Tourism Development Commission - October 20, 2026

The Scottsdale Tourism and Development Commission meeting on October 20, 2026, reviewed a draft Tourism and Events Strategic Plan presented by Alex Keen of Keen Independent Research. The commission voted to forward the plan to the City Council for consideration; it was not presented as final adoption. The plan recommends clearer performance measures for tourism investments, including setting outcomes before event funding is awarded and comparing results across funded events. It also calls for assessing the full city costs of events—including police, fire, and staff resources—and reviewing options for event subsidies, cost recovery, sponsorship, and related ordinance changes. Other initiatives include continued investment in WestWorld and feasibility studies of convention and performing arts facilities; no specific capital budget or contract award was approved for those items at this meeting.

Staff presented 10 event-funding recommendations for City Council consideration: four requests through the event venue fee program, totaling $39,025, and six community-event requests, for a combined recommendation of $80,025. The commission voted to forward the $80,025 recommendation, with members voting in favor. Staff also noted that only one funded event had submitted a post-event report so far. No vendor selection or contract award was identified.