Attachment A_2026 EMSD Work Plan.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-10-15)

View PDF Meeting page

Extracted text (via ocr_local) 12974 characters
Attachment A

D Thre

Downtown Phoenix Inc.

DTPHX.ORG

2026 EMSD Work Plan
**DRAFT**

Administration, Finance, and Information Technology

Goal: To manage shared resources and maximize efficiencies while supporting
initiatives and projects organization-wide.

Proposed Objectives to Achieve Goal

1.

Provide technical assistance for customer relationship management (CRM)
platform

Continue to identify process improvements, training, budget saving
opportunities, and ways to help staff across all DPI departments and
affiliates work more efficiently and effectively

Support the work of all DPI departments, affiliates and facilities through
finance, administrative, HR and IT services

Manage DPI employee benefits and payroll compliance

Utilize and maximize resources within Emfluent platform, a local Predictive
Insights firm that specializes in talent optimization, office culture
development, career pathing and hiring best practices

Prioritize employee development and retention throughout the year
Oversee the implementation and completion of mid-year and end-of-year
assessments

Curate a desirable in-office experience for both employees and visitors,
making our HQ an increasingly magnetic nexus of city building activity
Working with Marketing, Ambassadors and Clean + Green Team, manage
inventory and spending of Downtown Phoenix Inc. branded merchandise
and uniforms

10. Manage compliance with City contract, including annual audit

Marketing & Events

Goal: Sustaining our neighborhood's positive momentum through mission-
driven programming and events, relentless business support, rich, human
interest-driven storytelling, and user-friendly resources that reinforce our
live/work/play/learn/create identity.

Proposed Objectives to Achieve Goal

1. With Community Engagement and street teams, provide support to City of
Phoenix and Local Organizing Committee in hosting 2026 NCAA Women’s
Final Four; use opportunity of hosting Women’s Final Four to elevate and
amplify Downtown’s increasingly compelling story

2. Continue to develop and expand potential of new dtphx.org web site, which
debuted in 2025

3. Continue to leverage the Downtown Insider, which experienced 40 percent
subscriber growth in the first five months of 2025

4. Continue to share human interest stories (business owners, students,
residents, employees, community leaders etc.) through the DTPHX blog,
Insider and social media while also using our platforms to promote the
important work we do to propel the neighborhood forward (Clean + Green
Team, DTPHX Ambassadors, convention and mega event support, homeless
outreach, volunteering, event support, business support, etc.)

5. Develop targeted PR strategies to amplify the organization’s initiatives,
including reports on economic growth, seasonal campaigns, DPI produced
events, and other newsworthy announcements

a. Track media results through a media monitoring program that
showcases reach, impressions, and publicity value
b. Track event results to show growth and community impact

6. Bolster strategic partnerships with City of Phoenix, Visit Phoenix, and Arizona
Office of Tourism to streamline marketing efforts and increase awareness of
Downtown businesses, cultural institutions, events and amenities

7. Raise public awareness to work DPI is doing to support individuals
experiencing homelessness:

a. Promoting the work of our Outreach Navigators

b. Promoting We're In This Together v2.0 campaign

c. Promoting collaborative work being done in DTPHX Community
Resource Hub, a new facility managed by DPI that provides office
space for key partners like Valley Metro, City of Phoenix Community

Assistance Program (CAP), Upward and Onward, Phoenix PD's
Downtown Operations Unit (DOU) and our contracted Outreach
Navigators
8. Continue to curate an events portfolio and inclusive placemaking pop-ups
that check multiple mission-driven boxes:
Family Friendly
Activating Public Spaces
Inclusive
Promoting Downtown Businesses
Budget Friendly
Multi-Cultural
g. Arts-Centric
9. Continue to identify new creative event spaces to expand our Venue Menu,
positively impacting other areas of Downtown while relieving stress on
Downtown parks
10. Increase event attendance through outreach to Downtown employees,
students and residents
a. Continue working with ASU leadership to activate Civic Space Park
b. Work with Community Engagement and residential property managers
to attract more Downtown residents to events
11. Continue celebration of cultural months, including DPI] campaigns, produced
and sponsored events, stakeholder engagement and community feedback
(social media, surveys)
12.Continue to advance our event recruitment and curation strategies by
growing our trusted network of Downtown event producers and convening
those producers, in partnership with the City, twice yearly
13.Continue to grow sponsorship opportunities, focusing on providing
opportunities to our investors and stakeholders
14. Continue to work with Visit Phoenix, Phoenix Convention Center, and
hospitality partners to sell Downtown to convention clients and event
producers, including assisting on site visits, executing golf cart tours and
leveraging our constantly improving amenity package

~o ano

DTPHX Ambassadors and Clean & Green Team

Goal: To curate a distinguishing sidewalk experience that is clean, safe,
welcoming, and inclusive.

Proposed Objectives to Achieve Goal

Ambassador Program

1.

uw

Continue to serve as eyes and ears for Downtown by maintaining up to 24

full-time positions

a. Includes funding to financially support two (2) City of Phoenix Civic Space
Park Rangers

Continue to participate in the City’s coordinated efforts to reduce

homelessness by connecting individuals in need to services and shelter

a. Continue to provide services to EMSD and Greater Downtown through
two (2) dedicated dehp Integrative Services Outreach Navigators, who
office out of the DTPHX Community Resource Hub and coordinate with
DTPHX Ambassadors and Downtown stakeholders directly

. Continue to professionally develop Ambassadors through monthly training

programs, beyond 30/60/90-day onboarding

a. Provide street-level business tours and walking familiarization tours to
Ambassadors to keep up with the rapid growth and development of
Downtown

b. Schedule ongoing field trainings and other professional development
opportunities

Manage the front lobby of DPI’s main office

Continue to track daily (and report monthly) Ambassador interactions and

services delivered through Eponic handheld devices; continue to explore

viability capabilities of Eponic’s web-based app, which would give

stakeholders direct access for services requests

. As Downtown development continues to deliver new residential and

commercial offerings, evolve deployment to best serve entire EMSD,
including newly added northern portion of Phoenix Bioscience Core

Clean & Green Team

1.

