Technology Sector Expansion Means Big Business for Phoenix Meetings and Conventions

In this episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer for Visit Phoenix, checks in with Danielle LeBreck about the rapid growth in Phoenix, especially in the technology sector. Learn how this expansion brings big potential for meetings and conventions.

Listen now:

This podcast was produced in partnership with Visit Phoenix

Transcript

Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai 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

Hello and welcome to this Meetings Today podcast. I'm Danielle LeBreck, senior content director for Meetings Today. In this episode, I'm excited to highlight some of the latest out of Phoenix, Arizona, where the meetings and events landscape is constantly growing and developing. You might have heard of all the hospitality development news that has happened in Phoenix recently. Many hotels have seen major renovations, new luxury properties are opening and the downtown area has seen a renaissance experiencing more than $5 billion in investment.

But that's not all that's new in Phoenix. Meeting planners should also take note of its increasingly growing intellectual capital, especially in the technology sector. Here to dive into more detail about this is Lorne Edwards, who is the chief sales officer for Visit Phoenix. Welcome, Lorne. And thank you so much for joining us.

Lorne Edwards

Good morning, Danielle. It's a pleasure to be with you today.

Danielle LeBreck

So, to start off, there are many industries in which Phoenix is a leader. And as of late, the growth of the technology ecosystem in Phoenix has really accelerated rapidly. Can you detail this growth for some of our listeners who might be unaware of these developments?

Lorne Edwards

Well, sure. For some of our listeners that might have heard about the “five C’s” of Arizona—being copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate—I think we ought to know that there is a sixth C that's out there, that's new, and that is chips. So that is the sixth C, unofficially, or officially, that is, that defines Arizona, and what we have going on here. And that really speaks to the development of the semiconductor industry, the expansion of that industry that we've seen since 2020, which represents more than 13,000 new jobs coming into the landscape and over $64 billion of investment.

The microchip development that we've seen with the expansion of the Taiwan Semiconductor plant moving into North Phoenix is really creating this massive surge and growth of the manufacturing of microchips, here and in Phoenix. And just last week, we had President Biden in town, to announce the additional investment of just over $8.5 billion in direct funding to Intel to expand its operation and increase semiconductor manufacturing capacity. This will spur manufacturing, construction and indirect jobs all across the valley. This is all part of the Chips Act as part of the federal government's continual investment to see the return of us as a leading producer of advanced semiconductors. And we're so thrilled that Arizona is in the epicenter of all of this development.

[Related: A Growing Technology Sector in Phoenix Is Increasing the City’s Intellectual Capital]

Danielle LeBreck 

Yeah, that is an incredible amount of investment. And in addition to bringing a lot of jobs to the area, it has ultimately attracted some new meetings and convention business. Can you share some examples of how shows that are being attracted to Phoenix as a direct result of becoming a real hub for the semiconductor industry?

Lorne Edwards

Well, you know, over the last couple of years as this landscape has been transformational for community, we're working very closely with our economic development partners and stakeholders around the city. That includes Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), the Arizona Commerce Authority, all of our stakeholders and economic development, and we embark down the path with everything that's happening here in the semiconductor world with Taiwan Semiconductors in on semi all of the investments, and then Intel's recent expansion as well. We started having conversations with, you know, SEMICON and the folks there at SEMI Americas to really reimagine the landscape of their conference. And so late last year SEMICON West relocated its full its conference to Phoenix starting in 2025. And that will also take place in 2027 and 2029, rotating with San Francisco and I really think that that really sets the marker in place and really reaffirms and galvanizes Phoenix, Phoenix’s growth in the space.

This is a conference that has resided in, in San Francisco, gosh, for over 50 years. And for Phoenix to be part of its reinvention, if you will, really speaks volumes of where our industry is going. And I think, you know, it's just scratching the surface too, because as you think about that those industries going, you know, it's not just TSMC, or Intel, or the big giants, it's all of the industries that are suppliers to that segment that are also bringing their folks in and having meetings and conventions, all at the same time. So I think this is really when I think about the next two, three, four years and where this is going, I can see us really changing the landscape, the makeup of a convention portfolio, diversifying more into the technology space.

So this was a big boon for us, I think it's only going to continue to elevate and escalate. And there are other conferences beyond SEMICON West to that we've been able to land. IEEE Microwave Symposium, for instance, they too, have made a return to the Phoenix area in future years, and a host of other IEEE events that are certainly in that technology space.

