Strategy: Experiences
Accomodations
Diverse, high-quality lodging options enable visitors to extend their time in a destination and expand their ability to enjoy various attractions and events while contributing to the local economy. With over 18,500 hotel rooms and a 60% share of ‘Upscale’ inventory, Pittsburgh is widely considered an upmarket destination. Short-term rentals are also an important and increasingly popular choice in Allegheny County. Hotel development has historically responded to visitor demand by creating group- and business-oriented accommodations downtown, and by developing leisure accommodations downtown and along the western airport corridor. Supply is relatively young and consists mostly of limited- and select-service properties which offer fewer services and amenities. New opportunities have arisen in Oakland as a growing tech, healthcare, and education hub. Near-future hotel development is limited, with only one 225-room hotel planned for completion within the next 4 years.
Despite the past focus on development, Pittsburgh’s downtown hotel supply does not meet convention center needs due to the age of larger properties and the lack of immediately adjacent rooms. Market conditions are not currently suitable for the addition of a large headquarters hotel without public financing.
As the destination continues to draw both business and regional leisure travelers with a range of budgets, Pittsburgh will need to diversify its lodging products and price points to meet the needs of these consumer segments.
AC.1
Guide Hotel Development Opportunities
Improvements in the quality of existing hotels and the addition of new supply that better serve traveler needs are essential components to improve Pittsburgh as a tourism destination. As such, it is important that Pittsburgh continue to support the growth of rooms in quality hotel developments across the city, particularly in key visitor supporting neighborhoods such as Downtown, Oakland, East Allegheny/Historic Deutschtown, and the Strip District.
ACTIONS
- Support the exploration and development of a convention center hotel
- Incentivize renovations of existing downtown full-service hotel inventory
- Continue support of office-to-hotel or short-term rental conversion incentives by City, County, and Commonwealth
- Endorse/support multi-use development plans that include hotels to complement other opportunities such as new transit corridors, entertainment districts, and sports and recreation venues.
AC.2
Diversify Lodging Options
With the rise—and staying power—of remote work and bleisure travel, destinations are positioning themselves to capture the demand from visitors who have the flexibility to work from anywhere with a good wi-fi connection. More workers who travel for conferences and conventions are also choosing to extend their trips by one or more days to explore the destination’s offerings. Lifestyle/boutique hotels, with their unique designs and personalized amenities and services, provide a welcome range of choices for such visitors. Currently, short-term rentals have a larger presence in secondary visitor-supporting neighborhoods such as Liberty/Highland Park, and South Side Flats. Given that these neighborhoods have no/low inventory of hotel rooms, Pittsburgh has a prime opportunity to close the service gap by increasing the supply of lodging through short-term rentals - primarily for leisure travelers.
ACTIONS
- Support lifestyle/boutique hotel development to meet business traveler demand and expectations
- Adopt flexible zoning and regulatory codes to allow for owner-occupied short-term rentals in most neighborhoods
- Establish zones where non-owner occupied short-term rentals may be allowed with the approval of residents
Neighborhoods
Pittsburgh is a city of multitudes with each neighborhood offering visitors the ability to immerse in a variety of local experiences and connect with local people. From hip, award-winning eateries in Lawrenceville to family-friendly parks and playgrounds in Squirrel Hill, the city’s neighborhoods – even beyond the Golden Triangle – are fast becoming recognized by regional visitors as cool destinations.
As neighborhood tourism continues to grow, Pittsburgh will be able to build and distribute local wealth across more communities by offering opportunities for families, grassroots groups, and small businesses to become more actively involved in the tourism economy – whether through offering homes as short-term rentals or providing tour services and making unique products that create memorable moments for visitors.
NE.1
Promote Pittsburgh's Neighborhoods and Diverse Local Heritage
Each of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods offers its own history and legacy, culture, and sets of experiences. Of its over 90 neighborhoods, only about 10% are popular visitor destinations anchored by major sports arenas/stadiums, museums and cultural institutions, parks, and universities. In order to better integrate the City’s diverse neighborhoods with visitor experiences and to increase the visibility of unique attractions and businesses within each neighborhood, Pittsburgh will need to build on its existing ‘Neighborhoods’ content and package itineraries - particularly for neighborhoods that are adjacent to popular visitor destinations such as Strip District-Lawrenceville, Mount Washington-South Side Flats, and Shadyside-East Liberty. In particular, telling unique stories of each neighborhood will also be critical to igniting interest amongst visitors who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the local neighborhoods and their histories.
