In this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck speaks with Lisa Bethea, director of destination services for Visit Frisco, about how planners can host memorable events in rapidly growing Frisco. Learn how to tap the Destination Services team at Visit Frisco, what new developments are on the horizon and more.
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Transcript:
Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by an AI program and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.
Danielle LeBreck
Hi everyone and welcome to the Meetings Today Podcast. I'm Danielle LeBreck, senior content director for Meetings Today.
In this episode, we will be putting a spotlight on Frisco, Texas, one of the hottest destinations for meetings and events right now in the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. New venues, sports prowess and convenient central location are all contributing to this city's popularity.
Making sure your event meets its full potential in Frisco is immensely easier when you partner with the destinations services team. So today we are welcoming Lisa, the director of destination services, at the CVB to help us dig into all of the possibilities for meetings and events in Frisco.
Welcome to the show, Lisa.
Lisa Bethea
Thank you, Danielle, and thank you for the spotlight.
Danielle LeBreck
First of all, why don't you kick us off by introducing yourself to our listeners and describing your role and that of the destination services team and how you can partner with meeting and event planners.
Lisa Bethea
Like Danielle said, I'm Lisa Bethea. I'm the director of destination services for Visit Frisco. I've been here—January will be 12 years. So I'm excited to start that 12th year and see what it brings. But you know what? Thank you for your question, Danielle.
I just wanted to say and kind of add in there that this isn't an easy question to answer. When we talk about destination services because we wear so many different hats as event professionals.
So I would say that we typically start off as proprietaries of our meeting planners vision while also being advocates for experts of our destination and partners, so in terms of partnering with meeting and event planners, we take their vision and needs and match them with solutions from our Frisco community.
Danielle LeBreck
Awesome. And can you just explain some of the ways that you've helped planners take their events to the next level in Frisco recently? Maybe some one or two examples of how you can really help them enhance their programs.
Lisa Bethea
Absolutely. This is a fun question because we get to brag a little bit.
So we have roughly 20 services in our complimentary destination services guide that we offer to meeting and event planners when they book their events here in Frisco and work with our team. That guide is a great starting point to begin a conversation about how we can help, but once we meet with our planners and understand what they're trying to accomplish and who their audience is, we can typically open up a whole new realm of possibilities. When you have a community like the Frisco community, poised to be of service. So some of those next-level opportunities include one of my favorites.
We did an Australian meeting planner fam. We hosted in October and instead of using a shuttle to transport our planners around the city, we use 10 slingshots and that's the vehicle that kind of combines the feel of a motorcycle with the performance of a sports car. Incredibly fun.
[Related: 7 Fun Facts About Frisco, Texas That Meeting Planners Should Know]
Danielle LeBreck
Fun.
Lisa Bethea
Yes, and it also created a little bit of buzz around the event. Because we drove through the city with a dedicated police escort. So we looked like we were somebody to see, definitely.
Another example that comes to mind. We elevated a simple site tour recently by hosting a private dinner in the middle of Frisco. Kaleidoscope Park. The park is a public space where nature and art kind of come together with the playground, a splash pad, pavilions, a performance stage and the largest sculpture in North Texas called the Butterfly Rest Stop. It just opened. So again, quite a bit of buzz around the space.
So we decided to set up a private dinner, complete with a dedicated bar right under that beautiful sculpture, just as it was done with setting and the park lights were coming on, so it kind of highlighted it, made it look very special and then one of our Frisco partners, Chef Nick, who is an incredible chef, served a three-course meal under that sculpture, including a roasted beet salad, lamb lollipops and cheesecake. So I'm sorry to make everybody hungry, but just had to mention that.
And then a third one to kind of round it out. We most recently hosted Connect Texas here in Frisco and wanted to make sure that Frisco was very well represented during the event. And so we had an amazing dance crew open up the reception called Utd Raftaar with a dynamic performance that makes dance style such as Bollywood, hip hop, kuthu and bhangra. It was absolutely captivating and showcased another element of the Frisco community and culture.
