San Diego CVB Hires New North County Sales Team
February 8, 2011 — After announcing a collaborative merger agreement with the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau in late 2010, the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau recently established a North County specialist sales team to provide efficient and resourceful service to meeting and convention planners looking to hold their events in San Diego’s diverse North County region.
Jonathan Friedman, the new Director of Sales, leads the North County specialist team whose primary target is the western region. Friedman handles the alternative energy, legal and automotive markets and brings more 20 years of experience in the hotel and convention industry, most recently as the Director of Sales for the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, CA and previously as the Director of Sales for Hotel Nikko San Francisco.
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Suzy Kay, CMP, a National Sales Director and North County specialist, handles corporate food and beverage and affinity groups for the western region. Previously a National Sales Manager for the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kay joins the Bureau with more than 18 years of hospitality sales experience, including sales positions with Affinity Group Meetings and PRA Destination Management in San Diego.
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Jamie Oakley, a National Sales Director and North County specialist, handles the financial and high-tech industries for the western region. An 18-year veteran of the hospitality industry with experience in Southern California and Las Vegas, Oakley’s most recent positions include National Sales Manager for the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach and a regional sales contractor for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
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Amy Pastorino, a National Sales Director and North County specialist, handles the health care industry, including pharmaceutical, bio-tech, medical devices and medical insurance for the western region. With 10 years of event planning and sales experience, Pastorino’s diverse background includes Marketing Coordinator for San Diego-based BAE Systems, Meeting and Event Planner for Sony Electronics and Sales Manager for Loews Coronado Bay Resort.
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Sonia Storbeck, a National Sales Director and North County specialist, handles the incentive, entertainment, retail and consulate markets for the western region. With 12 years of marketing and sales experience, Storbeck previously served as Sales Manager for the Peninsula Beverly Hills and various sales positions with the Ritz-Carlton in Southern California, Las Vegas and Florida.
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Patricia Tarnutzer, a National Sales Director and North County specialist, handles the university/college education and medical research, continuing medical education and hospital industries for the western region. Tarnutzer brings more than 20 years of sales and management experience to the Bureau, including positions with the University of Southern California/Radisson Hotel USC, the Hawaii Convention & Visitors Bureau and Hawaiian Airlines. Tarnutzer is a member of SITE, CalSAE, MPI, Prost, ASAE and HSMAI Affordable Meetings.
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San Diego North County stretches from the coastal communities of La Jolla to the tranquil inland communities of Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo. The 43 hotel properties within the region range from luxury boutiques such as the Grande Colonial Hotel and La Valencia Hotel and to lavish estate resorts such as The Grand Del Mar, and from upscale golf properties such as the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines and Rancho Bernardo Inn to popular extended stays such as the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Rancho Bernardo.
For more information on the meeting and event offerings in San Diego’s North County, visit the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau's Web site at www.sandiego.org/NorthCounty or call (619) 232-3101.
PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
Joe Timko, 619-557-2812
Candice Eley, 619-557-28389
Stephenie Medina, 619-557-2838
