By Rachel Sacco | Experience Scottsdale
Scottsdale is known around the globe as a luxury resort destination, but our success as a tourism destination would not be possible without meetings, conferences and events.
Traditionally, nearly half of all occupancy and revenue at Scottsdale resorts and upper-moderate hotels comes from such group business. Companies and corporations hire meeting planners to select the site of their next big conference or event, and Experience Scottsdale, the city’s destination marketing organization, has a dedicated team responsible for introducing Scottsdale to such planners and event organizers. Each year, our efforts fill hundreds of thousands of incremental room nights in Scottsdale-area hotels and resorts, amounting to a record-breaking 238,000+ room nights last fiscal year.
All those people traveling to Scottsdale, whether for a sports tournament, board retreat or conference, are not only generating revenue for Scottsdale’s hotels and resorts but also spending their dollars at area restaurants, attractions and shopping centers. That’s why Experience Scottsdale’s bookings from the past fiscal year will generate nearly $140 million in future economic impact for the community.
Such business makes Scottsdale a year-round destination, with groups meeting during need periods for the local tourism industry. Experience Scottsdale strategically targets groups that meet in competitive destinations, encouraging them to consider Scottsdale during the summer months and around holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Programs like our “Summer Meetings, Summer Savings” rebate program have proven valuable in supporting hospitality businesses and their workers throughout the low season, capturing nearly 32,000 room nights from group business in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
We strive to uncover new business opportunities, while maintaining our longstanding relationships with clients who bring programs back to the destination year after year. We keep the destination top of mind through client outreach, sales calls, advertising and industry trade shows. To give qualified clients a firsthand experience of the destination and generate valuable meetings business, Experience Scottsdale also brings meeting planners to the destination to experience firsthand Scottsdale’s hotels, resorts and vendors, as well as off-site venues and activities.
Research and industry insights are the very foundation of our strategies. Experience Scottsdale convenes focus groups that allow us to gather valuable feedback about the destination directly from highly qualified planners, and our Customer Advisory Board of nearly 20 meetings professionals representing high-value market segments also provides invaluable insight into our destination’s strengths, weaknesses and competition.
Our sales team’s expertise, strategy and attention to detail don’t go unnoticed by our clients. As one of our Customer Advisory Board members, Stacy Weber, shared, “Experience Scottsdale is my first stop, because they know the destination better than anybody. They live it. They breathe it. They work
it. They own it.” In recent years, our team has earned recognition from publications like Meetings Today, Corporate & Incentive Travel and Association Conventions & Facilities, as well as industry leaders like HPN Global and HelmsBriscoe.
By landing meetings business in our destination, Experience Scottsdale’s efforts not only support our hospitality businesses but also help advance the city’s economic development goals. We target industries that compose Scottsdale’s economic base, including healthcare, financial, insurance, high tech and retail, helping the destination gain exposure with C-level executives and potential business owners. And according to research from Longwoods International, 36% of people who have visited Scottsdale are more likely to view Scottsdale as a good place to start a business. When coupled with Experience Scottsdale’s advertising — that percentage jumps to 74%.
Meetings mean business for our community, but they also allow attendees to make meaningful connections and experience the very best our destination has to offer. If you are planning a local holiday party, wedding, family reunion, fundraising event or retreat, Experience Scottsdale offers free planning services to help you find the perfect venues, caterers, entertainers and florists.
Visit ExperienceScottsdale.com/Meetings/Plan-in-Scottsdale to reach out to our team.
Editor’s Note: Rachel Sacco is the president and CEO of Experience Scottsdale.
