Business Participation in DTA Events
Downtown Tempe Authority (DTA) hosts multiple events each year that attract thousands of visitors to our district. In 2024, more than 2.4 million people made 15 million visits to Downtown Tempe. 🤯
DTA also runs district-wide marketing campaigns that include paid advertising, media/TV engagement, social media marketing, and strong web presence. We invite ALL Downtown Tempe district businesses to participate in these events and campaigns. Please read below about each opportunity and register your business to participate.
Why run a Back-to-School campaign?
Move-in, Welcome Week, and the first month of classes bring an influx of tens of thousands of students and families back into downtown after a slow summer season. With Mill Avenue recently being known as an after-dark only destination it can be hard to change existing perceptions. Offering ad campaigns with discounts, specials and promotions specific to ASU shows students, teachers, sports lovers and families that Downtown Tempe businesses welcome and support them and have things specifically for them.
Running a Back-to-School campaign is one of the smartest seasonal moves a business in Downtown Tempe can make because it creates familiarity with your store and builds long-term customer loyalty, gets people in the door that normally wouldn't have ventured in, it is a typical high spend season and it strengthens the downtown perception as a college-friendly area--and when parents come back to visit they will remember that!
A Back-to-School campaign isn’t just about discounts — it’s about owning the start of the semester, building habits, and locking in revenue for months or years ahead. The first 4–6 weeks of the semester are when students decide their go-to coffee shop, lunch spot, study and quick meet-up spot and more. If you win them in August, you often keep them all year.
Already have your Back-to-School campaign or specials?
Submit here and we will add to the ASU student hand out that is distributed to every incoming student.
Looking for ideas?
Browse through this survey to submit.
Why Run Game-Day Specials?
From football to volleyball, swim meets, and hockey, we all know game days are busy — especially with multiple stadiums and arenas within walking distance bringing tens of thousands of fans, alumni, and parents downtown. But busy doesn’t automatically mean maximizing the opportunity.
Game-day specials aren’t about creating traffic — the traffic is already here. They’re about capturing it. Help shift “just walking around” into “let’s stop here” with the tips below and show them they won't find anywhere else like Downtown Tempe on game-day.
*Football is an obvious choice, but other sports often get overlooked and are ripe to market towards. Pick a sport that fits your brand or that you have interest in: ASU Athletics All-Sports Schedule
When you run a visible special, bundle, or limited-time offer, you:
-
Give people a reason to choose your business over a dozen other options
- A visible special cuts through the noise
- Simplify a passersby decision-making with a hook
- Signal you're in the school spirit and active in the community
-
Increase average spend through themed items or packages
- Add limited-time menu items and premium game-day only options
- Bundle items (Beer + appetizer combo, buy one get one 20% off)
-
Create shareable, social moments that extend beyond the game
- Have a game day tradition
- Price drop after each score
- Add special decor in windows on game day
- Unique game-day only collectables
- Smooth out timing & flow
- Drive early traffic (pregame happy hour)
- Extend post-game linger time
- Fill slower windows (late night or next morning brunch, hangover special, tough loss special)
- Turn one-time visitors into repeat customers
- Use the sporting event to create a memorable conversation and strengthen community
- People gravitate toward businesses that feel engaged
- Build repeat behavior beyond game day, beyond the season
- A well-executed special gives them a reason to follow on social, join loyalty programs, and come back on a non-game weekend
- Offer specials to any student athlete and the buzz will spread this is where to hangout
Game days are high-opportunity days. The goal isn’t just to be busy — it’s to be strategic and make sure that energy converts into long-term loyalty.
Submit your Game-Day programs here and we will get the word out.
ASU Family Weekend & Homecoming
The party just gets bigger on ASU Family Weekend and Homecoming Week, which means the opportunities also get bigger. But it may not be as cut and dry and you might automatically think, ASU puts a lot of energy into curating the perfect Family Weekend and Homecoming Week schedules that entice foot traffic to stay within their campus. These are the perfect weekends to pull out the big guns and go hard at marketing downtown to the influx of people.
2025 Average Game Day Downtown population:
2025 ASU Family Weekend Downtown population:
2025 ASU Homecoming Downtown population:
Numbers are generated from PlacerAI cell phone tracking data.
DTA partners with ASU to share out downtown merchant information, specials and deals.
Send us your promotions to share with XXX amount of people coming into Tempe from around the Valley and the nation for these annual events.
Deadline: example September 15, 2026
See links for updates from ASU on this year's event dates and details.
About 2nd Sundays on Mill
The 2nd Sunday in November, January, February, and April from 10 AM to 3 PM closes Mill Avenue from Rio to University and sets up artisan tents between 3rd St. and University. The event is FREE admission, family-friendly, and dog friendly.
There are small snack and beverage vendors invited to this event curated to allow visitors an on-the-go option that does not compete with brick-and-mortar businesses in Downtown Tempe.
How To Be Included?
Food & Beverage
Food & Beverage businesses are invited to submit 2nd Sunday exclusive specials. Exclusive specials are a powerful tool for businesses to drive urgency & immediate sales, builds customer loyalty, increases repeat visits, grows your audience, boosts average spend, the list goes on!
What We Need:
- A high quality photo of product(s), offering or ad
- A description (no more than 50 words)
- A URL (either your website or social channel)
Submit your exclusive 2nd Sunday Specials here.
Retail Businesses
Retail businesses within the event footprint are invited to extend onto the sidewalk through a free Merchant Extension permit. This permit allows us to remove any potential traveling vendors that may not be appropriate for 2nd Sundays while giving existing businesses more visibility during the event for their regular product.
Apply for the free 2025-2026 Merchant Extension permit.