ACTIONS
- Develop neighborhood itineraries and highlight unique heritage features of various neighborhoods across the destination
- Promote neighborhood events in an annual calendar for top visitor-supporting neighborhoods
- Create a neighborhood events co-op marketing program
- Create a local marketing campaign and rewards program to incentivize drive market visitors to return to Pittsburgh
African American Heritage
More than one in five residents of Pittsburgh currently identifies as being Black or African-American, according to the latest Census. Despite a decline from 2010 to 2020 in Pittsburgh, the Black population remains strong in Allegheny County. With Black Pittsburghers arriving as early as the 1800s following abolition, their history and culture continue to manifest in the urban fabric of the City – in local music, craft, cuisines, and historic sites and institutions.
AA.1
Build Relationships With African-American Tourism and Heritage Community
Although VisitPITTSBURGH has long been a promoter of various tourism assets centered on Black history in the city, there remains a great opportunity to build deeper partnerships with local partners to ensure better coordination of citywide events and attractions celebrating Black history and culture. As the destination endeavors to further elevate African-American heritage tourism and expand its visitor experiences, it is important to initiate conversations with new and old partners throughout the city to better understand their operating and marketing needs and perspectives.
ACTIONS
- Form African-American Tourism Advisory Council and organize biannual meetings
AA.2
Create and Expand African-American Heritage Assets
Between the underground railroad sites spread across the County, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and iconic community events celebrating Black excellence in music, arts, and craft brew, Pittsburgh is a year-round destination for Black cultural experiences and for exploring the rich depth of American Black history. With input from members of the African-American Tourism Advisory Council (see above recommendation), VisitPITTSBURGH should provide financial support and technical resources to partners in order to expand offerings centered on African-American history and culture. This may include an adaptation of the existing Emerging Festivals & Cultural Events grant program and a new grants and technical assistance program for tour operators and asset managers to further develop/expand African American tourism experiences, including tours, exhibitions/galleries, and cultural or historical sites.
ACTIONS
- Expand community events that celebrate African American history and culture across the city
- Establish an African American experience development program
AA.3
Promote the Experiences and Attractions Honoring the Impact and Influence of Black Culture
Despite its rich depth and breadth of black history, African American experiences were among the least recognized features in the city amongst visitors surveyed, likely due to limited awareness and knowledge of what’s on offer in the destination. To heighten the visibility of existing assets and to encourage visitors to spend time exploring the City’s Black history and culture across various museums, monuments/sites, and Black-owned businesses, Pittsburgh will need to invest in marketing campaigns and visitor incentive programs that lower barriers to participation for visitors.
ACTIONS
- Curate a collection of immersive African American Tourism experiences to market and sell via BandWango platform
- Create rewards program for visitors participating in African American tourism
CASE STUDIES
Louisville Tourism “Black Heritage Tour Collection”
The Black Heritage Tour Collection highlights the African American influence in the bourbon and horse racing industries of Kentucky. In partnership with local attractions, Louisville Tourism has created a set of immersive experiences including tours, tastings, and performances across various assets - telling the stories of key historical figures from the City.
South Carolina “Green Book”
In 2013, South Carolina African American Heritage Commission created a “Green Book” mobile app that included 300 historic African-American sites in the state. The app, named for the Jim Crow-era guides for black travelers that detailed safe places to get food and lodging, enabled visitors to participate on self-guided tours of existing heritage monuments.
LGBTQIA+
With travel expenditures exceeding $100 billion annually, the LGBTQIA+ community is a visitor segment to be reckoned with. As with other travelers, this group is simply in search of welcoming and safe urban destinations. Most LGBTQIA+ travelers take the time required to conduct thorough research on their destination and appreciate visibility and resources that aid in travel planning, including the ability to find information on local laws and policies, and tailored travel recommendations for their lifestyle preferences and interests.
