our partnership with Wheel the World. Last week, we welcomed their team to Sonoma County to support the launch of Destination Verified, with 72 local partners already mapped and certified, helping to ensure Sonoma County is more accessible and welcoming for everyone.
While we offer many partner trainings, this one stands apart.
We understand that stepping away from daily operations can be challenging. We believe this experience will be worthwhile for you, your team, and the guests you welcome.
April Trainings
May Trainings
Educators
Kenny Porpora
Kenny Porpora is Partner and Head of Education at HospitableMe, the global leader in Inclusive hospitality strategy, education and training services for tourism and hospitality. He and his team empower destinations and brands to provide a more inclusive, inviting and respectful welcome to historically underrepresented and excluded customers and guests. In HospitableMe's practice, Kenny is particularly focused on the intersection of multiple identity factors, neurodiversity and hidden disabilities. An accomplished writer, Kenny is the lead author of the Everyone Welcome curriculum, and has created and curated content for some of the largest destination marketing organizations in the world. He is the New York Times best-selling author of The Autumn Balloon and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Salon and others. He has traveled to more than 39 countries and is a self-proclaimed puppy dog enthusiast.
Danny Guerrero
Danny Guerrero, MBA (he/him/his) is a dynamic marketing executive with a global perspective. With over 20 years of travel industry experience, Danny has established himself as a thought leader in multicultural marketing and a champion for inclusion in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors as a means to greater prosperity for these industries. As the CEO and Founder of The Culturist Group, Danny pioneered the travel industry's first multicultural marketing communications practice in the U.S. focused on the underserved needs of multicultural travelers, including Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ travelers. His innovative approach to understanding and meeting the cultural and emotional needs of travelers with intersectional identities has earned him recognition, including the 2022 David Martin Fellowship from the IGLTA, and the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2021. Prior to launching The Culturist Group, Danny held leadership positions at prominent marketing agencies and travel companies, including the Visit West Hollywood, Viceroy Hotel Group, The Travel Corporation, MMGY Global, and Development Counsellors International (DCI).
Danny currently serves on the board of IGLTA and is an Executive MBA graduate of the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Karin Demarest
Karin Demarest, MAT, is a consultant, educator, and facilitator with more than 30 years of experience working at the intersection of nonprofits, philanthropy, and community impact. She is the Principal of Demarest Strategy Group, where she partners with foundations, nonprofits, and public agencies to lead strategic planning, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and support equitable grantmaking and disaster response.
Early in her career, Karin worked as a teaching artist and classroom educator before moving into statewide advocacy for equitable access to arts education. She later joined Community Foundation Sonoma County, serving as Vice President for Community Impact, where she oversaw a broad grantmaking portfolio spanning health, environment, arts, and education, including years of grantmaking oversight for the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation. Following the 2017 wildfires, she led the creation of the Sonoma County Resilience Fund, helping shape the region's approach to disaster philanthropy.
Since re-launching Demarest Strategy Group in 2022, Karin brings a strong educator's lens to her consulting practice, designing and facilitating retreats, focus groups, and cohort-based learning experiences grounded in adult learning principles. She is also a sought-after moderator for high-profile conversations with civic and cultural leaders, including author Fran Lebowitz, playwright Eve Ensler, writer Anne Lamott, education advisor Sir Ken Robinson, and former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
She holds a BA from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco.