Josh Dill, CSEE, is director of sports and events at Visit Frisco in Frisco, Texas. As a 2019 Connect Sports Game Changer, he discusses his passion for sports tourism.
Connect with Dill on Twitter and Instagram. What I do: I work to make Frisco a desirable destination for host sporting events by developing strong local partnerships, supporting venue development and promoting sports as a key pillar of our community. I also strive to live by my mantra: “No donut left behind in the breakroom.” How I got here: An internship with a minor league hockey team in Lubbock, Texas, taught me how much I love planning sporting events and how much I hate overpromising and underdelivering. A few years later, a fellow intern (Ryan Callison) introduced me to the world of sports and events tourism and set me on a path that included representing three very different and wonderful destinations. Greatest career accomplishment: Creating and growing a sports department for Visit Fort Worth that led to that city becoming a regular host of major sporting events including multiple NCAA Championships. Big-Time Event: March Madness: This included a collegiate baseball tournament, two collegiate basketball conference championships and a 10-day collegiate club hockey tournament. It was one of the craziest and most rewarding months in my career. What I am working on now: We are devoting a lot of time and resources to the PGA of America and its relocation to Frisco. Not only will we benefit from the economic impact of hosting (at least) 25 championships over the next 20 years, but that deal will have a generational impact on Frisco and the surrounding region by growing the game and providing a world-class public course for our residents to play on. What’s next? We want to continue to build on our Sports City, U.S.A. brand. Recently, our work has centered on getting our current events to sign extensions, which we have been successful in doing with the NCAA FCS Championship game and Conference USA’s Basketball Championships. We are also close to approval on a new funding mechanism for our DMO, so we are busy building incentive programs that will help recruit and grow new events. What I do outside of work: My free time is basically a Cyndi Lauper song because my girls just want to have fun. Since I get to spend my professional life in the sports world (which is a hobby for most), I am blessed to get to devote the rest of my time to trying to make my wife and daughters smile. Whether that means holding and feeding a baby doll, watching "Mary Poppins Returns" for the 1,000th time or having my toe nails (or entire toe) painted that perfect shade of pink, I like to think that my #girldad game is pretty strong.
