With his cobalt blue polo shirt and indelible grin, Jonny Westom doesn't look like he's quite moved into the Sonoma Valley yet. But here he sits, in the downstairs conference room beneath the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau offices at the Sonoma Plaza, as the newly hired executive director of the hospitality agency that serves both the City of Sonoma and the larger Sonoma Valley.
The 34-year-old SoCal native comes to us from Palm Springs, where he has worked with the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau for the past ten years in a variety of roles, most recently as Director of Promotions and Special Projects. He started shopping for a new hometown about six months ago, and so far he's impressed the SVVB board members, who seems quite happy to have him on board.
Paul Giusto, who headed the selection committee, described him as 'a high-energy, dynamic professional. The last eight days he's been on board, he's really validated our choice,' he added. 'He's a sharp guy, very mindful and respectful of the traditions of Sonoma Valley.'
'I would only add that the entire SVVB team – board, staff and volunteers – are thrilled with the selection and look forward to welcoming and working with Jonny,' said outgoing director Wendy Peterson.
The Index-Tribune chatted with Westom at the end of his first week on the job about what he sees as the key selling points of Sonoma Valley for the destination-oriented market. (Edited for brevity and clarity.)
Index-Tribune: So how do you find Sonoma, after just a week in town?
Jonny Westom: My first observation being in Sonoma is now nice and friendly the people are here. People are so nice! One of the things I found valuable about Sonoma is the type of culture it breeds – the sense of community, the people who are in tune with the community.
People walk to the park together, in droves. There's block parties, your neighbors know what you're doing, you have gardens in your back yard, you know who the community leaders are.
It's just a whole different way of living. It's a slower pace, I'm used to a much quicker pace – but that allows us to do a lot more thinking about what sort of results we're working for, in terms of the organization but also what we're doing personally.
IT: You have family with you? How are you enjoying town?
JW: I'm married, since November 11 last year. My wife Jamie and found a place in Boyes Hot Springs. Our first experience in Sonoma a couple weeks ago was the Mission. That's when my wife first said, 'This is right.' And she's 90 percent of the decision.
We've had such a warm weekend from everybody in the community so far. Sometimes I wake up saying, Is this real? You-all can't be that nice, all the time!
I really just want to get more in touch with the community, to get more in tune with what else is here, beyond the tourism stuff.
IT: You come to us from Palm Springs. How are the two communities different?
JW: It's a completely different destination as far as what people are looking for in their experiences. The experience here, from what I've witnessed so far, is more wine-region, escaping the day-to-day congestion of the city. It's more about getting in touch with yourself in a clean quiet area.
In Palm Springs, you have much more influence from pool parties, from celebrityism, from major world-class events – you know Palm Springs has the largest music event in the world, Coachella; it has the fifth-largest tennis tournament in the world. The Palm Springs international film festival is growing significantly. Red carpet people include people like Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, those kinds of people. Leonardo DiCaprio just bought Dinah Shore's home. That sort of thing has brought Palm Springs where it is today.
But at the end of the day, what you think about what the DMO's responsibility is, it's pulling out that attractiveness that makes your destination the unique destination it is, and then taking that to the market and showing people you can experience this, it is a tangible thing you can do.
IT: Explain what 'destination marketing' is, and what's a DMO?
JW: Destination marketing is focusing sales and marketing efforts funded by partners in the destination to attract customers, to brand the destination as a viable place for travel. It's presenting and promoting the aspects that make a destination worth visiting. In Sonoma, we have hotels, restaurants, spas, golf courses, all those different amenities.
There needs to be an organization – a DMO – that tells that story in a marketing way, in an experiential marketing way. Our role is really to deliver what that experience can and should be to potential visitors, domestically and internationally.
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