Danielle LeBreck
I love that and kind of going in with that. You mentioned you had a fam where meeting planners from Australia came in. I imagine for them a lot of them, it was their first time in Frisco.
What are you hearing from meeting planners right now about Frisco and what are they most surprised by or what are you finding they appreciate most about the destination?
Lisa Bethea
You know as much as we love to tap the big things that we're able to do and fun things like driving the slingshots. I think our meeting planners still appreciate the attention to detail and the understanding that we can help with the not so dynamic needs that are during an event, so our registration clerks are still our No.1 most-utilized service. They are again from our Frisco community and can be onsite to help in almost any capacity needed, whether that's registration assistance, stuffing welcome bags, offering up information about our restaurants and things to do.
The list is endless and I'm also extremely proud of the team of individuals that work for the City of Frisco that help out with our events, our GIS team, Geographic Information Systems team, they deserve a shout out for the incredible contributions from creating up-to-date maps for clients and links that connect our meeting planners events to our attractions and restaurants, they've even created a digital scavenger hunt for one of our meeting planners and so many of our team members have served as keynote guest speakers during our events from Frisco judges to our mayor and city council members.
The support has allowed us to offer so much more to our meeting planners. I think the fact that we don't restrict what they can ask for based on the size of their event and the fact that literally everyone in our community is willing to help is a surprise in and of itself.
Danielle LeBreck
Yeah. And that synergy with community partners makes a huge difference. So I love to hear that.
Lisa Bethea
Absolutely.
[Related: How to Take Your Meeting to the Next Level in Frisco, Texas]
Danielle LeBreck
What are some new developments you're most excited about in Frisco right now? I know that there is a lot happening. I was in Frisco about a year and a half ago in the Omni PGA Frisco Resort opened so I know that's a very exciting development and there's a lot more in the pipeline. So can you maybe walk us through some of that and how you think these will enhance the meeting and event experience as we move forward?
Lisa Bethea
Of course I feel like this could be a whole separate podcast. I'm really excited.
Let's see about the Fields West development and the recently announced retailers and restaurants that'll be in Frisco by 2026. That area up, as you mentioned near the Omni PGA, will soon be home to like the Pottery Barn, Kendra Scott, Bloomingdale's, which I think will both probably lose some paychecks up there, and then for our foodies salivate over restaurants like Maestro Steakhouse, Nando's and Green Point Seafood.
Also up in that area, I'm excited for Universal to open. Of course, we know the Minions will be a part of that experience and are waiting for other characters to be announced, but that location alone will enhance the entertainment and offset offerings for our meeting planners hosting events in the city.
And then you know to round it out, I have to mention some of our old Frisco friends here that are growing in the city as well. Rollertown Brewery will open their new Frisco location and event space in summer of 2025, and that'll transform that area up near our rail district and cultural arts area, including long-time and Fantastic Vista partners such as the National Video Game Museum and the Museum of the American Railroad.
Danielle LeBreck
It's amazing. It's really incredible to see the region grow. I feel like there's new things coming online every day, so excited to see all of that open and see how the destination continues to evolve.
Lisa Bethea
Absolutely.
Danielle LeBreck
Well, that's all we have time for today. I just want to thank you so much, Lisa, for spending a few minutes discussing all of the potential for meetings and events in Frisco. I really appreciate your time.
Lisa Bethea
Much for the time and again for shining a spotlight on Frisco.
Danielle LeBreck
And thank you all for listening to the Meetings Today podcast. If you'd like to learn more about meetings and events in Frisco, we have more articles about the destination’s offerings at meetingstoday.com.
Additionally, I'd like to thank Visit Frisco for sponsoring this episode and be sure to check out their website at www.visitfrisco.com/meetings to learn more about what we discussed today. If you all liked this episode, be sure to check out more episodes of the Meetings Today podcast at meetingstoday.com/podcasts. Thank you.
Learn more about meetings in Frisco. 
This podcast was produced in collaboration with Visit Frisco.