L+.1
Position Pittsburgh as an Inclusive and Welcoming Destination for LGBTQ+ Travelers
According to a 2022 Booking.Com survey of American LGBTQIA+ travelers, 67 percent reported they are more likely to travel to a place that celebrates the local LGBTQIA+ community. As such, it is important for destination management organizations to build a strong image of themselves as a queer-inclusive destination through marketing campaigns, as well as develop queer-friendly experiences with the support of local LGBTQIA+ leaders and allies who know the community best.
ACTIONS
- Develop a marketing campaign for Pittsburgh as an LGBTQ+-friendly destination
- Curate a collection of unique LGBTQ+ experiences
- Co-sponsor and support Pride Week events across the city’s neighborhoods
L+.2
Improve Industry Knowledge and Resources of Inclusive Services
To create a welcoming destination for LGBTQIA travelers, it is critical for VisitPITTSBURGH and its partners across the industry to first build knowledge and skills internally of inclusive and safe practices in hospitality. Common challenges reported by queer travelers nationally include guest association stereotypes and assumptions of pronouns or misgendering. Tackling these issues will require partnerships with cultural awareness and DEI experts with established curricula and resources, as well as commitment from internal staff and frontline employees who are often the first points of contact for many queer travelers.
ACTIONS
- Participate in the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association
- Work with partners to offer hospitality staff training program to provide inclusive service
Arts & Culture
Pittsburgh is not just a city for sports – even if it may be perceived as such by visitors. Its arts community, in fact, has been an integral part of the city since industrial times when Pittsburgh was also widely known as The Glass City. By 2017, arts and culture had become one of Allegheny County’s biggest tourism drivers, inviting millions of predominantly regional visitors/attendees to both free and paid events and performances. In a survey of community residents in 2022, respondents shared that the most popular types of events are arts/culture, followed by sports, food, neighborhood celebrations, outdoor concerts, and cars. Despite slow recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pittsburgh’s cultural institutions and partners remain dedicated to the City as they continue to expand operations and reinvest in arts education, public programs, and events. Many hold strongly that Pittsburgh is well-positioned to become the cultural hub of Northern Appalachia with its strong base of young audiences from colleges within the City and across the region.
AT.1
Expand Promotion and Marketing of Pittsburgh's Arts & Culture
When benchmarked against competitive destinations such as Cincinnati and Louisville, Pittsburgh’s large and interesting inventory of museums ranks 4th, indicating an advantage in institutional art. In fact, many of its museums play host to roaming exhibitions by world-renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Dale Chihuly. While these anchor attractions have strong marketing campaigns and initiatives to promote visitation individually, there is an opportunity to support cross-visitation between museums and galleries through a city-wide ‘culture pass’. Some of the world’s leading cultural destinations such as New York, London, and Paris offer visitors savings on electronic tickets to multiple museums
ACTIONS
- Create a Pittsburgh MuseumPass
- Connect relevant stakeholders who could package different types of cultural experiences together
- Develop an annual marketing plan in coordination with major arts and culture partners across the destination
AT.2
Support Creation of New Arts/Culture Products and Experiences
According to a community survey conducted as part of the destination master planning process, local respondents shared that access to arts and culture is an important factor when choosing to live in Pittsburgh. In order to retain residents and workers in the region, in addition to attracting new regional visitors, Pittsburgh will need to expand its selection of cultural events and festivals throughout the calendar year. In particular, stakeholders shared that the city’s historic architecture and fast-growing collection of public art remain untapped assets for cultural tourism.
ACTIONS
- Support development of new entertainment venues
- Partner with Open Doors and various key architectural sites/buildings to create an ‘Open House’ weekend/festival
- Invest in a digitally-enabled, self-guided citywide public art tour with local partners
AT.3
Promote the Newly Defined Pop District
The Warhol Museum, located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh and one of four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, holds the most extensive permanent collection of art and archives from the native pop art icon Andy Warhol. Since its opening in 1994, it has grown not only as a cultural destination but an economic engine and educational hub - offering K-12 programs and training for teachers and arts educators and supporting nearly 100 jobs on-site. In its next phase, the institution plans to extend its programs and offerings beyond its four walls and into the district at-large with a facility expansion that includes “a new 40,000SF live performance and event facility, a six square- block public art initiative, and a scalable workforce development program focused on creative economy training for diverse, regional youth.” This new arts campus will serve to reinforce Pittsburgh’s identity as a cultural destination and drive new excitement to the City’s North Shore.
