[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6195321,"mediaKeyId","3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf","parentId",3862606,"title","Old Town visits rise while sales tax dipped slightly in 2024, city staff reports","audioSeconds",800,"startMs",2329000,"endMs",3129000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf&start=2329&end=3129","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf/thumbnail_2329000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6195321/Scottsdale/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Old-Town-visits-rise-while-sales-tax-dipped-slightly-in-2024-city-staff-reports","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195321-341899f06cde2e737f495547ffde57b7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201116&Signature=SSZjwiaY86IWNZran5pxplAT~pHn5OjHkrq5rPvFZ7ODtw8TxPktW2Y2JwO2mJAgA-PBiKYv0z3JYKKMN9NW0RmRQkBqNrz6bgvjeO~bsyBFPLxNhXCriQvJDxNaa1bH4wX7ZPOZe3qgmT~cIb9gfSWaN87fNg0GflNZ9YSxiLm4wC9F9P2-~OI-D73QziWV4eHE2cLfTUVTafgLRO5km2EnmmMMUuEZ1KqVcLThUSRNLJi08MMoTTgwdIt3-jSWDxjpCjXIg3K0QAL~wpt51HRS3OsHd-dc57jBizSBLOr93N1L9KNuBSOjgYyinhZBe-4n-7TCo1G1uQWJS4AdsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Scottsdale, AZ","date","2025-06-19T04:12:58.777Z","article","City staff presented completed 2024 data and preliminary 2025 foot‑traffic figures for Old Town Scottsdale, reporting continued growth in visits since 2018 while noting a small decline in inflation‑adjusted sales tax receipts for 2024 compared with 2023.

Will Brooks, management associate to the city manager, told the commission the analysis uses two principal data sources: mobile‑device‑based visit data from Placer and sales tax receipts from the Arizona Department of Revenue. Brooks clarified that the report counts “visits” as a single visit to a location within a 24‑hour period and not unique visitors, and that Placer updated its visitor‑home calculations and the city updated district boundaries for this analysis.

Brooks said Old Town visits rose about 5% over the six years from 2018 through 2024 and that visits for many months in 2024 exceeded 2023 levels. By contrast, inflation‑adjusted sales tax revenue for Old Town was slightly lower in 2024 than in 2023 (a decrease Brooks quantified as roughly 2–2.5%), a divergence he attributed in part to inflation and to the limits of aggregated data. He reported that the city’s analysis shows that, averaged across districts, each additional visit correlates with roughly $1.38 in sales tax revenue for the city.

Looking at early 2025 data, Brooks said first‑quarter 2025 visits were about 400,000 above the same period in 2024 and that year‑to‑date visits through May 2025 were roughly 5–6% higher than the comparable period in 2024. Placer breakdowns for Jan–May 2025 showed out‑of‑market visits up 1.6%, employee visits up 1.7% and resident visits up 4.3% compared with the same interval in 2024.

Brooks answered commissioner questions about whether free public events could explain the gap between rising visits and lower tax receipts; he said the aggregated dataset cannot attribute spending at a per‑event level and recommended a deeper district‑level analysis to link specific events to sales tax performance. Commissioners were satisfied with the presentation and asked staff whether the commission wanted additional analytical items; staff said they would accept direction from the commission for further analysis and continue to report quarterly updates.

Separately, staff reported bed‑tax collections through April of about $32.2 million—roughly 93% of estimated annual collections of $34.6 million—and industry reporting through April that showed modest declines in occupancy and average daily rate in the local market, items staff said would be included in future quarterly reports.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tourism Development Commission - June 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented a Placer and Arizona Department of Revenue analysis showing steady growth in Old Town Scottsdale visits since 2018, a near‑term divergence in 2024 with visits up and sales tax down slightly, and preliminary 2025 foot‑traffic increases through May.","taxTitle","Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2563,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195326,"Commission recommends $75,000 for Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championship expansion at WestWorld",744,1587000,2331000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf&start=1587&end=2331","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf/thumbnail_1587000.jpg","/articles/6195326/Scottsdale/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Commission-recommends-75000-for-Bentley-Scottsdale-Polo-Championship-expansion-at-WestWorld","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195326-d2fb002c05432d557191caee0123603e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201116&Signature=dwtm81zBtwZizLIWIi6eflzWRa-~NzP9spKy9B4mHrwJXzU-gxLS6HNZJe4W7SXiakSWHBBbyWQ21~IlyPkTb~LvRni6L821E457BUV6ReRPMN9bafCmBd19ZxtSAM54if0-pWp6WmWzuuRZNyp9~yCIERjxCyfkU24IBi3O81cDKusnEI6fVnBANBH9DQ~XT3FgaVh9NJTE~EI9r679xnK3UIxT9ky0RhawSRllqRSiejnfEly8X1RGfQcUPEu656PlW5q7JVyKrjAsZyskqrcBRRO1jNEHmfr536AhJBB9Kyvvx6-9D-enUg2mGNvwqkMn4aSlr4hsWq1LpDk~Iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tourism Development Commission recommended up to $75,000 in bed‑tax funding for the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championship at WestWorld, a multi‑day event that organizers say will expand this year to include an art and wine festival and a veterans match.

