#9 Phoenix
▶ RÉSUMÉ: Annual events include the PGA Tour WM Phoenix Open (continuously since 1944); college football’s Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (since 1971) and NCAA Guaranteed Rate Bowl (2000); NASCAR Cup Series Championship (1988) and Shriners Children’s 500 (2005); USA Archery AAE Arizona Cup (1989); PGA Tour Champions Charles Schwab Cup Championship (2012-24, except 2013); and ATP Arizona Tennis Classic (2019). Other recent events: 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four; NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships (2018 and 2021); 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup; NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships (2021-23); 2023 NFL owners meeting; Super Bowl LVII; 2023
USA Fencing Championships; and 2024 NCAA Convention.
▶ RECENT WINS: This month’s LPGA Arizona Championship presented by JTBC; next month’s NCAA Men’s Final Four; 2024 National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition; 2024 WNBA All-Star Game; 2024 Copa América; 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final
Four; and 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships; and 2027 NBA All-Star Game.
Phoenix features 14 professional sports venues within an hour’s drive, a higher concentration than any city in the world. The Footprint Center recently received a $230 million transformation, boosting its ability to host events. Additionally, the Phoenix Convention Center gained international exposure as host of the 2023 Super Bowl LVII Experience and Media Center. The venue, which hosted last year’s USA Fencing Championships, an event that generates nearly 13,000 room nights over a two-week period, is 4 miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. More than 3,000 hotel rooms are within walking distance of the site and more than 6,000 hotel rooms are along the Metro Light Rail System.
▶ FORWARD PROGRESS: The 164room Moxy and the 141-room luxury The Global Ambassador opened downtown a few months ago, and the Valley’s total hotel room count could increase by 20% in the next few years. Additionally, there are Metro Light Rail stops near all the downtown venues and January’s opening of the 1.6-mile extension expands the system to 30 miles.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: With more than 325 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of 72 degrees, the weather is almost always permitting. The area has nearly 200 golf courses, including five 18-hole championship courses and three nine-hole courses owned and operated by the city.