If the post-holiday blues are getting you down, Experience Scottsdale recommends taking advantage of the can’t-miss events happening in your own backyard this winter and spring.
Over the next few months, Scottsdale’s calendar will be chockful of signature events that hundreds of thousands of visitors will travel from near and far to experience. People will travel across the U.S. – even across the globe – to attend the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, the WM Phoenix Open, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, and Cactus League Spring Training. While they’re here, they’ll enjoy additional happenings like Western Week, the Arizona Indian Festival, Scottsdale ArtWalk, and more.
With its Scottsdale Signature Events campaign, Experience Scottsdale, the destination marketing organization responsible for promoting Scottsdale tourism, is targeting 23 cities across the U.S. with messaging about all there is to see and do in Scottsdale starting in January through March. The campaign kicked off December 30 and will continue through March 10, reaching potential visitors in Los Angeles, Denver, New York City, Chicago, Seattle and beyond.
This year, Experience Scottsdale is extending the campaign’s reach further through a partnership with theSkimm, the widely read newsletter sent to 6.6 million subscribers, and via host-read advertising on the popular podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”
January through March is Scottsdale’s peak tourism season. While the streets will be busier and restaurant reservations harder to come by, all those visitors are crucial to Scottsdale’s economy and quality of life. Scottsdale’s 11.2 million annual visitors inject $3.5 billion into the community and generate $74 million in privilege tax revenue that supports important public services and tourism-related events and projects.
In fact, visitor-paid bed-tax dollars made many of these events possible. Since 2010, bed-tax collections have been used to support and grow events like Barrett-Jackson and Western Week. They’ve also been used to fund and renovate venues like TPC Scottsdale, WestWorld and Scottsdale Stadium.
All those cars on the road aren’t just visitors heading to events like the Phoenix Open – locals are hitting the road, too. A recent study commissioned by the City of Scottsdale found that Scottsdale’s venues and events like the Open are enjoyed by locals at equal or greater levels than visitors.
Though there is a balance among the use of city venues, visitors are spending their dollars at other hospitality businesses before and after events, generating revenue for industries and those tax dollars for the community.
Don’t miss your chance to join locals and visitors at Scottsdale’s signature events over the coming months. Discover all the excitement happening at ExperienceScottsdale.com. There, you’ll find all the details for the events, along with restaurant listings and an insider’s guide to spring training with tips on what to bring to the game and how to meet the players.
