Partnership Engagement

The VGPS Partnership & Community Engagement team attended over 40 community events throughout the Coachella Valley in January and February including fundraisers, ribbon cuttings, community meetings, and mixers.

Partner Benefits

Fifty-eight new business listings were added to visitgreaterpalmsprings.com, including Project Burger, Noble Yeast, The Wrap Shack, The Sound Bath Oasis, Locale Concierge, Fit City Adventures, Phantoms of Palm Springs Ghost Tour, and more!

Partner listings received 142,503 views and 83,070 website clicks in January and February 2026. Top-viewed listings included vacation rentals, hot springs spa hotels, attractions, museums, hiking, tours, and resort hotels.

Ten new partners started advertising on visitgreaterpalmsprings.com through DTN with either preferred listing placements or other advertising placements.

“In The Loop,” our partner newsletter, went out 4 times with an average 40% open rate.

Our January partner event was successfully hosted at Jackalope Ranch on January 30. Guests enjoyed an evening of delicious bites, sips, and line dancing while networking and connecting with fellow partners. The venue, known as an exceptional large-scale event hosting location, provided a vibrant and memorable backdrop for the gathering in Indio.

Our February partner event was successfully hosted at The Packhouse at Aziz Farms on February 24. Guests enjoyed an elevated evening of connection set against sweeping desert skies, date palms, and thoughtfully tended fields. Exceptional bites and sips were provided by Noble Yeast Wood-Fired Pizza, La Casa Verde, Joshua Tree Brewing Company, Charmed Spirits, and the Desert Snack Cart, while live music on the mobile stage by Big Rock Stages set the tone for a relaxed and intentional evening. The farm setting offered a memorable backdrop for networking, meaningful conversation, and genuine connections with local professionals.

Advocacy

We’ve shared the 2026 updated legislative platform with all state representatives’ offices covering our region, as well as with most city, county, and regional partners. Davis traveled to Sacramento in February to meet directly with legislators to discuss priorities and advocate for the region.

At this time, we are supporting bills that align with our platform and monitoring others that impact our tourism and economic development objectives.

SUPPORT:

• AB 1855 (Gonzalez), CEQA Exemption for Passenger Rail - Expands existing CEQA exemptions for passenger rail projects by removing zero-emission requirements and easing right-of-way restrictions, a change supported by regional partners including RCTC to help accelerate CV Rail.
• SB 690 (Caballero), CIPA Reform - This bill would limit predatory “shakedown” CIPA lawsuits against businesses using common website tools like analytics or chat. The bill protects organizations from repeated lawsuits and excessive damages, even if their sites comply with the CCPA. SB 690 is backed by a broad coalition, including the California Chamber of Commerce, California Farm Bureau, and California Restaurant Association.

One Coachella Valley

The “One Coachella Valley: Short-Term Rentals, Long-Term Benefits” campaign continues to run across regional media channels, maintaining visibility and reinforcing the positive economic and community impacts of vacation rentals throughout the Coachella Valley.

In February, the team participated in the La Quinta Car Show, hosting a booth to connect with local residents and visitors. Staff distributed One Coachella Valley resource materials and branded tote bags while sharing information about the campaign and how short-term rentals contribute to the region’s economy and community vitality.

To support the next iteration of campaign storytelling, we also launched a resident survey aimed at identifying local homeowners who first discovered the Coachella Valley while staying in a vacation rental. These firsthand stories will help illustrate how vacation rentals often serve as a gateway to long-term residency, investment, and community involvement in the region.

Additionally, updates on the One Coachella Valley campaign and the role of short-term rentals in the local tourism economy were shared as part of Visit Greater Palm Springs’ annual presentations to all nine Coachella Valley city councils. During these meetings, we also highlighted findings from the most recent resident sentiment survey, which showed strong and growing positive sentiment toward short-term rentals among Coachella Valley residents.

Restaurant Week & Spa Month

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week is back May 29 – June 7, 2026. Registration is open now at dinegps.com/register. Participating restaurants and menus can be found at dinegps.com.

Foundation: Workforce Development & Youth Engagement

We continue to deepen our commitment to building a robust workforce pipeline across the Coachella Valley. In partnership with OneFuture Coachella Valley, we convened the Business Engagement Committee at our office on January 14, bringing together educators and industry leaders to strengthen regional collaboration. We also participated in the Regional Plan Oversight Committee, joined by superintendents from school districts across the region through OneFuture Coachella Valley on February 19.

