Long before any basketballs are dribbled through the streets of Phoenix or fans walk through the doors of the facility for the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest®, the team at the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues has already been hard at work.
Conversations with the NCAA and local organizing committee have been ongoing on a regular basis for at least a year by the time the events, and thousands of fans, roll into town. In an effort to make sure the facility is ready, and the event is a slam dunk, the team at the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues has completed capital improvement projects and cleaned every surface. But it’s not just about the physical space—this dedicated crew has also been busy building strong relationships and crafting strategic plans to ensure every fan’s experience is a winning one from start to finish.
The Phoenix Convention Center is home to the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest® presented by Capital One from April 5-8 and leadership at the venue say this year’s event will see even more success than the last time the event was here in 2017. City leaders view this event as just one in a series that cements Phoenix as “Championship Valley.” For the Phoenix Convention Center, that means ensuring the accompanying fan fests deliver the kinds of experiences attendees are looking for.
“The Phoenix Convention Center is unique at being able to host these large-scale sporting events, not just because we’ve got the square footage required for these fan events or because we are located in the heart of downtown, but because of our team,” said Phoenix Convention Center Director Jerry Harper. “Our team is highly qualified and specialized for these types of events.”
The Phoenix Convention Center’s event serves as a playground for fans to enjoy during the weekend the games are in the Valley, and down the street at Hance Park, fans can also attend a free concert series. Harper said Phoenix serving as the epicenter for fan events is key to making sure everyone gets to participate in these mega events when they come to town.
“Whether it’s the Fan Fest for the Final Four ® or the Super Bowl Experience, that’s a way for people and families in particular to still enjoy the excitement of these major events and feel like they are a part of it and having something they can take back and say, ‘You know, I was part of that,’ when they see a game on TV. And when they look back, they can say, ‘I remember when that event was in Phoenix because I was able to go to the event at the Phoenix Convention Center.’”
Making memories happen
The event simply wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the work of multiple departments across the Phoenix Convention Center.
Every part of the Convention Center’s 200-plus person team touches a major event in some capacity. In the lead-up to the event, Event Managers are working with the client to get the specific requirements for placing everything from intricate floor set-ups to stanchions. Event Services is diligently preparing for the event, ensuring a pristine facility awaits guests’ arrival. Security is working around-the-clock during the event to make sure everyone who passes through the facility doors is safe.
The Event Manager role, said Deputy Director Miguel Munguia, is one of the most critical roles to the event’s success.
“For these mega events like Final Four, an event manager will come on a lot sooner than normal compared to the convention and nonconvention events they are assigned,” he said. “They start building relationships years out and so by the time the client is in the building, there’s a really good business relationship that they have. By the time we get to the event, and everyone is stressed out, it makes things go a lot easier when you have a relationship already established where you’ve built trust.”
The Convention Center’s in-house security team, during and leading up to the event, is working closely with the City of Phoenix Police Department and the City of Phoenix Fire Department in addition to Homeland Security to ensure all attendees are safe within the facility, Munguia said.
“The event manager is there to make sure the event itself is a success,” he said. “Security is there to make sure it’s safe. Those are the primary things whenever we have anyone in the building, that the event is safe and successful.”
Meanwhile, the Facilities and Event Services teams are preparing the venue to accommodate the influx of thousands of guests.
“When it comes to preparing for a mega event, we want to look at everything,” said Assistant Director Bob Fingerman. “We want to look at everything from the garages to the exhibit halls and ballrooms. We look at the conditions of our walls and our restrooms, we want to make it is as inviting as possible for our guests. There’s an expectation when you come to the Phoenix Convention Center that we are fully prepared for our attendees and that’s what we deliver on. We dissect the entire campus infrastructure to make sure that what we are providing is a final product that the public and the community can enjoy.”
Event Services, in particular, has a heavy lift in the run-up to the event making sure thousands of square footage of the facility shines.
“Event Services is a really special work group, they really do it all,” Fingerman said. “They are heroes here. They make sure that our facilities are clean, they’re prepared, the rooms are set, and the trash is cleaned up. They’re just a wonderful team that takes all of the specifications and requirements for a given event and make it happen.”
Ahead of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest ® , the Convention Center completed a lighting overhaul switching the facility over to LED lighting and migrating control panels. Additionally, the team also completed months of work applying new veneer to the walls of the North Ballroom.
“We’re always improving our campus, our infrastructure and it’s all about keeping the community safe, doing a great event and really showcasing the destination,” Fingerman said.
The ripple effect
Eric George, the City of Phoenix Major Events Administrator, plays a key role in coordinating mega events not only within the City’s departments, but with outside organizations as well. For this event, Visit Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix Inc., the City of Glendale, the NCAA, the event producers and the local organizing committee all work together to make sure this event is the best it can be.
“There’s so many details to work through about what streets are going to be closed, where people will park and tons of logistics,” George said. “There’s so many crucial parts that come together and it’s cliché but that wouldn’t happen without all of the collaboration.”
The collaboration during these events is part of what brings such significant impact across the region, George said. For example, Super Bowl LVII in the Valley had a $1.3 billion economic impact according to researchers from Arizona State University. A report from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University stated that the estimated total economic impact for the 2017 Final Four in Arizona was $324.5 million and experts expect this year’s events to surpass that.
“We also know that when people come in for these major events, they stay and there’s tourism activity,” George said. “There’s interest generated all around the state. People might go to the Grand Canyon and stay a little bit longer. And we know that our economic development partners work diligently to bring in outside businesses that may want to relocate to Phoenix, and what better commercial than some of these major events where you see Phoenix on a global stage.”
Harper said that spotlight on the City is integral to continuing to get these major sporting events in the Valley. The entire City is excited about the NCAA Men’s Final Four ® but is also looking ahead to what is coming in the next few years. The WNBA All-Star Game is here this summer, the NCAA Women’s Final Four ® is in Phoenix in 2026 and the NBA All-Star Game is in Phoenix in 2027.
“All of those events are happening in downtown Phoenix,” Harper said. “So not only do we have the fan experiences at the Convention Center, but the games will be just steps away at Footprint Center. So, the energy and excitement will be condensed into this part of downtown and it’s really going to be something people aren’t going to want to miss. And you’ve probably noticed, we have a basketball theme for the next few years and that’s something we are excited about and looking to embrace. I’m looking forward to the rest of the country recognizing this area as the basketball hub for all basketball-related activities in the next few years.”
Get tickets to the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest ® presented by Capital One.