Jason Rose, owner and producer of the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championship, told commissioners the event has grown from a one‑day format into a four‑day program and expects about 25,000 attendees depending on weather. Rose said organizers moved the event back two weeks to November to reduce heat concerns and are adding Sunday programming anchored by a “battle of the sexes” match plus a gospel brunch and the WestWorld Art and Wine experience produced by Vermillion Productions. He said organizers contracted a Scottsdale golf course for the Final Four VIP golf tournament and have partnered with the Arizona Polo Club; national and international teams, including England’s Royal Berkshire County team, are scheduled to take part.

Rose said the event has captured an estimated $13 million in earned media since its inception and that roughly 15–19% of attendees historically come from out of state. He announced an Army versus Navy match for Saturday and said veterans would receive free admission on Sunday through a partnership with Vet Tix. He told commissioners the $75,000 request is primarily to augment marketing and to cover additional operational costs for the new second day—items such as WestWorld rentals, security and off‑duty police.

Commissioners asked about the expected draw from out‑of‑state visitors; Rose said Sunday programming is intended to extend visits but could not provide a precise incremental out‑of‑state estimate. A motion to recommend $75,000 in bed‑tax support was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action.","The commission recommended up to $75,000 in bed‑tax funding to support an expanded Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championship at WestWorld that adds a second day, an art and wine component and a veterans match; funds will cover marketing and additional operating costs, the presenter said.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195330,"Scottsdale commission recommends $225,000 in bed‑tax funding for 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four",809,742000,1551000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf&start=742&end=1551","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf/thumbnail_742000.jpg","/articles/6195330/Scottsdale/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Scottsdale-commission-recommends-225000-in-bedtax-funding-for-2026-NCAA-Womens-Final-Four","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195330-0bc118722ebebf5ae7f391683d041015/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201116&Signature=WHCabJgJDMLGBOFn~R9uP5btxbfUcwa4qtiOvIeiaA9Kt9RAY8SfOhBZiCkOpcN8GZucCYsq9mZ-1o4RtyncqA2wwS1VaLRf7NDmOB~Ehm2cJySWKV34LMre26Z0OSi4i4w65yxPuuBmYm9Vxd5HuhGW~5e2GDs1QGt2m93zlSWONKT68TscfzfLB5JHJVNkZH88kIlmubRIpi9oBIamo7nNoZe3sK38p9c9yzyzAZv2y3akaQXIPzsQ3NjNdwll-S1U31HsAHcMhqZz2aEUjVjheKxFTJZotL07-jdiKJcNGuBjc81c2TPp72p0toVRdSzHFff4hpAOuAIQKiLsDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Scottsdale Tourism Development Commission voted to recommend up to $225,000 in bed‑tax funding to support the Arizona local organizing committee’s hosting of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Kyle Hedstrom, a representative of the Arizona Major Events Host Committee, briefed commissioners on partnership elements now underway in Scottsdale. Hedstrom said Scottsdale has been assigned 2,000 blocked room nights, has sponsors booked within the city, and is working to place additional groups and team hotels in Scottsdale. He described several partnership elements including a CEO forum under contract with a Scottsdale hotel, volunteer outreach using the committee’s volunteer database, a scoreboard‑trophy tour stop to be held in Scottsdale, school outreach programs for third graders and a series of hospitality events tied to game week.

A city staff member present at the meeting told commissioners that the city’s economic analysis (prepared by Applied Economics and summarized in the meeting memo) supports the ask and that the city expects to receive “fair substantial” value if contract deliverables are met. Staff also explained that the funding is conditioned on key performance indicators: if contracted deliverables are not met, funding reductions will be applied according to the contract terms.

