Donn Oswald has more than 35 years’ experience in events, tourism, and hospitality. Prior to joining Visit Phoenix in 2004, he opened and managed properties in Utah, Wyoming, and Texas, and represented Visit Salt Lake through the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, as director of citywide sales operations for Visit Phoenix, Oswald plays an integral role in bringing events to the metro Phoenix area, fostering relationships with area hotels, venues, and other industry partners.
Phoenix has hosted Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star games, three National Football League (NFL) Super Bowls, and two Men’s National Collegiate Association of America (NCAA) Final Four championships—most recently drawing nearly 75,000 spectators for the 2024 championship in April.
In addition to high-profile sports events, Phoenix hosts approximately 50 citywide conventions annually. Earlier this year, Phoenix hosted the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) conference, held at Phoenix Convention Center.
Here, Oswalt shares how the Visit Phoenix team leverages local resources and offers custom solutions to produce successful events.
What are the most important factors to consider in determining if a destination and event are a good fit?
Planners have to ask themselves, “What are the strategic goals of the conference? Does the destination have not only the physical facilities but also the resources and intellectual capital available to support these goals?”
In Phoenix, we have a variety of venues suitable for events of all sizes. Phoenix Convention Center alone offers 1 million square feet of meeting and event space. We have the capacity and resources to host large, high-profile events; however, our sweet spot is conventions with 1,500 to 2,500 attendees.
Here at Visit Phoenix, we also focus on fostering relationships with the thought leaders in our emerging industries, through collaboration with Phoenix Biotech Campus, representation from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on our board of directors, and access to essential resources provided by the City of Phoenix and Clean Energy/Sustainability.
These relationships go beyond the brick-and-mortar requirements to hold a meeting in our destination. Many of our groups look beyond the basics to see what intellectual capital they can tap into in our destination. Whether it is collaboration with the University of Arizona Medical School’s Center for Simulation for our medical groups or working with the City of Phoenix Office of Sustainability to provide panel speakers or tours of the City of Phoenix Composting Facility, we aim to nurture these relationships across various fields of expertise.
How do you work with event planners to ensure a successful event that engages attendees and encourages repeat bookings?
Our destination services team engages with clients early and helps walk them through the planning process. They work with our clients to identify pain points, past successes, and innovative new ideas unique to Phoenix. Our team takes this all the way through post-event, with client and self-evaluation event surveys to help us improve for future programs.
Generally speaking, how can a host destination correct an issue of dissatisfaction with an event to demonstrate good will and perhaps make a difference in lost business/repeat business, or even protect its reputation?
Communication and dialogue are key here. We strive to address issues head-on, with attendee satisfaction our foremost concern. In the event of an issue, it is imperative for Visit Phoenix to recognize any missed opportunities and provide the proper resources necessary to rectify the situation.
What are some of the ways you can customize meetings and events to offer a one-of-a-kind experience available only in Phoenix?
Phoenix offers a compact, safe, and clean downtown area with great indoor and outdoor venues. While we are proud of our 1 million-square-foot Phoenix Convention Center, we are often puzzled why groups look to self-contain under one roof when they can convene under the beautiful southwest desert sky and take advantage of Phoenix’s spectacular weather and incredible outdoor venues, such as the Desert Botanical Gardens or Canyon On Third.
We love to think outside the box with our prospective clients. Phoenix has state-of-the-art meeting rooms, ballrooms, and exhibit halls with all the bells and whistles. Canyon On Third, adjacent to the convention center, is unique to Phoenix and offers 80,000 of transformative and innovative outdoor space. Groups have held concerts, erected Ferris wheels, built golf courses, and even corralled 100 head of cattle at Canyon On Third. This space is an empty canvas and can provide a centerpiece to help our clients achieve their overall objectives.
What unique appeal do you feel Phoenix offered over other destinations for hosting the GCSAA conference?
With more than 300 golf courses throughout the city, Phoenix is a mecca for golf in the United States. Naturally, our golf-course resources and history as the home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open played a big role in securing the GCSAA conference.
Drawing 11,000 attendees, the GCSAA conference required a full-building buyout of the convention center—using 352,000 square feet of exhibit space for the sold-out trade show of 470 exhibitors.
Competitive cost at the Phoenix Convention Center and our compact downtown package also played a huge role. With access to hundreds of nearby golf courses, GCSSA was able to hold interactive facility tours at several Phoenix-area golf courses.
Were there any special challenges surrounding the GCSAA conference?
Phoenix had always rated high on GCSSA attendee surveys, but—even with the 1 million-square-foot Phoenix Convention Center—lacked the contiguous exhibit space needed to host the traditional model for the show. Canyon On Third’s 80,000 square feet of transformative outdoor space made it possible for Phoenix to bring everything together for GCSAA as a destination.
Canyon On Third provided a backdrop against which GCSAA could build a miniature water-sustainable golf course between it and the convention center. GCSSA also strategically placed some larger exhibits displaying tractors and bigger equipment pieces in this area. Canyon On Third also was used for building a band shell for live broadcasting and staging a street party.
What wins or learning opportunities from the GCSAA conference can you apply to future events with Visit Phoenix?
The success of utilizing Canyon On Third as nontraditional space was a huge takeaway from this event. In addition to the specific event purposes mentioned already, Canyon On Third served as a central networking hub. Having it as a tandem venue was key to the success of the GCSAA event.
How have your experience and success in hosting professional and collegiate championships helped to secure repeat events and to attract new events?
Hosting professional and collegiate championships have redirected the “mega event” spotlight toward Phoenix. These events validate our destination as having all the right accruements to host major events and meetings. We suspect our clients have the sentiment that if Phoenix can pull off a major sporting event with 80,000 attendees, multiple event venues, needed airlift and service resources, then we are efficient in handling a 3,000-person convention or meeting.
What upcoming 2024-2025 events are you excited to host in Phoenix?
Some future events we are most excited about include the American Academy of Family Physicians FMX in September and the American Clean Power Association Annual Conference in May 2025, both of which are expected to draw 10,000 attendees; and SemiCon West in October 2025, expected to draw 6,500 attendees. Also, we are already preparing for the Women’s NCAA Final Four in 2026.