ACTIONS
- Support the development of Catalyst Project “The POP District”
- Support enhanced streetscape improvements between the POP District and the Cultural District Downtown, including supporting renovations at Allegheny Riverfront Park and restoration of the upper promenade at Allegheny Riverfront Park
- Develop marketing campaign to connect new POP District and Cultural District Downtown
Culinary
Pittsburgh’s rich cultural heritage and continued evolution has a strong influence in its culinary offerings. From Italian classics to Caribbean, South American, and Asian cuisines, the City is an underrated foodie destination. In fact, when benchmarked against competitive urban markets, the City ranked 3rd with 1,156 restaurants with a rating of 4 stars or more – behind Philadelphia and St Louis. Today, alongside legacy eateries in The Strip, Pittsburgh is beaming with accolades, including more than a dozen James Beard Award semifinalists and one of Esquire Magazine’s Best 27 Bars in America. Pittsburgh’s rich cultural heritage and continued evolution has a strong influence in its culinary offerings. From Italian classics to Caribbean, South American, and Asian cuisines, the City is an underrated foodie destination. In fact, when benchmarked against competitive urban markets, the City ranked 3rd with 1,156 restaurants with a rating of 4 stars or more – behind Philadelphia and St Louis. Today, alongside legacy eateries in The Strip, Pittsburgh is beaming with accolades, including more than a dozen James Beard Award semifinalists and one of Esquire Magazine’s Best 27 Bars in America.
CU.1
Create and Promote Diverse Culinary Events and Experiences
Visitors often experience cities by indulging in local cuisines. However, trying new foods in new places can be intimidating. Pittsburgh should work closely with partners in the culinary industry and local business chambers (including the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce) to highlight the unique dining experiences on offer across the destination and help lower barriers to entry in order to encourage visitors - old and new - to step out of their comfort zones and explore Pittsburgh’s wide variety of restaurants. This can be achieved through education and marketing such as having a guided tour or class, or a curated menu and experience.
ACTIONS
- Develop a FlavorPittsburgh culinary content hub that highlights diversity of cuisines in the destination, including gastronomic-inspired travel itineraries and stories of all cuisine available on offer
- Support food tour operators (e.g. Burgh Bits and Bites) and the development of self-guided citywide food tours, where current tours are not possible
- Cross market existing major culinary events and festival
- Create a late-night dining campaign and seasonal events
Craft Beverage
The craft brewery scene in Pittsburgh began flourishing in the last decade following state law adjustments allowing self-distribution on-site. Today, the craft brewery industry in the city and region offers visitors a combination of quality and experimental beer and a community of friendly beer enthusiasts. The city has become a popular destination for craft breweries for its mix of beer styles – from mixed fermentation beers to the classic New England-style IPAs – and has been ranked the best city for beer drinkers by SmartAsset and also named a top city for craft brewing by MoveBuddah.com. With the formation of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild, there seem to be no signs of slowing as the industry builds on its momentum with new events, festivals, and marketing initiatives every year.
CB.1
Increase Connectivity Between Craft Beverage Assets
The Pittsburgh Brewery Guide takes visitors on a guided journey through the destinations over 38 Pittsburgh Brewers Guild member breweries and incentivizes visitors to explore various breweries with rewards and prizes with more frequent visits. While this tool is effective in communicating the full landscape of breweries to visitors, many members of the Guild shared challenges in physical connections between their businesses and facilities that pose barriers to travelers who may not be familiar with navigating the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
ACTIONS
- Pilot a “Hop-on-Hop-off Craft Beverage” shuttle service with local tour operators
CB.2
Create and Promote Craft Beverage Events and Experiences
Part of the allure of beer tourism is also the opportunity to engage with locals and experience nightlife in the city. As such, it is critical that Pittsburgh builds on events and activities that closely align with or complement craft beverage experiences. Currently, the Three Rivers Beer Week is the only marquee event consisting of entertainment, performances, and pop-up food experiences at participating breweries, drawing thousands of participants regionally. Its success indicates the latent demand in the market for more cross-brewery activations and large-scale events and festivals to support traffic to businesses in the industry.
