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2021 Oregon Wine Symposium | PR & Communications Strategies Including Crisis Communications

| Education, Media Relations, Oregon Wine Symposium | 0 comments

PR & Communications Strategies Including Crisis Communications

Oregon experienced fires and smoke impactsin our vineyards in 2020 more than ever before, yet Napa Valley’s impact was far greater. This seminar will explore vivid examples of crisis management with Linsey Gallagher, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley and a former staffer on NBC’s Today Show, as she dealt with a storm of media inquiries, wrote messaging required in the crisis, and advised winemakers and growers in real time of crisis and pandemic. She’ll also take attendees through working with partner organizations and lessons learned as both California and Oregon prepare for battle in the heat season of 2021, still amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

View the Session Recording

Speaker Bios

Sally spent the first half of her 26-year PR career managing media relations for iconic sports brands adidas, Taylor Made Golf, DC Shoes, Quiksilver and Nike. She then dove into craft beer and wine PR for Widmer Brothers, Kona Brewing, Coronado Brewing and now the Oregon Wine Board. Working with journalists, TV producers and bloggers, Sally helped pique global interest in Northwest brands that posess a treasure trove of diverse stories. Sally graduated with a B.A. from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications, and has attained her WSET II. A fourth generation Portlander, Sally is mom to a 13 year old who refers to Oregon Wine Country as her “happy place.”
Linsey Gallagher is the president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley, the official destination management organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission to promote, protect and enhance the region’s position as an attractive travel destination while also enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to visit, live and work. Linsey joined Visit Napa Valley in 2019 after serving 10 years as vice president, international marketing for the California Wine Institute. She was named one of the top “North Bay Women in Business” by the North Bay Business Journal in 2020.

Linsey earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Her interests include travel, tennis and reading, and she speaks fluent Spanish. She lives in Napa, California with her husband and two young children.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Napa Valley welcomed 3.85 million visitors who spent $2.23 billion and provided $85.1 million in tax relief to residents.

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