Live From IPW: Ron Price on the Phoenix People Don't Know

Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Phoenix president and CEO Ron Price sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a city that's been quietly reinventing itself—and why so many first-time visitors leave saying, "I had no idea." Ron has worked in tourism for 30 years, with a career that spans Marriott, Visit San Antonio, and the Arlington Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau. He joined Visit Phoenix in 2021, and under his leadership the city has hosted the Super Bowl, the Women's Final Four, and—next year—the NBA All-Star Game. In 2024 he launched the Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, finally giving the country's fifth-largest city a coordinated way to compete for major events. He's also helping the destination navigate a rapidly diversifying economy, a softening Canadian market, and the perception problem that comes with being a desert city most travelers think they already understand. In this conversation, Ron and Michelle discuss Why the Sonoran is the wettest desert in the world, and how the lushness keeps surprising visitors who arrived expecting Wile E. Coyote The launch of the Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, the return of the Viva PHX culture festival, and the strategy of growing youth and amateur sports alongside championship events The TSMC effect—the largest international investment in American history—and what $165 billion in semiconductor manufacturing means for international flights, including two new direct routes from Taiwan How Waymo turned Phoenix into the only American city where an autonomous vehicle will pick you up at the airport, and what other proving-ground tech is rolling out next The Canadian snowbird market's stabilization, the long-term Canadian business relationships that anchor it, and what doubling down on a hesitant market looks like in practice The honest conversation about summer heat—the city's investments in heat mitigation, the no-daylight-savings advantage that makes early-morning hikes possible, and how staying-the-clock changes the visitor day Plus: a Pan Am-themed speakeasy where the LED windows simulate a flight to San Francisco, the 22 Indigenous nations within the valley, and a passionate endorsement of Phoenix's Michelin-bound culinary scene. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar 00:01:30 Playing Tourist at the Biltmore 00:03:00 What Surprises Visitors 00:04:30 Building a Sports and Events Engine 00:07:30 The TSMC Effect 00:10:00 Why Canadians Still Matter 00:13:00 New Markets, New Stories 00:15:30 Reframing the Heat 00:18:30 Speakeasies and Indigenous Nations Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ for behind-the-scenes IPW content. ⁠Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Travel Tales⁠ and ⁠Unpacked⁠. This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email ⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices