One Arizona company has more outdoor events than it can handle

By Tom Maxedon
Published: Monday, November 1, 2021 - 8:51am
Updated: Monday, November 1, 2021 - 9:09am

Buddha Beach in Sedona
Stina Sieg/KJZZ
A cairn rock stack at Buddha Beach in Sedona, Arizona.

Far from the summer heat, many in the tourism industry are hoping the next couple of financial quarters bring a boom to their businesses — many of which are just now seeing gains.

Matt Cooley is CEO for a Phoenix-based event company that suffered a $1 million financial loss due to the pandemic.

He said pent-up demand by those who want to be outdoors is contributing to more business than his company can handle at the moment.

“Arizona is such a destination for outdoor and experiential amenities that we as a state also benefit from the need for that right now. Everybody wants to be outside,” said Cooley.

He also said other operators in the tourism sphere have told him their businesses are booming as well, but many are dealing with labor shortages experienced by all types of companies.

Business Tourism