Tourism marketing agency Gate 7 has successfully retained the Visit California account in Australia and New Zealand, and has made a number of staff appointments to cater to the agency’s expansion and evolution of service offerings.
The renewed contract with Visit California will see the agency deliver an integrated marketing program to keep the destination top of mind for Australian and New Zealander travellers.
Jo Palmer, managing director at Gate 7, said: “Gate 7 has enjoyed an 11-year working relationship with Visit California and has seen visitation to the state grow extensively in that time.
“Our goal is to leverage California’s strong awareness in the market to drive conversion for both new and repeat travellers, encouraging Australians and Kiwis to dream big in California again and again.
“We’re excited to roll out an integrated strategy that showcases the abundance of California’s unique traveller experiences and targets both mass and niche audiences alike.”
A number of staff appointments have also been announced tailored to the agency’s new service offerings including social media management and advertising, consumer partnerships, and content development.
This includes three newly-created roles, with Tristan Freedman appointed to the new role of general manager, following a 10-year tenure at the agency in a number of senior roles.
Lisa Dunn, previously director of operations, has taken on the new role of director of events to cater to the increasing demand for destination specific events and in-market visits.
Sophie Taylor returns from maternity leave into a promotion as the director of public relations and content, also a newly created role.
Gate 7’s Visit California team has had a refresh, with Rob Dempsey, formerly the agency’s director of marketing and communications, named account director.
Sarah Runnacles and Max Higgins have been welcomed to the team as senior PR and content manager, and social media coordinator respectively.
Melanie Bednall, travel trade manager, will continue to drive trade marketing efforts for Visit California.