Continue to clean high-traffic public spaces and infrastructure with pressure

washing equipment

Improve walkability of Downtown’'s corridors and enhance the street level

experience through landscaping

a. Increase pedestrian friendliness through tree plantings and potentially,
with the help of grant funding, manufactured shade installations

b. Continue adding planters with flowering plants to beautify building
exteriors near intersections throughout the EMSD

c. Continue to focus on west/northwest portions of EMSD, where thousands
of apartment units have recently opened

d. Continue to design, install and maintain dog stations throughout the
EMSD

. Continue to assess and improve public amenities throughout the Streetscape

Improvement District, such as:

a. Additional trash/recycling receptacles
Assist City of Phoenix with implantation of Downtown Parking Plan
recommendations regarding signage

. Continue to support Downtown’'s bike culture and pedestrian experience

with an emphasis on improving the safety of sidewalks, crosswalks and bike
lanes

. Continue to work with City of Phoenix Streets Department to address

signaling improvements throughout EMSD
Support stakeholders, such as ASU, working with the City of Phoenix to
create pedestrian malls/corridors

Community Engagement

Goal: To inform and engage Downtown Stakeholders in Downtown Phoenix
Inc.'s events, resources, and services by building and supporting avenues of
reciprocal communication.

Proposed Objectives to Achieve Goal:

1.

Continue staff's familiarization and proficiency in the utilization of Client
Relationship Management (CRM) platform Virtuous, and refine stakeholder

lists to maximize performance and allow for more targeted communications
and stronger historical data
. Ensure proper communication channels are in place with property
management teams, security teams, and parking management teams to
support Downtown’s high volume event days; implement tech systems that
will streamline these communications
. Raise awareness of our services with residential property managers and
ownership of new and recent apartment communities within the EMSD, with
the ultimate goal of seeing our welcome kits and printed collateral reaching
residents who live in those towers
. Continue placemaking efforts throughout EMSD by partnering with
stakeholders on a variety of projects
a. Continue Family Friendly infrastructure initiatives, like Story Walk,
and create a guide to family friendly amenities Downtown
b. Establish partnerships with local sustainability experts for greening
projects and redevelopment of green space
. Continue to partner with Downtown neighborhood groups like Downtown
Core Community and Evans Churchill Community Association (Ex: Group
bike rides, volunteer cleanups, etc.)
. Strategically utilize streetpole banners for evergreen marketing and
placemaking initiatives
. Continue stakeholder engagement through monthly meetings (Open House,
Events, Streets + Transportation), email communications (SOE, Stakeholder
Alerts), events and one-on-one touchpoints
. Leverage Downtown focus groups—made up of residents, students, event
producers, employees, business owners, etc.—to help inform staff direction;
formalize structure and cadence to maximize feedback
. Continue to grow The Flock volunteer program:
a. Host a wide variety of volunteer opportunities that increase
engagement with Downtown students, employees and residents
b. Continue to deploy The Flock as an additional value to event producers
c. Partner with local non-profit organizations to host satellite volunteer
opportunities in public spaces and residential + office towers
d. Continue to build the database of volunteers
e. Pilot a community impact program that engages local businesses

Business Development

Goal: To foster Downtown as a sustainable, inclusive, family-friendly and
economically-viable business, education, entertainment and residential center
of our city and region.

Proposed Objectives to Achieve Goal:

1.

Assist the City of Phoenix's Community and Economic Development
Department with the attraction of new businesses and companies while also
targeting retail gaps in Downtown, with emphasis on non-F&B businesses
Assist the City of Phoenix's Community and Economic Development
department in prioritizing office retention efforts; enhance employee
retention and attraction by leading strategic engagement initiatives, such as
regular employer/employee surveys and proactive relationship-building with
company leaders

. Continue to serve as “one-stop” information + data resource for developers,

brokers, and companies interested in locating/expanding Downtown,
including access to a new digital twin platform specifically for Downtown

. Maintain and regularly update Downtown Business Core data resources,

including but not limited to: monthly Facts & Figures one sheet,
demographic reports and development tracking; this data ensures accurate
reporting by DPI and its partners and helps develop a strong understanding
and visualization of Downtown trends

. Continue to promote, organize and facilitate curated golf cart tours of

Downtown for brokers, potential tenants, developers and other stakeholders
to showcase the area and foster valuable new business connections

. Maintain connectivity to commercial property management teams and

increase their awareness of business development services and economic
development data and collateral available to them through DPI

Conduct regular business retention + expansion visits with Downtown
street-level businesses to build relationships, identify challenges, connect to
resources, and provide direct technical assistance where needed

. Support the Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation [DP

CDC] in advancing affordable housing development in/adjacent to the EMSD

. Continue to manage and curate the Downtown Phoenix Digital Twin,

including providing user support, coordinating with technical partners,
maintaining existing data, and identifying new data sources