8 minute read
Josh Dill, Visit Frisco
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What is your title and how long have you held the position with the Visit Frisco?
I am the Director of Sports & Events and am approaching my 5 year anniversary here. I spent 3.5 years in Fort Worth as the Director of Sports Marketing prior to that and 5 years in Lubbock as the Sports Sales Manager to start my tourism career.
What is your current organizational structure?
We are a department of the City of Frisco which gives us great access to city resources and services, and allows for tourism to have a seat at the table.
What is the % breakdown of your revenue (tourist development tax, memberships, sponsorships, event income over expenses, rental fees, grants, etc.)
Our operating budget is set by city council but is based on our hotel occupancy tax collection.
What were your biggest challenges during the pandemic in 2020 and thus far in 2021?
We were blessed to be open and safely hosting events very early on.
This allowed us to relocate some major events that wouldn’t otherwise have come to Frisco such as the NIT and the IIHF U18 World Hockey Championships. But the biggest challenge was developing and navigating new safety procedures for events. Our city leadership quickly put together a task force that allowed us to share and receive information from our police, fire and medical officers. This was key in making sure we were balancing the health and safety of our residents and visitors with the need to keep our economy strong and hospitality community employed.
How have you leveraged the Texas Oil Grant Fund to support your efforts?
I think you might be referring to the Texas Events Trust Fund, which we use heavily in Frisco. Last year, we made 14 applications to the Governor’s Office and were approved for $2.6M in state funding. These funds all go directly to sports event planners to offset costs of hosting. This fund allows us to compete with larger, tier 1 type cities for large events that typically require a lot of resources. We are one of the top cities that utilize the Texas Events Trust Fund and it makes a world of difference for us.
In a competitive Texas landscape, how do you set your destination apart?
I think it starts with our Sports City USA initiative. Texas has a lot of great sports cities, but Frisco takes it a step further. Sports is truly a pillar of our destination. It is not just about professional teams or events. We want the BUSINESS of sports to happen here. It is part of our economic development strategy. If you can get some of the biggest names and brands in sports doing business in your city, it creates this halo effect which draws in other sports-minded entrepreneurs. Couple that with a strong concentration of former professional athletes and sports executives who are looking to invest in sports, and you have a recipe for something really special. We want to be an incubator for all things sports.
What sports does Visit Frisco cater to? What are your “bread and butter” sports? Is this so due to facilities you own and operate? Or have you used natural resources to serve as facilities? Both?
I think it all comes down to the facilities and partners you have in your destination and we are very lucky to have some great ones in Frisco. Having partners like the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and FC Dallas operate facilities in Frisco gives us a huge advantage in going after high-level events. We are strong in the traditional team sports of football, basketball, soccer and hockey, but we also have a growing population that is very interested in cricket and lacrosse, and we are home to one of the largest badminton facilities in the country.
Are there any new facilities on the horizon for Visit Frisco? Or expansion plans for existing facilities?
It has been fun to work in a city that is growing and expanding at such a rapid rate. Our newest facility that is set to open in 2023 is PGA Frisco. It was one of the highlights of my career to play a small part in bringing the PGA of America’s headquarters to Frisco. Our city worked with the PGA to take 660 acres of clay and carve it into 46 holes of golf, a new 500 room Omni PGA Frisco Resort and another live/work/play destination that is centered around a sports venue and will completely transform the northern part of Frisco.
In what capacity are you and Visit Frisco focused on driving international business to your destination?
Like most destinations, we love international travel to our city; however, it’s not one of our top markets. I do believe golf and PGA’s move to Frisco will be key to making Frisco a more well-known international destination. We will be hosting a number of major golf events in the coming years, including the PGA Championship in 2027 and 2034. The goal is to host a Ryder Cup in Frisco in the next 20-25 years, which is crazy for a city that had less than 30,000 residents in 2001.
Your efforts with the Sports ETA Board of Directors have been impressive. Tell us about that journey and the need for cooperative outreach during the pandemic and beyond.
I love the sports and events industry and it has been a great honor to serve our association through one of the most pivotal and transformational times in its history. A lot of work has been done by Al, the staff and my fellow board
members to put Sports ETA in a strong position within the broader tourism industry. Throughout my time on the board, I feel strongly that we have maximized the value to membership with the resources available. Now that an even stronger foundation exists, it is time to build. Coming off a time when sports was truly the catalyst for restarting tourism and business, we have an enormous opportunity to demonstrate the power and importance of sports to the tourism industry and our society in general.
With “western lifestyle” seeing a bit of a rebirth, are you preparing for anything on the horizon along that path?
While Frisco is a fairly “new” destination in Texas, we still have a lot of farmland. There are still longhorns grazing on land directly adjacent to the new PGA Frisco project. We may not have the history like other Texas towns are known for, but we were built on those same “western” principles; a sort of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality that visitors appreciate and gravitate toward.
Josh, you’re prepping to host the US Sports Congress. How are you using the opportunity to showcase your amenities, facilities, and uniqueness?
Hosting the US Sports Congress was one of the best things I did during my time in Fort Worth. It is the perfect opportunity for a destination like Frisco to show rights holders and our contemporaries from around the country what makes us Sports City USA. I truly believe that this year’s Congress will be a pivotal point in pushing Frisco to even greater heights in the sports tourism realm.
Fun Personal Questions
Where would you most like to live?
Texas will always be home, so I am pretty happy right where I am at. I spent some time working at Disney and I love Central Florida, so if I was forced to leave the Lone Star State, it would likely be for there or Colorado.
What is the most prized possession you have in your office?
My coworkers would probably tell you my office is like an episode of hoarders. I love having sports memorabilia and mementos from past events that we have hosted, but the thing I love most is all of the pictures of my family.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work, what are your hobbies?
Just recently, I have started cooking quite a bit on my smoker. I never felt at home in the kitchen, but something clicked recently, and I have really enjoyed prepping, experimenting and smoking anything and everything I can.
What is your favorite sporting event annually?
The first Texas Tech football game of every season. There is still optimism, and my heart hasn’t been broken yet.