ACTIONS
- Create a running/cycling event centered around Pittsburgh Brewers Guilds’ trail
- Supporting and growing existing/new craft beverage events and festivals through marketing grants
Shopping & Entertainment
Pittsburgh ranked 6th against its urban destination competitors with fewer quality shopping experiences. This was further reinforced by a 2022 survey of Pittsburgh visitors that found travelers perceived the quality of Pittsburgh’s shopping experience and nightlife as being ‘below average’.
The main challenge with shopping in the City lies primarily with a limited supply of retail in nonconvenience categories that better serve visitors. This includes general merchandise, apparel, unique novelty goods stores, and ‘retailtainment’ (or retail with entertainment concepts). At this time, many of the retail nodes across Pittsburgh are locally serving and consist of tenants offering fast food, fast casual dining, groceries, and personal care services. While building retail supply may be challenging, Pittsburgh instead has the opportunity to help tenants pivot toward ‘retailtainment’ – a fast-growing concept – and to leverage existing assets such as outlet malls and regional shopping centers just outside the county that continue to be attractions for international travelers incentivized by lower sales taxes.
SE.1
Develop Entertainment Districts
Entertainment districts are a clever way to collectively brand and market contiguous areas offering a mix of sports, arts, and cultural activities and events. By clustering experiences under a single umbrella identity, visitors are likely to view individual attractions as complementary to one another and to combine visits and tours to various venues at the same time. In doing so, museums and cultural institutions that have lower annual visitation numbers than sporting venues are able to harness trickle-down effects during game days and gain visibility with different audiences. Just as critical to branding and marketing entertainment districts is ensuring that on-the-ground conditions are addressed through capital investments, including visitor safety and connectivity.
ACTIONS
- Support equitable development of catalyst projects “Northside Entertainment District” and “Lower Hill Entertainment District”
- Develop a distinct brand for Pittsburgh’s Entertainment Districts and market sports and arts attractions on the Northside as a holistic entertainment district experience
SE.2
Grow Family-Friendly Anchor Attractions
Pittsburgh ranks 12th for family entertainment. The destination has comparable amenities to peers as it relates to zoos and aquariums and also amusement parks, with Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium and the National Aviary as well as Kennywood Park, but lags behind for fun and games - particularly in downtown Pittsburgh, where large share of hotel rooms are located. In order to be able to keep traveling families entertained in the core of the City, Pittsburgh will need to work closely with property owners to support the entry of a large family-friendly entertainment tenant such as a bowling alley, indoor playground, or mid-sized performing venue.
ACTIONS
- Attract and support downtown anchor entertainment tenants through regulatory and financial incentives
SE.3
Promote Pittsburgh Nightlife
Although Pittsburgh’s spectator sports drive a large share of nighttime activity in the City throughout the year, most of this traffic is confined to stadiums, arenas, and sports bars. Diversifying the nighttime economy will be important to attract a wider range of visitors to the destination, as well as capture a larger share of overnight tourism. This includes investing in the marketing of existing nighttime venues/attractions as well as developing new ones to better reflect the preferences of the different audience segments of visitors to the City - for example, frugal families and active adventurers.
ACTIONS
- Curate a collection of nighttime activities and performances by different audiences
- Develop anchor/large-scale nighttime events
SE.4
Highlight Pittsburgh's Unique Shopping Opportunities
While the pandemic may have shaken downtown Pittsburgh’s retail mix where 30% of ground-floor retail spaces have become vacant, other neighborhoods across the city and in neighboring counties have emerged as popular shopping destinations. From Squirrel Hill to Lawrenceville, these retail nodes are meeting the preferences of consumers and visitors who are seeking authentic connections with local brands and small businesses.