We are also proud to serve on a working group established by the California State Department of Education to provide feedback on updating the Career Technical Education (CTE) standards for the Hospitality and Tourism pathways, a process that will shape curriculum and career preparation for students statewide. Our team has participated in three working group meetings to date, offering the destination's perspective on industry needs and emerging workforce trends. We also sponsored and uplifted the CTE Regional Advisory Meeting, hosted by all three school districts at the JW Marriott on February 27, which brought together students, educators, and industry professionals to provide feedback on existing CTE programs, ensuring that curriculum continues to reflect the real needs of the industry sectors.

On the apprenticeship front, VGPS continues to explore pathways for both apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs through ongoing conversations & meetings with Riverside County Office of Education, the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, and Workforce SBCSS (IE Connect).

In the classroom, we had the opportunity to present to College of the Desert Hospitality students and to a visiting delegation of Kansai University students from Japan, sharing insights into tourism in the Coachella Valley and the career pathways available in our industry on February 20. Most recently, on March 6, we delivered an Ambassador Training class to PSUSD students from Mt. San Jacinto High School enrolled in their hospitality program, a hands-on experience introducing them to the skills and professionalism central to careers in travel and tourism.

On March 9, Visit Greater Palm Springs and the Tourism Foundation were honored with the Terry & Jackie Green Visionary Award by One Future Coachella Valley, a recognition that reflects the collective commitment of our organization and our partners to the next generation of regional leaders. The award acknowledges the tangible impact of our youth engagement initiatives; from the scholarships we provide to signature programs such as Student Hospitality Day and Passport to Leadership. These programs create meaningful career pathways for local students and position the greater Palm Springs region as a place where young talent can thrive.

The highlight of the evening was a heartfelt address from Emily Alvarez-Zurita, a Sales Coordinator on the VGPS team who is currently pursuing her master's degree in hospitality management at the University of Southern California. Emily spoke beautifully about her journey as a local student and foundation scholar, underscoring the profound value of mentorship and the importance of investing in homegrown talent. Her story is a powerful testament to what is possible when organizations commit to creating opportunities close to home.

We showed strong momentum on CV Giving Day, raising $6,950 in confirmed donations and earning a #3 ranking out of 173 participating organizations in donor participation. On CV Giving Day, we hosted a Rally Hour at Wildest Restaurant where supporters heard directly from foundation scholar Melissa Bernal, who spoke about her journey and the impact the scholarship has had on her future. Her story was a powerful reminder of why this work matters and why our community continues to show up in such meaningful ways.

Accessibility

We are pleased to celebrate the addition of three new Certified Autism Centers (CAC): Destination PSP, the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, and Friends of the Desert Mountains have each earned this designation, reflecting a growing commitment across our destination to creating welcoming experiences for guests with autism and their families. We are especially proud to share that Friends of the Desert Mountains received a grant from our Tourism Foundation to help subsidize the cost of their certification, a direct example of the Foundation’s role in advancing inclusivity across the Coachella Valley.

Sustainability

On January 20, Lauren Bruggemans delivered a presentation at the PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Philadelphia titled “The 4 Cs of Sustainability: A Model for Sustainable Destinations, Meetings and Events,” positioning Greater Palm Springs as a thought leader in sustainable destination and meetings management.

Closer to home, the partnership team has been meeting directly with city partners across the region to learn about their individual sustainability efforts and identify opportunities to support and amplify them through our destination platform. Over the course of January, we held dedicated meetings with the cities of Rancho Mirage (January 7), La Quinta (January 8), Indio (January 8), Palm Desert (January 20), and Indian Wells (January 22), and we are currently coordinating meetings with the next 4 cities. The meeting with the City of Indio resulted in a planned presentation on March 23 to their Sustainability Commission.

These conversations are helping to build a cohesive, valley-wide sustainability narrative that reflects the commitments being made at the municipal level and ensures that VGPS can serve as a meaningful partner in advancing those goals.

GPS Destination Ambassadors Network

The ambassador program had an active few months, blending education with immersive destination experiences. We hosted two in-person training classes at the VGPS office on January 22 and February 18 and complemented that programming with a series of experiential activations.

On January 31, ambassadors joined a Full Moon Hike with Friends of the Desert Mountains along the Jackrabbit/Bighorn Overlook Trail in Rancho Mirage, a beautiful way to connect participants with the natural landscape they represent.

On February 20, 22 ambassadors took part in a Modernism Week Bus Tour, experiencing firsthand one of the destination's most celebrated annual events. We also hosted a Huddle Webinar with the City of Cathedral City, shining a spotlight on Cathedral City LGBT Days and the inclusive spirit that makes Greater Palm Springs such a unique destination. These activations reflect a program that is as much about inspiring Ambassadors as it is about informing them.