Experience Scottsdale
Experience Scottsdale is the official 501(c)(6) destination marketing organization for Scottsdale, Arizona, contracted by the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley to promote the destination to leisure travelers, meeting planners, travel trade professionals, and media through its website, visitor guides, blog, and regional salesforce.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersScottsdale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Experience Scottsdale does
Experience Scottsdale is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Scottsdale, Arizona, operating as Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation founded in 1987. The organization is contracted by the City of Scottsdale and the Town of Paradise Valley to promote Scottsdale as a destination for leisure travel, meetings, conventions, and group business. It serves four primary customer segments: leisure travelers (consumers planning individual or family vacations), meeting planners and group organizers (corporate and association event buyers), travel trade professionals (tour operators, travel agents, destination management companies), and media/press. It also operates a membership program for local tourism businesses (hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, attractions, golf courses) and supports community engagement through a Board of Directors and Destination Champions program.
The organization's core product is the official travel website (experiencescottsdale.com), supported by a portfolio of themed visitor guides (Official Visitors Guide, Old Town Guide, Art Guide, Western Guide, Kids Guide), an editorial blog ("Scottsdale Stories"), pre-built itineraries, a monthly email newsletter, and a meetings/convention services platform with RFP submission, meeting space search, and virtual site visits. The technology stack is conventional: a responsive website with cookie-based analytics, a CRM (SimpleView) for member management and lead routing, email newsletter infrastructure, and social media presence on Threads and Instagram. The organization runs a multi-regional salesforce with dedicated market specialists covering West Coast, Northeast, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast U.S. markets plus international coverage for North/South America, Canada, and overseas tour markets.
The business model is contract-funded rather than transaction-funded. Primary revenue comes from municipal contracts with the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley for destination marketing services, supplemented by membership fees from local tourism businesses and ancillary marketing services. Visitor-facing content is distributed free of charge (freemium model) as a public-good marketing function. The organization tracks impact through destination-level metrics (11.2 million annual visitors, 27,000+ jobs supported, 200+ golf courses, 350+ shops in Old Town, 100+ restaurants and bars, 25+ art galleries) rather than direct revenue capture, consistent with nonprofit DMO economics.
Experience Scottsdale firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Experience Scottsdale
- Legal name
- Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc.
- Website
- https://experiencescottsdale.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Experience Scottsdale is the official 501(c)(6) destination marketing organization for Scottsdale, Arizona, contracted by the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley to promote the destination to leisure travelers, meeting planners, travel trade professionals, and media through its website, visitor guides, blog, and regional salesforce.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Experience Scottsdale industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Destination Marketing Organization Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Hospitality & VIP Services (Hosting, Protocol, Concierge) (THAHADAG), Event Production & Theming (Décor, Creative, Entertainment Booking) (THAHADAH), Experiential & Cultural Programming (Tours, Activities, CSR/Voluntourism) (THAHADAF), Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE)
Keywords
Where Experience Scottsdale is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Scottsdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Experience Scottsdale business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Municipal Contracts: Experience Scottsdale is funded through contracts with the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley to conduct destination marketing efforts on behalf of these municipalities.
- Membership Fees: 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization that offers membership programs for local tourism businesses including hotels, resorts, restaurants, attractions, and tour operators.
- Visitor Guide Distribution: Free official visitor guides distributed to potential visitors; guides are available for download or physical delivery with 7-10 business days for domestic and 4 weeks for international orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | — | Free Visitor Guide |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Experience Scottsdale product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Experience Scottsdale is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Scottsdale, Arizona, contracted by the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley to promote the destination to leisure travelers, meeting planners, travel trade, and media. It produces and distributes visitor guides, itineraries, editorial content, special offers, and convention sales services, and operates a membership program for local tourism businesses.
Product overview
Experience Scottsdale operates a comprehensive destination marketing platform centered on its official tourism website, supplemented by a portfolio of themed visitor guides and planning tools. The core offering includes the official travel website providing real-time information on attractions, dining, accommodations, and activities, supported by downloadable/printable guides (Official Visitors Guide, Art Guide, Western Guide, Kids Guide, Old Town Guide). Additional modules include meeting and convention services for the meetings market, customizable itineraries, a monthly email newsletter, and an editorial blog featuring local expert content across categories like dining, outdoor adventure, arts, and nightlife.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Experience Scottsdale Official Website The official destination marketing website for Scottsdale, Arizona, providing travel planning tools, visitor information, and promotional content for meetings, events, and leisure travel.
- Official Visitors Guide Comprehensive travel guide available for download or physical order, covering Scottsdale attractions, dining, golf, and Sonoran Desert experiences for prospective visitors.
- Scottsdale Art Guide Guide covering Scottsdale's arts and culture scene including galleries, museums, public art installations, and performing arts venues.
- Scottsdale Western Guide Guide exploring Scottsdale's Western heritage through cowboy-style adventures, Native American cultural experiences, and Old West traditions.
- Scottsdale Kids Guide Family-focused guide highlighting over 50 activities, attractions, and adventures suitable for children of all ages, including kids' camps at local resorts.
- Scottsdale Old Town Guide Guide to Old Town Scottsdale covering restaurants, art galleries, museums, shopping, and historic sites within the walkable one-square-mile downtown area.
- Scottsdale Meeting & Convention Services Services for meeting planners including RFP submission, meeting space search, venue sourcing, and familiarization trips for the meetings and events market.