ACTIONS
- Build on Made in PGH brand and efforts to promote local retail businesses across the City
- Sponsor local seasonal craft market events and pop-ups
Outdoor Adventures
With its unique topography, Pittsburgh boasts a diverse landscape with endless recreational opportunities for visitors with varying interests and abilities. Within a 30-minute drive, visitors to the City are able to access rivers, mountains, and countless trails year-round for a variety of activities – from fishing and boating to hiking, and cycling. In fact, with several highly-rated boat and water activities, and parks, the destination ranks 6th for adventures amongst its competitive set.
Despite the proximity and availability of natural landscapes in the region, visitors continue to underrate ‘Outdoor Activities’ and ‘Nature and Parks’ as features of the destination. With significant investment in regional parks and trails underway, Pittsburgh may soon rise in prominence as a hybrid destination for urban and rural adventures.
OA.1
Increase Visibility of Outdoor Adventures
One of the most unique features of Pittsburgh is its location at the junction of three rivers - Allegheny River, Monongahela River, and Ohio River. According to industry stakeholders, however, this feature is rarely associated with recreation opportunities and outdoor adventure experiences. Instead, the river is often perceived as a barrier for visitors who more commonly associate the rivers with driving through bridges and tunnels. Changing visitor perceptions will require intentional storytelling that focuses on river adventures - from canoeing to boating and swimming - and its evolution from a 19th-century industrial waterfront to a playful escape in the City. This effort should build on the brand previously developed by RiverLife PGH: “One Experience, Three Destinations: Pittsburgh’s River Rooms”
ACTIONS
- Develop a marketing campaign for river events and riverfront trails
OA.2
Enhance River Public Access
Over the last decade, Pittsburgh has made strides in enhancing public access to the riverfront, including the completion of the Allegheny Riverfront Park and several art activations along Allegheny. The nearly $4.2 billion in riverfront and adjacent investments have increased visibility and awareness of the waterfront, and more importantly, brought communities together. Moving into the next era of the City’s waterfront, it is critical for Pittsburgh to continue supporting the work of partners who are working to improve accessibility to the rivers and the use of the rivers for visitors. This includes ensuring recreational vehicles are able to operate in the river easily and given priority on the banks of the rivers, as well as providing amenities for new tour operators to bring more people onto the waters.
ACTIONS
- Support development of amenities for river users - including boat rental/storage facilities, and river markers
- Improve connectors between river and anchors/landmarks
OA.3
Expand Outdoor Adventure Programs
Introducing and familiarizing visitors and local communities with Pittsburgh’s regional parks and waterfronts will require consistent yearly programming and marquee events that create memorable moments for different audiences and drive repeat visitation - particularly for those living in Allegheny County and the region. While local partners such as the Allegheny County Parks Department is able to support and organize programs across various parks and open spaces, events require significant capital and marketing - of which many local groups lack expertise and resources. Working with the local and regional parks systems and waterfront organizations, VisitPITTSBURGH will need to take the lead in building a pipeline of events and programs that align with the various available spaces in the County in order to create a robust calendar of activities centered on outdoor adventures and health & fitness.
ACTIONS
- Identify and engage group tour operators who can offer destination biking, hiking, paddling, or other extended outdoor recreation trips in Allegheny County
- Attract lifestyle events, activities, and business opportunities focused around health, fitness, and living well in regional parks
OA.4
Build a Destination Outdoor Adventure Hub
Travelers are increasingly sophisticated and are finding new ways to conduct research on destinations prior to trips. Often, this customer journey begins online and on mobile devices. As such, to successfully capture the spending potential of visitors - especially ones who don’t currently associate Pittsburgh as an outdoor recreation destination, it is important to create a one-stop resource for all tours, activities, and attractions relating to the great outdoors of Allegheny County.
ACTIONS
- Assess the feasibility of a centralized activity booking platform to centralize all activities available in the area.