Commissioners asked Hedstrom clarifying questions: he said the familiarization (FAM) trip for NCAA sponsors is expected to bring roughly 60 sponsor representatives plus ESPN in September, and that committee outings typically include about 40–50 vendors and NCAA staff. Hedstrom said volunteer outreach and small‑business inclusion programs are already active and that some Scottsdale businesses have been invited to participate in a planned FAM trip.

A motion to fund $225,000 was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval. The funding is to support the host committee’s partnership activities between 2024 and 2026 and is structured to require deliverables and reporting. No specific vote tally with member names was recorded in the meeting minutes provided; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote.","The commission voted to recommend a $225,000 bed‑tax expenditure to support the Arizona 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four; funding is structured against deliverables and a 2,000‑room‑night target was cited as part of the package.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6195335,"Experience Scottsdale reports Q3 gains tied to new international flights and campaigns",475,251000,726000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf&start=251&end=726","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3862606-e30d7d1f4bcd81f07dc7e9332c726bbf/thumbnail_251000.jpg","/articles/6195335/Scottsdale/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Experience-Scottsdale-reports-Q3-gains-tied-to-new-international-flights-and-campaigns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6195335-cfa0b323c56099644ac33040d10248ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201116&Signature=ogwF1AtLknBq2bVfgwwceSn8xgtWF1Sfsw6QqkmywvRfpOFG7vDFaruVTPmrhdfLEx5zlyZvmM4zm4eANwD2qGBZcSmzP8GTs~y2WlJp1c3dmlmyNNF--nFbAQqGOqegsKoNAXlSviN95HIg~sYp4FH9x16aNqgzYvx0E6omtgnipPoxxwLJ3KXtbM6dzIu9-I2t68bedLKe~Ex9mrTaGiBWsgTKVHQmerC8r2SBtFtDDkI~omSdqVFMwTgerpXmfOAITC6N-7Kz0Y5Q~AXgmjut~8S-hfvjYu7peGTwqIoyIRPhO4Ym58t7D3zgUbgU6WKM1kJdMvx1a3svPlzoyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Experience Scottsdale presented third‑quarter performance highlights to the Scottsdale Tourism Development Commission, emphasizing international market outreach and convention sales growth.

The presentation by Rachel Pearson, vice president of community and government affairs for Experience Scottsdale, said the DMO strengthened marketing in France after a new Air France route between Paris and Phoenix launched. She said Air France has increased that service to five flights per week and is using larger aircraft. Pearson told commissioners Experience Scottsdale ran a direct‑to‑consumer campaign in France in partnership with Expedia that generated more than 5.7 million digital impressions and placed advertorials in several French publications. The organization also partnered with the Arizona Office of Tourism on an in‑flight travel guide that featured Scottsdale.

Pearson said Experience Scottsdale is tracking a direct‑to‑Asia opportunity: a new flight between Taipei and Phoenix is planned to begin in February pending government approvals. She also described a delayed but ongoing Canadian outreach campaign that included hosting four Canadian journalists for a familiarization trip; one resulting feature recently appeared in a Canadian publication. On domestic marketing, she said a signature summer events campaign produced more than 288,000 page views on the destination website and generated about 9.2 million impressions overall.

Pearson highlighted convention sales results through the third quarter: she said the convention sales team was at 138% of its goal, had secured roughly 26% more meetings than at the same point last year and had generated about 78,000 incremental room nights—an increase she described as roughly 50% over the prior year. She told the commission full‑year results would be reported after fourth‑quarter data are compiled.

The commission did not take action on the presentation; commissioners asked no substantive follow‑ups. Chairperson Meiner thanked Pearson for the update and commissioners received the third‑quarter report as an informational item.

Pearson and Experience Scottsdale staff provided the performance figures and campaign descriptions in the meeting packet and presentation; the commission noted that the written report covers only through Q3 and that final year‑end measures would be available after Q4.","Experience Scottsdale told the Tourism Development Commission that third‑quarter marketing and convention sales work produced large digital impressions, increased international air service, and strong convention booking through Q3; staff said full fourth‑quarter results would determine year‑end performance targets.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Old Town visits rise while sales tax dipped slightly in 2024, city staff reports

Commission recommends $75,000 for Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championship expansion at WestWorld

Scottsdale commission recommends $225,000 in bed‑tax funding for 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four

Experience Scottsdale reports Q3 gains tied to new international flights and campaigns