A Journey of Growth and Success
By Andrea Hampe
In 2003, Frisco was experiencing the early stages of what would become a period of significant growth and development. At that time, it was a rapidly growing suburban community that still retained much of its small-town charm and had a primarily residential character. Dr Pepper Ballpark (now Riders Field), home to the Frisco RoughRiders minor league baseball team, opened in 2003, indicating the city’s interest in sports and entertainment. While Frisco had a growing economy, it was not yet the bustling economic hub it would later become.
Frisco has always had a strong sense of community, even as it grew. In 2003, community events, local organizations, and initiatives likely played a role in fostering this sense of belonging among residents. It was on the brink of significant expansion and development, and its growth trajectory would accelerate in the following years, transforming it into the dynamic city it is today.
Growth doesn’t happen without some key players behind the scenes, and Executive Director of Visit Frisco, Marla Roe, has been there since day one. “They started the board right before I got here in 2003 as a chamber-led initiative known as the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau. Then, the City of Frisco decided they wanted it to be a city department,” Ms. Roe recalled. “The Chamber turned it over, and an advisory board was created. I applied in January and started in March. It was just me for a long time. I was the first full-time Executive Director. I was able to bring on a part-time employee for the rest of that first year. And then there were just three of us for like two years.”
As with any young enterprise, when it began as a chamber-led initiative, its initial goals were vast. “I think they realized Frisco was just starting to bloom as a tourist destination,” said Ms. Roe. “They started a hotel community, and they understood the value of having someone who’s promoting your community every day. The Chamber owned vistfrisco.com, and they were starting to create a visitor guide and I was like, ‘Wait! First, I need that website, and second, let me take over the guide.’ Visit Frisco used to be the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau and didn’t rebrand to Visit Frisco until about seven years ago. We contracted out a lot of work like the website and Public Relations (PR) until we were able to start bringing staff in.”
Over the last twenty-one years, Visit Frisco has grown in tandem with the extensive progress of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city of Frisco. The organization’s mission is to generate positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, and leisure travel and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination’s International.
How Projects Come to Fruition
Through the years, a number of notable and exciting projects, events, and venues have made their way to Frisco. While Visit Frisco is often at the epicenter of most, if not all, of them, none of them would come to fruition without the collaborative efforts of several people and groups.
When explaining that most projects are driven by their partners, Director of Sales for Visit Frisco, Christina Decker, acknowledges, “We own nothing, and we sell everything.” These projects rely heavily on collaborations with local businesses, tourism boards, and community organizations. This approach offers numerous advantages, including access to local expertise and insights into the area’s attractions and events that may not be immediately apparent to outsiders. By pooling resources with partners, Visit Frisco spreads out the costs and workload associated with marketing and promoting the destination. Moreover, working closely with local stakeholders ensures that Visit Frisco’s initiatives maintain an authentic character, reflecting the genuine experiences of the destination rather than feeling contrived.
This collective approach also fosters community engagement and ownership in tourism development, garnering support and buy-in for Visit Frisco’s initiatives. Through partnerships, Visit Frisco can reach new audiences by leveraging the networks and channels of its collaborators, thereby amplifying the visibility and impact of its marketing efforts. Overall, the partner-driven strategy enables Visit Frisco to create more holistic and compelling tourism experiences while building stronger relationships with the communities it serves.
“For example, the Dallas Cowboys were the ones that really got the ACMs (Academy of Country Music Awards) here, and then our team played a huge part from a marketing perspective, a grant perspective, and chasing hotel room blocks to make sure they were accommodated so they’d stay in Frisco,” added Ms. Roe. “A lot of projects are partner-driven. If you think about FCS [Football Championship Subdivision], it was team Frisco – Southland Conference, the chamber, the city, the EDC [Economic Development Corporation], and FC Dallas. We all came together as a group to accomplish this. It goes back to those partnerships. When things do rise up, it’s easy to make the projects happen because we are already used to working with one another.”
Ms. Decker says that from a group perspective, around 200-500 rooms is a nice size piece of business. They’ve hosted up to 12,000 attendees for a group. Their day-to-day jobs are booking meetings. When they get a request for a proposal for a meeting, either through a trade show, hotel partner, sales calls, or portal leads, a lot of them are a short turnaround (six months). Some of the leads they receive, especially for an association, book a year or two out, with an average of six to 18 months.