- Develop a digital hub to book activities
Sports, Meetings, & Events
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are home to world-class sports facilities, meeting, and event spaces that attract both residents and visitors, including the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC), Nova Place, Monroeville Convention Center, the Carnegie Museums, PPG Paints Arena, Petersen Events Center, Highmark Stadium, PNC Park, and Acrisure Stadium. Special events such as Picklesburgh, Three Rivers Arts Festival, and the Pittsburgh Marathon contribute to the City’s active vibe. Pittsburgh’s position as an innovation hub offers a unique selling point for the destination.
SM.1
Celebrate Pittsburgh's Sports Heritage
Sports is part of Pittsburgh’s history, and have been played dating back to the American Civil War. The first professional American football game was also played in the city in 1892. Since then the city has seen great success in baseball, hockey, and American football, and the county been home to multiple sports figures. To this date, both residents and visitors still consider Pittsburgh to be a sports city according to the 2022 VisitPittburgh survey, and the “City of Champions” continues to resonate with some. With three major professional sports franchises (Penguin, Pirates, Steelers) and performing collegiate teams, sports in Pittsburgh goes beyond the game and celebrating it’s history is an opportunity to expand and create new experiences to further connect with residents, visitors, and fans around the world.
ACTIONS
- Build on the City of Champions campaign across all channels and tell the stories of Pittsburgh's legacy athletes
- Develop a sports trail celebrating city's diverse sports legacy and landmark locations
SM.2
Expand Partnership With Major League Sports Team on Destination Marketing
Major league sporting events are important tools in the marketing of destinations. Pittsburgh’s three professional sports stadiums attracted approximately 4 million annual visitors in 2022, with an average of 30% visiting from outside the County’s surrounding area. Game seasons and days bring large volumes of visitors and attract media attention that allows the city to be seen by prospective visitors nationally and likely positioned as a potential vacation destination. With the extensive reach of media broadcasts, Pittsburgh can reshape its narrative to feature its unique events, citizens, and innovations.
ACTIONS
- Develop joint marketing partnerships to attract and retain visitors in Pittsburgh
- Use the platform as a tool to frame a new national narrative about post-industrial Pittsburgh
SM.3
Enhance Connectivity Between Sports & Entertainment Districts
Pittsburgh’s two sports and entertainment districts sit on opposite sides of the downtown core and cultural district, and are also separated by the Allegheny River and two freeways. The Northside district has Acrisure Stadium, PNC Park, Carnegie Science Center, Rivers Casino, and StageAE. The Lower Hill district to the east has PPG Paints Arena and plans for additional mixed-use development including an indoor concert venue. The current Metro system stops short of the Lower Hill district with the I-579 freeway separating the Steel Plaza stop with PPG Paints Arena, and it does not connect to nightlife offerings in the South Side Flats. Increased connectivity through the downtown to surrounding districts will support the restaurant, retail, and other visitor amenities, and offer a complete experience for visitors.
ACTIONS
- Support streetscape and wayfinding improvements along key transit/pedestrian corridors
- Support and expand Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus service connecting downtown to the stadiums beyond game/event days
- Support and expand the Free Fare T Zone six station light rail system in downtown to include access to surrounding neighborhoods
SM.4
Create Outdoor Community Event Spaces
The unique and welcoming characters of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods invite exploration. Event producers struggle with a lack of spaces that have a suitable infrastructure framework to host gatherings. More smaller-scale events hosted at local green or open spaces with semi-permanent venues or infrastructure will serve the community, local businesses, and outside visitors.
ACTIONS
- Support development of catalyst project “Riverside Boulevard” (Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard project connecting Downtown through the Strip and Lawrenceville to Highland Park)
- Create semi-permanent infrastructure(s) to encourage visitor exploration of neighborhoods
SM.5
Grow Diverse Sporting Events
Pittsburgh’s identity as a sports city can be augmented by providing opportunities to enhance current participatory facilities and capitalize on the growing sports tourism market as well as encourage active and healthy residents. The city lacks multi-court and multisport spaces for youth and senior sports. Short one or two-day sports tournaments currently hosted at the DLCC require multiple build-out days to install proper flooring, which limits the number of other events the DLCC can host. At this time, Highmark Stadium presents a unique opportunity for smaller, emerging sports events to grow in Pittsburgh - the facility is a 5,000 seat outdoor stadium with accessibility by public transit.