See Road Closure Details Here
About the Holiday Gift Guide
Sign up to be included in the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Downtown Tempe. The gift guide will be promoted within Downtown Tempe Authority's 'Oh, What Fun' holiday campaign. The Holiday Gift Guide is a digital listing of gift ideas and retail options.
Why Be Included?
FREE advertising for your business. Sign up to highlight a specific product, gift special, promotion or gift idea that you want people to know about. The Gift Guide will be shared through DTA's December email (13,000+ subscribers), mentioned in Media Alerts and TV interviews, listed on the 'Oh What Fun' campaign page (50,000+ website visits), and promoted on DTA's social media channels (collective reach of 50,000 people).
Requirements:
- A high quality photo of product(s), offering or ad
- A description (no more than 50 words)
- A URL (either your website or social channel)
Deadline: November 12, 2025
About the Fantasy of Lights Holiday Street Parade
Downtown Tempe’s holiday season officially begins with the Fantasy of Lights Street Parade + Tree Lighting, which also happens to fall either the day before of the day of Small Business Saturday. We like to pair these two traditions together and showcase small business in Downtown Tempe to the thousands of families that attend the Street Parade + Tree Lighting at Centerpoint Plaza off 7th Street.
See More Parade Details.
Sign up to be included in the marketing for Street Parade through our Downtown Tempe Small Business Saturday (SBS) Weekend campaign. The SBS deals and specials will be wrapped up into our entire holiday campaign 'Oh, What Fun' which includes the Holiday Gifts guide, SBS, and holiday events.
Why Be Included?
FREE advertising for your business. Sign up to highlight a specific product, gift special, promotion or gift idea that you want people to know about that will be attended this holiday kickoff weekend only. These specials will be shared through DTA's December email (13,000+ subscribers), mentioned in Media Alerts and TV interviews, listed on the 'Oh What Fun' campaign page (50,000+ website visits), and promoted on DTA's social media channels (collective reach of 50,000 people and counting).
What We Need:
- A high quality photo of product(s), offering or ad
- A description (no more than 50 words)
- A URL (either your website or social channel)
Deadline: November 12, 2026
About the Fantasy of Lights Holiday Boat Parade
Tempe Town Lake becomes the most magical place in the Valley as the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade sets sail. This free, family-friendly tradition draws thousands to the waterfront to experience a night of lights, music, and holiday cheer under the stars.
The event features a festive holiday market with local vendors, live entertainment throughout the evening, plenty of seasonal eats and treats food trucks and tent, and ends with fireworks.
See More Parade Details.
Sign up to be included in the marketing for the Boat Parade through specials that will be wrapped up into our entire holiday campaign 'Oh, What Fun' which includes the Holiday Gifts guide, Small Business Saturday, and holiday events.
If you have the ability to mobilize your businesses whether through a food truck or tent, or would like to set up a booth of your merchandize at the festive holiday market, sign up below.
Submit to be a food vendor
Submit to be a retail market vendor
Why Be Included?
FREE advertising for your business. Sign up to highlight a specific product, gift special, promotion or gift idea that you want people to know about that we can share through DTA's December email (13,000+ subscribers), mentioned in Media Alerts and TV interviews, listed on the 'Oh What Fun' campaign page (50,000+ website visits), and promoted on DTA's social media channels (collective reach of 50,000 people and counting).
What We Need:
- A high quality photo of product(s), offering or ad
- A description (no more than 50 words)
- A URL (either your website or social channel)
Deadline: November 12, 2026
About New Year's Eve Promotion
Downtown Tempe Authority will include New Year's Eve events, specials, experiences or promotions on our Blog, on our 'Oh, What Fun' holiday campaign page, and will dedicate one social media carousel post that is a roundup of all New Year's Eve celebrations in our district.
Why Participate?
- FREE Advertising
- Collaboration on social media
- Expand your reach to new audiences
What is required?
- A high resolution photo or graphic
- Description
- URL for more information
- Social Handle
Deadline: December 15, 2025
About Tempe Blooms
Tempe Blooms is a two-day flowerful celebration that takes place throughout the Downtown Tempe district. In 2025, over 80,000 attendees flooded the streets to immerse themselves in a flowerful wonderland, filled with large-scale floral installations, live music, live mural art, and a flowerful market.
At the 2025 Tempe Blooms event, 20+ downtown businesses participated in the 'Flowerful Specials' as a way to participate in the event.
Why participate in the Flowerful Specials?
This is an opportunity for your business to blooooom. All Flowerful Specials are promoted on the Tempe Blooms website, promoted through social media stories and posts, included in the Valley-wide press release, provided PR and media opportunities (first come basis) and featured on Downtown Tempe's Inside Scoops page.
What is Required?
- A high quality photo of your flowerful special
- A description (ingredients, details, etc.)
Deadline: January 5, 2026
FAQ
Can all businesses participate?
Yes, all businesses can participate so long as there is a floral/bloom/plant connection.Click here for last year's specials
If I missed the deadline, can I still participate?
You can still participate via a listing on the webpage, but will not be part of the media alert, paid advertising or social roundups.
About Spring Training Specials
Downtown Tempe Authority invests in paid media, advertising and outreach opportunities to promote the district during Spring Training. In 2026, Downtown Tempe will host a Spring Training landing page to promote specials, happy hours, deals and discounts for attendees at the Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Why be Included?
Downtown Tempe will have a paid ad in the Spring Training Program Guide, a digital advertising board, and DTA's PR team will also submit a press release to highlight what is happening in Downtown Tempe. This is FREE ADVERTISING for you!
What is Required?
- A high quality photo
- Your business logo
- Details about your promotion, special, or deal.