Danielle LeBreck

Yeah, that speaks volumes when you can get a convention that, like SEMICON West, that has been in one location for so long to change and come to Phoenix that really speaks to the growth that you're having in this area. So that's really exciting.

One thing that I'm wondering if you could elaborate on is that the intellectual capital that's now available on the ground in Phoenix in this space. Are you seeing planners want to tap into that maybe for speakers to bring into their conventions or conferences?

Lorne Edwards

We're seeing that more and more. The segment that has been pretty prolific for us over the last, I would say eight to 10 years is the healthcare segment. And so part of the key driver for that has been the growth and development of the Phoenix Biosciences core. Now what is the Phoenix Biosciences core, or PBC? As we like to say for short here, the PBC is a 36-acre and growing campus of innovation in the heart of downtown Phoenix that borders the Phoenix Convention Center and over 4,000 hotel rooms. And the PBC has become part of our converting convention learning environment and footprint given the state-of-the-art resources, real-life learning, labs offering hands-on simulation trainings whether it's nurses or physicians or anyone in the healthcare space. That has been a tremendous asset, community asset for us.

And especially as we promote that to the healthcare community of meetings and conventions. And so for instance, we have seen organizations like American Telemedicine, we've seen Chest Physicians, we have had critical care medicines, conferences, and so many others that have tapped into the resources that are available. And whether that be speakers, whether it's livestreaming from the wet labs into the convention, center, and the tradeshow floor. So these are all unique opportunities that have really changed the landscape, and we're seeing it more and more. And we don't see that as anything that's going to go away, it's only going to get more and more robust as we progress into the future.

Danielle LeBreck

Yeah, and I think a major benefit to of having such robust intellectual capital on the ground and the destination for a meeting planner is it's also a cost savings—tapping local speakers or activations. They don't have to fly those in and pay for lodging. So in an era when costs are rising, and meeting planners are very cognizant of that, I think this just sets Phoenix up to be in an even greater position to be more attractive to groups in these industries.

Lorne Edwards

Absolutely. The PBC, you know, all three major state universities coexist and play nicely in the sandbox. That really is pushing that pushing the boundaries of that development of ASU, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University in the collaborative work that's taking place, to drive next generation research and promote STEM education, as recently announced their medical school that will be coming online. And that development will take place right in downtown Phoenix, as well as part of that part of the PBC.

We've got had groups like American Society of Microbiology, and the Society for Immunotherapy for Cancer. These are all groups that have taken interest in all of these developments because of that ability to tap into a lot of the resources that exist right here in downtown.

Danielle LeBreck

That's great. Such great potential for meetings and events in Phoenix that play in those spaces. Are there any other industries outside of biomedical and technology that you think Phoenix is a leader on or that maybe has potential to grow in that our listeners should know about?

Lorne Edwards

Yes. The other areas that we're seeing a lot of investment in is the EV manufacturing, electric vehicle, manufacturing. And Phoenix has really emerged as a major hub for EV manufacturing, with companies like Lucid and Rivian, Tesla, all setting up manufacturing facilities here as well, KORE Power, which is another leading electric battery manufacturer is here. So there's really a new narrative that's coming out of this community coming out of the Phoenix area about clean technology growth and development. So that is an area that we don't see going away at all. I think that really aligns with the city's vision to be a clean tech hub, a global leader of clean tech energy here, and especially with the climate technology, the climate, the interest around where our climate is moving to, there's no reason why Phoenix cannot really emerge as a global powerhouse, and climate tech clean tech initiatives.

Danielle LeBreck

Yeah, that's great that all the industries that you're leading in right now are just full of innovation, and they're not going to slow down anytime soon.

Lorne Edwards

I don't think so.

Danielle LeBreck

Definitely something for meeting and event planners to watch as they consider where to bring their programs next.

Well, that is all the time that we have for today. I want to thank you so much, Lorne, for sharing these exciting insights with us. We really appreciate it.

Lorne Edwards

Oh, you're so very welcome. And certainly, please do feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to continuing to share all the great things that's driving our economy forward.

Danielle LeBreck

And thank you all for listening to this episode of the Meetings Today podcast. If you're interested in learning more about Phoenix, be sure to check out www.visit phoenix.com/meetings or find a wealth of information at MeetingsToday.com as well. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to the Meetings Today podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Or check out a wealth of past episodes on MeetingsToday.com/podcasts. Thanks again to Lorne Edwards and Visit Phoenix for sponsoring this episode and until next time!

Read this next: How Phoenix Can Help Your Event Prioritize Wellness