SEEN Saturday Series
Sports ETA is the essential resource for sports commissions, sports destinations, industry partners and more.
Since being established in 1992, our promise has been to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event management and marketing know-how to our members - destinations, right holders, and industry partners - and to protect the integrity of the sports events and tourism industry.
As the non-profit 501(c)3 trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in the United States, Sports ETA is the most essential resource for sports commissions, sports destinations, sports event owners, and industry partners. We believe sports tourism and the events that our members own and host have the power to transform society for the better. Our passion is to help sports events and tourism professionals achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance. We do this by nurturing a diverse and inclusive community of smart, creative, and interesting people: our members.
SEEN Saturday Series
Tempe’s Playbook for Modernizing a Sports Destination
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, we sit down with the team from Tempe to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to evolve a national sports tourism powerhouse. While Tempe has long been a staple in the regional and national landscape, staying at the top requires more than just resting on your laurels—it requires a bold approach to rebranding and urban revitalization.
We dive deep into the strategic "why" behind their recent rebrand and the high-stakes Mill Avenue Refresh. This isn't just a success story; it’s a masterclass in change management. We explore:
- Solving the Brand Puzzle: The specific challenges that prompted a fresh look at Tempe’s identity and how data-driven research influenced their new direction.
- The Mill Ave Balancing Act: How to modernize an iconic district while honoring its legacy, and exactly who needs to be at the table to make a refresh successful.
- The Rights Holder’s Edge: A candid look at what makes Tempe perform on paper versus in practice, including the operational advantages that make life easier for event organizers.
- Hard-Won Lessons: What the Tempe team would do differently if they started today, and the one metric that mattered far more than they anticipated.
Whether you’re a destination looking to refresh your own brand or a rights holder searching for a host that understands the friction points of event execution, this conversation offers a blueprint for navigating change in the sports tourism industry.