What does your job entail?
As the CEO of IFEA, an organization that supports festival and event professionals worldwide, I report to an international board of directors, interact with the global professionals who make up our industry and expand our outreach to ensure the professionals in our field see themselves as a common global industry.
Describe your recent meeting in Tucson.
We celebrated our IFEA 60th Anniversary Convention & Expo in September at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa. The convention draws over 500 of the top global event professionals, including such organizations as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dubai Shopping Festival, and the host cities and industry suppliers who are full partners in their success. The three-day convention is preceded by three days of professional certification training.
Did your group do anything fun after hours?
Our convention included two primary off-site evenings. The first night we had our local attendees guide visiting attendees through the best the city has to offer in dining, arts and entertainment. The second evening we took over the well-known Old Tucson attraction, where many famous Westerns have been filmed, for our IFEA party and auction. Old Tucson offered a perfect venue for us to easily entertain our attendees from around the world in a highly themed setting.
What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most about meeting in Tucson?
I think Tucson is an unexpected and well-kept secret. With a setting in the middle of the spectacular Saguaro National Monument, and only minutes from Tucson International Airport and downtown Tucson, the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort was the best property and staff we have ever worked with. If asked about what they enjoyed most, I think our attendees would say it was the overall ambiance and energy that encompassed the whole convention—the result of many components working together.
Would you return/recommend Tucson to other planners?
The first order of business in our IFEA World Board meeting, the day following the convention close, was “When do we come back?” and “How can we replicate this in all of our convention locations moving forward?” The best problem you can have in the festivals and events business is how to top yourself, but Tucson set a very high bar. We will definitely return in the future and I would absolutely recommend that others give a serious look at Tucson, an ideal and affordable market with the welcome mat out.