New Report from Milestone Events Group Based on Survey of Sonoma County Event Vendors
(Santa Rosa, CALIF)—A survey of Sonoma County events vendors conducted by Milestone Events Group has uncovered a robust and growing local events and wedding industry that also highlights the economic advantages Sonoma County wineries have over those in Napa County, where wineries may not generally host weddings. The Milestone Events Report is the first to offer insights into the workings of a key element of the Sonoma County economy.
The Milestone Report on the marketplace for Sonoma County events vendors can be downloaded at: https://milestoneeventsgroup.com/network/survey-analysis/.
Over 60% of the caterers, wedding planners, photographers, entertainers and others that service events in Sonoma County reported that their businesses are growing. Additionally, 60% of survey respondents reported that 40% or more of their business is conducted at local wineries, indicating the critical economic nexus between wineries and events in Sonoma County.
The Milestone Survey was conducted in September and October prior to the devastating Kincaid fire and asked an extensive array of questions concerning the state of the events marketplace, the marketing requirements vendors face, out-of-county competition, the role of social media and digital marketing, and more.
Among the findings outlined in the Milestone Report are:
- The Sonoma County events/wedding market is growing
- Competition from out-of-county events service companies is growing
- Labor issues and price competition are important concerns for event vendors
- Weddings (particularly at wineries) represent a significant source of revenue
- Sources of new business come primarily from venues and other service providers
- Instagram is the most important social media platform for event vendors
“Working with numerous wineries and event vendors, we saw an events marketplace in Sonoma County that was rapidly changing, which led us to conduct the survey and issue the report,” said Milestone Events Group president Marshall Bauer. “Our goal here is to provide important information and data to those who conduct, service and regulate events in the County so that policymaking and marketing going forward is not done in an information vacuum.”
About Milestone Events Group
Milestone Events Group is the marketing expertise and professional event management behind a network of highly successful winery and other scenic wedding sites. Located in Sonoma County and largely representing Sonoma County venues, Milestone helps maximize partner wineries’ event revenue and wine sales through efficient venue marketing and promotion services. For more information see www.milestoneeventsgroup.com.