On the sports side, when it comes to events and partnerships, it all starts with the venue. “We think, ‘How can we support an event and create an environment that will be successful?’” Director of Sports and Events for Visit Frisco, Josh Dill, said. “So, in a lot of cases, it starts with our venue partners, whether it’s the Cowboys or the Stars or the RoughRiders or FC Dallas. Those are the major ones, but then when Frisco Badminton and Frisco Flyers Volleyball have an event that they think would be a good fit, sometimes they call us and just try to figure out how we can support them and make sure attendees have a good experience in Frisco. We also take the proactive approach where our sports team goes out and spreads the word about our great facilities here in Frisco. We don’t want to just sit back and wait for the events to come to us.”
How Does Visit Frisco Attract Sports and Events?
Overall, Visit Frisco’s comprehensive approach to attracting sports and events combines the aforementioned aspects: world-class facilities, strategic partnerships, targeted marketing, and dedicated support services to establish the city as a premier destination for sports tourism and event hosting.
Frisco’s impressive sports infrastructure, including venues like Ford Center at The Star and Riders Field, serves as a magnet for sporting events of all kinds, from youth tournaments to professional competitions. These facilities are equipped with top-notch amenities and are often chosen as host locations for various events.
Visit Frisco cultivates strategic partnerships with sports organizations, event planners, and industry stakeholders to position the city as a premier destination for sports and events. By collaborating closely with these partners, Visit Frisco can attract a diverse range of activities and tournaments to the area.
“A lot of the sports world is based on relationships,” says Mr. Dill. “So, when you think about an example like the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), a postseason college basketball event, coming here during COVID, that all starts with our relationship with the University of North Texas and the Athletic Director, then Wren Baker, and us successfully hosting Conference USA. So, the commissioner of Conference USA kind of volunteered and said, ‘I think I have a spot where we can host this event that needs a home.’ It was fun to host a major event like that. It was on ESPN for what seemed like two straight weeks, and it kind of broke the mold for the NIT. It was in New York for all its existence and now it’s moving around the country, and it started with them having to do that during COVID. Now it’s kind of changed the model.”
Sports goes all the way back to the first public-private partnership that was built in the city around sports, which was the Velodrome. “It all started with building a Superdome here that we realized would be a unique venue that would attract people to come here for cycling,” Mr. Dill explained. “That was kind of the model for starting to look at other sports-related entities, which started with the ballpark, then the arena, then the stadium; we’ve had a lot of success activating these public-private partnerships as a city of the future. We have little downtown areas across our city, and they’re all built around sports venues. So, they are live/work/play, but the centerpiece of a lot of those is Ford Center at The Star. And you have people living in the district, shopping in the district, dining in the district, and playing in the district in several ways.”
Visit Frisco offers support services to event planners, assisting with logistics, accommodations, and promotional efforts to ensure the success of each event hosted in the city. This commitment to excellence and customer service helps to cultivate long-term relationships with event organizers and encourages repeat business.
Milestones upon Milestones with Visit Frisco
Visit Frisco has experienced several milestone moments that have contributed to its growth and recognition as a premier destination. These milestone moments highlight Frisco’s evolution into a dynamic and vibrant city with a thriving tourism industry driven by its world-class amenities, strategic partnerships, and commitment to excellence in hospitality and event hosting.
September 2023 brought the end of an incredibly monumental fiscal year of more than $84.8 million in economic impact and 246 events and meetings booked – both numbers not reached until fiscal year 2023. Fiscal year 2023 was a strong year for corporate bookings, with an increase in room nights and an average daily rate of $223. The Visit Frisco Sales team conducted a record-high 101 site inspections over the year to show businesses, planners, and sports organizations what Frisco can deliver for their group.
Visit Frisco’s marketing and communications efforts produced $13.5 million in earned media value among articles, broadcast segments, and social media coverage. The Visit Frisco, TX social media channels are reaching more people with over 334,000 engagements, a 203% increase year over year.
“We called it our monumental year,” said Ms. Decker. “Everybody on the team just far exceeded their goals and objectives for the year. We got to celebrate in such a special way, bringing our partners together. It was a nice celebration, celebrating each other. Seeing the energy in that room, everyone felt a part of something bigger than them.”
Another Visit Frisco first was in May 2023 when hotel occupancy tax collections hit a million dollars in a month. Frisco hosted two high-profile events that month, the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. In addition to those broadcasted events, the Visit Frisco team helped welcome 12 other groups to Frisco in May that added hotel room nights and a positive economic impact, including Toyota, T-Mobile, Western Sports Foundation, National Space Society, and groups in the transportation and education industries.
