_An Edhat ReaderBy Santa Ynez Valley
Gonzalez Fills the Role of the California Central Coast Destination Marketing Organization’s First Designated Salesperson
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley (VisitSYV.com) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cynthia Gonzalez as the organization’s first Director of Sales.
As Visit the Santa Ynez Valley’s new Director of Sales, Gonzalez will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of long-term sales strategies and tactics with the objective of attracting overnight group business to the Santa Ynez Valley. Gonzalez will head the organization’s sales efforts in promoting and selling the destination to meetings, small groups, and leisure tour/travel markets in an effort to maximize the economic impact for Santa Ynez Valley tourism and its related stakeholders. Additionally, Gonzalez will lead the promotion of a Group Sales action plan with the goal of delivering value to Santa Ynez Valley’s customers and additional group business to the organization’s tourism partners.
Gonzalez brings nearly two decades of hospitality and tourism knowledge to the organization, from a wide range of business segments including leisure travel, online travel distribution, luxury programs, meetings and events. A California Central Coast native, Gonzalez attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration. While at UNLV, Gonzalez garnered sales experience in trade show shipping and exhibition logistics services. Post-graduation, Gonzalez transitioned into the Las Vegas hotel industry, working at various properties along the famous Las Vegas Strip, eventually becoming a Sales Executive for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), where Gonzalez spent most of her time traveling overseas to promote Las Vegas as a destination.
After 14 years in Nevada, Gonzalez returned to the Central Coast taking up work at The Kimpton Goodland hotel in Goleta, as well as the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott in Buellton, then shifting to Hotelbeds, where she expanded her contract and sales management skills. Most recently, Gonzalez worked as Director of Sales for Visit SLO CAL in San Luis Obispo County.
“We are excited to have Cynthia join the team as our first designated salesperson. Her wealth of experience and Central Coast knowledge will be an incredible asset as our organization moves to the next level,” said Shelby Sim, CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley.
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley is the official Destination Marketing Organization for the Santa Ynez Valley, formed in 2010 to promote tourism in the wine country communities of Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Ballard, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos.
About the Santa Ynez Valley:
Barely two hours from Los Angeles and a scenic four-hour drive from San Francisco, the Santa Ynez Valley is home to six distinct towns each with its own culture, vibe, and menu of experiences. Blanketed with fruitful farms and vineyards, the California Central Coast wine region’s temperate weather allows for year-round activities of all sorts, spread throughout the historical communities of Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, and Solvang. Destination dining and world-class wines await, accompanied by lodging at every level, all painted into atmospheric backdrops that colorfully mesh Old World and Old West. Visit more than 100 wineries, feast on chef-driven cuisine, and enjoy festive events and design details from Victorian-era to mid-century to modern Danish. For more information, including a listing of wedding venues, restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, and events, go to VisitSYV.com.