ACTIONS
- Promote college sports events alongside major league sports calendar
- Expand programming at existing participatory sports facilities and enhance or create downtown or riverfront sports facilities for youth sports tournaments and locals
- Attract new tournaments - women’s leagues, tennis events, etc.
- Revisit and update SportsPITTSBURGH Sports Event Hosting Plan
- Develop relationships with local youth sports orgs to create legacy programs through hosted events, growing participation locally
- Expand relationships locally with high-profile, influential sports-related figures to support SportsPITTSBURGH efforts
- Creation of a volunteer pool program to help support local sports event operational needs
- Plan and carry out annual relationship building trips to major client bases (NCAA, USOC, NFL, etc.) including Pittsburgh LOC members on trips
SM.6
Align Meetings and Events With Target Industries and Institutions
Pairing Pittsburgh’s tech, life sciences, manufacturing, and education industry partners with conventions and events will enhance community activations and improve the resident and visitor experience. Weeknight and weekend “spillover” programming with local art, entertainment, retail, or performance activities in conjunction with official convention/ conference or exhibition events will also benefit both locals and guests.
ACTIONS
- Develop an Industry Events Cluster Strategy
- Expand partnerships to connect convention events to local industries (robotics, healthcare, etc.)
- Host more tech and innovation-related events with programming similar to CES or TED
- Host smaller incubator or venture capital retreat events timed to coincide with larger conferences to bring in thought leadership
- Create an Ambassador program with specific industries (biotech, manufacturing, etc.)
SM.7
Target Sustainability-Focused Conventions and Events
In 2003, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center became the largest LEED® Gold Certified convention center in the world, and in 2022 it was the highest-rated LEED® Platinum Certified convention center in the U.S. It makes sense that sustainability-focused conventions and events should be held in the history-making city that applied these same values to its meetings industry.
ACTIONS
- Build relationships to host conventions and events that address sustainability and climate change concerns
SM.8
Use Sustainability Advantage to Attract Conventions
Pittsburgh can leverage the sustainability initiatives of the DLCC to attract a wider range of conventions based on corporate carbon goals and sustainable practices. Beyond its downtown walking accessibility, the convention center’s adoption of industry best practices demonstrates a commitment to a healthier environment, a value that aligns with a number of businesses and associations. The DLCC’s sustainable operations program can also be a transformative tool for regional change through partnerships with local service providers and supply chain to promote carbon imprint reduction, turning the city into a “green event destination.” Hosting meetings and conventions that achieve the sustainability goals of meeting planners and attendees is an opportunity for Pittsburgh to showcase a leadership role in its postindustrial evolution.
ACTIONS
- Clearly define the value of sustainability initiatives to motivate organizational support for future investments
- Develop a strategic plan for leveraging the DLCC’s sustainability program into increased business
SM.9
Develop and Manage County-Wide Festival and Events Strategy
As the permitting authority for small and large-scale events as well as film productions within the city, the Office of Film & Event Management (OFEM) acts as the primary coordinator for most events hosted in Allegheny County. The County’s Office of Special Events also handles events, film productions, and cultural programming at county-owned venues including parks. Application vetting systems and OFEM’s Special Events Committee ensure proper planning and execution so that productions do not negatively impact city operations and remain positive assets to its residents, businesses, and visitors. With the infrastructure and Commonwealth regulation limitations on large outdoor events in Point State Park, alternative sites are necessary to meet the high demand for hosting large events and activities. An intelligent dispersal of event locations throughout the County can offer traffic and parking mitigation and improved economies for surrounding communities. Competition between events (especially during the summer) combined with application reviews can improve the quality of the event experience for attendees and ensure it fits with overall destination branding strategies.
ACTIONS
- Improve the hosting capacities and availability of sites for large outdoor events
- Prioritize event types and programming that align with county-wide strategy and destination branding
- Encourage coordination between OFEM and County to maximize quantity and quality of events and film productions
- Support and continue OFEM’s consultations with film and event permit applicants to ensure industry standards, safety regulations, and policies are achieved