- Scottsdale Itineraries Pre-planned trip itineraries covering various themes including holiday trips, summer itineraries, family getaways, and girls' getaway packages.
- Scottsdale Stories Blog Editorial content platform featuring travel stories, dining guides, activity recommendations, and insider tips from local experts and travel writers, organized by categories such as Activities, Dining, Nightlife, Outdoor Adventure, Golf, Spa & Wellness, Shopping, and Arts & Culture.
- Experience Scottsdale Membership Program Membership program for local tourism businesses (hotels, resorts, restaurants, attractions, tour operators) providing marketing support, networking opportunities, listing on the official website, collective promotion, and access to the SimpleView CRM extranet.
- Special Offers Platform Listing platform for hotel and resort packages, seasonal discounts, and special offers from Scottsdale member properties, supporting demand generation for member businesses.
Companies that use Experience Scottsdale
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Experience Scottsdale technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Experience Scottsdale partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- City of ScottsdalecoreExperience Scottsdale contracts with the City of Scottsdale to conduct destination marketing efforts on behalf of the municipality. The organization promotes Scottsdale as a premier luxury destination for meetings, events, and leisure travel.
- Town of Paradise ValleycoreExperience Scottsdale also contracts with the Town of Paradise Valley to conduct destination marketing efforts on behalf of the municipality.
- Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB)coreExperience Scottsdale is the dba (doing business as) name for Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation.
- Destination ChampionscoreProgram recognizing individuals and businesses committed to promoting Scottsdale as a premier tourism destination.
- Allied PartnersminorNetwork of tourism businesses and organizations that collaborate with Experience Scottsdale in destination marketing efforts.
- Choose ScottsdaleminorEconomic Development branch of the City of Scottsdale that aids people and businesses relocating careers or companies to the area.
- Arizona Lodging & Tourism AssociationminorStatewide organization providing job board and career resources for lodging and tourism professionals, featured on Experience Scottsdale careers page.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Experience Scottsdale competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Tourism Australia: National tourism organization for Australia — international scale destination marketing organization whose mix of leisure tourism marketing, trade engagement, and content platform parallels Experience Scottsdale's overall GTM motion, though operating in a different geography.
Direct peers
- Visit Phoenix: Official DMO for Phoenix, Arizona — the same metropolitan tourism market adjacent to Scottsdale. Directly comparable as a municipal-contracted, 501(c)(6)-style destination marketing organization competing for overlapping leisure, convention, and group-travel demand.
- Visit Denver: DMO for Denver, Colorado — peer municipal destination marketing organization running convention sales, leisure tourism, and content/membership programs of comparable scope to Experience Scottsdale.
- Visit Las Vegas: DMO for Las Vegas — large-scale destination marketing organization with convention sales, leisure marketing, and member services comparable in model to Experience Scottsdale, though serving a much higher-volume destination.
- Visit Orlando: DMO for Orlando — peer convention & visitors bureau with comparable mix of leisure and group/meetings marketing, membership programs, and content-driven destination promotion.
- Visit Austin: DMO for Austin, Texas — peer city-level destination marketing organization offering a similar blend of convention sales, tourism marketing, and member-based local business promotion as Experience Scottsdale.
- Travel Portland: DMO for Portland, Oregon — comparable mid-sized US destination marketing organization running convention, leisure tourism, and membership programs targeting a similar mix of leisure and group travelers.
Broad incumbents
- Visit California: State-level destination marketing organization for California — a larger, broader entity that competes with Experience Scottsdale's national and international leisure-tourism promotion efforts and shares the same DMO/Marketing Mandate.
- Brand USA: National tourism marketing organization for the United States — a broader, federally-aligned DMO that overlaps with Experience Scottsdale's international tourism sales coverage and inbound visitor promotion.
- Visit Florida: State-level tourism marketing organization for Florida — a broader destination marketing body whose international and domestic tourism promotion efforts overlap with Experience Scottsdale's visitor acquisition strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Experience Scottsdale social profiles
Digital presenceExperience Scottsdale financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Experience Scottsdale leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Experience Scottsdale funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Experience Scottsdale M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Experience Scottsdale
What does Experience Scottsdale do?
Experience Scottsdale is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Scottsdale, Arizona, contracted by the City of Scottsdale and Town of Paradise Valley to promote the destination to leisure travelers, meeting planners, travel trade, and media. It produces and distributes visitor guides, itineraries, editorial content, special offers, and convention sales services, and operates a membership program for local tourism businesses.
Is Experience Scottsdale a public or private company?
Experience Scottsdale is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Experience Scottsdale founded?
Experience Scottsdale was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Experience Scottsdale based?
Experience Scottsdale is headquartered in Scottsdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does Experience Scottsdale make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Municipal Contracts are the primary driver. The others are membership Fees and visitor Guide Distribution.
Who are Experience Scottsdale's main competitors?
Tourism Australia is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Visit Phoenix, Visit Denver, Visit Las Vegas, Visit Orlando, Visit Austin and Travel Portland. Broad incumbents are Visit California, Brand USA and Visit Florida.
Does Experience Scottsdale have an API?
No public API is recorded for Experience Scottsdale.
What industry is Experience Scottsdale in?
Experience Scottsdale's product category is Destination Marketing Organization Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHADAA, Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations), with a secondary code of THAHADAG, Corporate Hospitality & VIP Services (Hosting, Protocol, Concierge). Its NAICS code is 561591 and its SIC code is 7900.