“For me, a milestone moment would be hosting the ACMs last year and them coming back,” says Ms. Decker. “I also love that we have the Texas Pinball Festival repeatedly. Anytime we have recurring events means they are happy and want to come back. Our services team has done a fantastic job showcasing the city.”
Every time something opened has been a milestone for Marla. “Not that we had anything to do with all the deals taking place, but being able to advocate that we need these tourism products here if we want to continue to grow as a destination. Our team is amazing. Everything is just like rolling down the highway super-fast, and I love it.”
Mr. Dill adds, “I wasn’t here yet, but the group that went out together and aggressively pursued the FCS Championship really showed that the city government, our partner Southland Conference, and FC Dallas has that ‘can do’ spirit and can ban together and make major events happen in Frisco. And each time that contract has been renewed throughout the years just shows Frisco has grown the relevancy of FCS Football on the national stage. We’ve gotten that event on network TV, and we’ve sold out for the last thirteen of fourteen years. I think that is a huge milestone and was the first thing that put Frisco on the map. Even though it is small and up-and-coming in its stature, it proved the city can host major events and do it well.”
A Remarkable Milestone
In October 2023, Visit Frisco joyfully commemorated its 20th anniversary as the city’s premier destination marketing organization. This milestone prompts reflection on the numerous achievements and economic advancements Frisco has experienced since formally embracing tourism as a focal point two decades ago.
Throughout the city’s evolution, Visit Frisco has remained steadfast in its mission to promote Frisco as a premier destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, and leisure travel, thereby positively impacting the city’s economic foundation. Over the years, Visit Frisco’s efforts have contributed to a cumulative economic impact exceeding $705 million. The organization has successfully secured bookings for 1,937 meetings and events, resulting in 812,278 hotel room nights. The substantial growth is evident when comparing the early years, during which Visit Frisco averaged one meeting and 485 rooms booked per month, to the past fiscal year, where these figures averaged 20 meetings and events and 10,614 hotel room nights, respectively.
Visit Frisco attributes its remarkable success to a collaborative effort involving organizational teamwork, city partnerships, hotel collaborations, arts and culture initiatives, and world-class attractions and sports facilities. This collective approach has earned Visit Frisco the distinction of being ‘most likely to succeed,’ a testament to its unwavering commitment to showcasing all that Frisco has to offer.
Looking Ahead
When asked about what lies ahead for Visit Frisco, the organization remains focused on advancing its mission to elevate Frisco as a premier destination for various events, meetings, conventions, and leisure travel. Looking forward, Visit Frisco aims to continue fostering partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, and stakeholders to enhance the city’s appeal and accessibility to visitors. This includes ongoing efforts to promote Frisco’s diverse array of attractions, sports facilities, cultural offerings, and dining experiences.
“The Downtown Rail District branding is going to be a really exciting project that we’re doing right now,” said Ms. Roe. “Seeing Universal Kids Resort open, to me, will be incredible. I’m going to be the first one to buy season tickets to take my grandson. And the World Cup is coming to Frisco, where people from different countries will attend. We’ll have to do our research to be sure we are welcoming to them in a way they are accustomed to being welcomed. Those are the three big ones happening in the next three years.”
From Mr. Dill’s perspective, landing the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) deal brought Frisco several events for which to look forward. “The women’s championship in 2025 is very much an international-level event, so hosting KPMG will kind of kick us off on an international kick a little bit. You’re starting to see that our events are evolving to be international in scope, even when you think back to the International Ice Hockey Federation that we hosted during COVID that had ten international delegations coming in. Then, in 2026 we will host our piece of the World Cup, which won’t be matches but a base camp and possibly referee training in Frisco. And then we turn around and follow up the largest single sporting event in the world, and Frisco’s roll in that by saying, ’Ok, we’re going to host the 2027 PGA Championship,’ which is a major usually reserved for older, more well-established golf courses and little old Frisco, Texas is going to be the center of the golfing universe in 2027. All eyes will be watching the best of the best play in Frisco at Fields Ranch.”
In essence, Visit Frisco embodies the spirit of community and collaboration that defines the city itself. As Marla Roe, Executive Director of Visit Frisco, aptly puts it, “It’s about the promotion of a city that we love.” With its unwavering dedication to excellence and innovation, Visit Frisco continues to champion the growth and prosperity of Frisco, ensuring that it remains a destination of choice for visitors and residents alike.
Andrea Hampe is a content writer, mom of three boys, and a youth sports fanatic.