Sonoma County Tourism Welcomes Two Directors to its Organization
SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Frank Filice and Jean Paul Zapata have joined Sonoma County Tourism (SCT) in the roles of Director of Brand Marketing and Director of Business Development, respectively.
As director of brand marketing, Filice will play an essential role in the development of consumer marketing campaigns and related initiatives for SCT. Filice will also direct the organization’s content calendar and oversee the concepting, message development, and monitoring of its social media efforts – including influencer campaigns. Additionally, Filice will develop and curate SCT’s visual imagery, along with producing and editing content on sonomacounty.com.
“Frank brings a fresh perspective and new ideas to Sonoma County Tourism,” said Todd O’Leary, VP of Marketing and Communications at SCT. “His extensive brand marketing knowledge will be put to great use as we continue to position Sonoma County as a desirable travel destination, coming out of the pandemic. He’s going to play a key role in how we position the destination moving forward.”
Filice comes to Sonoma County Tourism from Workrite Ergonomics in Petaluma, where he worked as the marketing communications manager for nearly five years. Prior to this, Filice spent seven years with Lowepro, also in Petaluma, performing various roles before becoming the company’s senior director of worldwide marketing.
“As a longtime resident and fan of Sonoma County, I can’t tell you how excited I am to share the remarkable stories and experiences our destination has to offer visitors,” said Filice.
In the new role of director of business development, Zapata will work to identify untapped business opportunities in both a group and event capacity. He will concentrate on growing Sonoma County’s share of the group market by identifying burgeoning business segments including cannabis, sustainable living, and travel, and attract events to the destination that will promote overnight visitation. His work also will include working with Sonoma County’s tourism and hospitality partners to enhance experiences and offerings to appeal to current and new travelers.
“Jean Paul’s sheer enthusiasm for the work, paired with his knowledge and experience, makes him a highly valuable addition to the team,” said Jennifer Richards, VP of Business Development at SCT. “I look forward to seeing him collaborate with our hospitality partners to develop new experiences and revenue opportunities.”
Zapata comes from the destination marketing realm, having most recently served as the director of public relations for Visit Oakland, and prior to that, the media relations manager for Visit Greater Palm Springs. Some of Zapata’s earlier work includes the roles of communications director for Klick Communications and PR account manager for Black Diamond.
“At Black Diamond we represented several California destinations, including Sonoma County,” said Zapata. “It’s a privilege to once again work with Sonoma County Tourism. I look forward to sharing my collective experience as we move into a new chapter.”
For a complete directory of Sonoma County Tourism staff, visit www.sonomacounty.com/meet-sonoma-county-tourism-staff.
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Sonoma County Tourism is the region’s official Destination Stewardship Organization. Through a multi-channel sales and marketing program, the organization promotes Sonoma County as a global visitor and meetings destination, where diversity thrives, and everyone is welcome. Leveraging the region’s unmatched assets, wine, culinary, wellness and sustainability continue to define its character. Pre-pandemic, tourism generated $2.3 Billion in visitor spending, $194 Million in tax revenue and employed more than 23,000 Sonoma Countians. Post-pandemic, SCT will work with partner businesses to rebuild the tourism economy, regain critical revenue and reestablish a vibrant workforce. For more information, visit www.sonomacounty.com