Downtown Tempe Authority produces many events throughout the year. These events vary in size and scope and can draw as little as 50 people or as many as 250,000, over consecutive days. As with many other organizations that produce events, we were significantly impacted by the cancellation of a large-scale event in spring 2020. Having that experience in our rear-view mirror, we hope to be better prepared for any outcome as we move into our 2020/2021 event season.
At this point, we are moving forward with all of our events beginning in October 2020. However, we are fully aware that we can only make decisions based on the information that is available to us right now. With that said, we understand, as things change, we may have to postpone or cancel events in fall 2020 and spring 2021. Currently, our policy is as follows:
Additionally, many people have a vested interest in the events. Food vendors, artists, musicians, workers, temporary seasonal staff, and local merchants rely heavily on these opportunities. Events are financially important to so many of our stakeholders and we don’t want to take away their means to earning a living if we can feasibly continue in a safe way.
We will always adhere to federal, state and local regulations and guidelines. We may feel that we can safely conduct a particular event, but that decision may be superseded by the authorities. If a declaration is made at a state or local level that prohibits gatherings of a certain size, we will honor those requirements.
Event permits are required for any large event housed in our community. If at any time the City of Tempe feels that it is in the best interest of the public to discontinue holding public events, they have the right to revoke or not issue an event permit. Without this permit, we are unable to produce our events.
Additionally, expenses must be considered. If the requirements that are put in place made the event too costly to produce, we will not be able to move forward with the event. It would not be responsible to hold an event that could possibly bankrupt our organization. Our organization subsidize most of our smaller events through the small profit of our larger events. If the expenses become too great, we will not be able to proceed due to our inability to financially subsidize the events. We will not risk the long-term health of the organization for the short-term gain of a single event season.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any updates if you feel that situations have changed. We are in this together and we look forward to hosting you in Downtown Tempe for a beautiful and joyous event in the future!
Please remember to stay safe, stay supportive and stay #TempeTough.