Planning Guide //
A lot goes into creating a great event. We want to help make yours successful. Use this guide to get answers to your questions and help bring your event to life.
Event Basics
Make sure to choose a venue that reflects the type and size of event you’re hosting. Here are some tips:
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Consider what you need for your event, including food, stages, presentation screens, audio/visual, seating, parking and privacy.
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Make sure your venue is easy to locate and identify. If it isn’t, consider bringing wayfinding signage to help make it easier for guests.
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Communicate with the venue in the weeks leading up to the event to make sure your event details are aligned with the venue contact.
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Make sure to choose a venue that reflects the type and size of the event you're hosting. Here are some tips:
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Consider what you need for your event, including food, stages, presentation screens, audio/visual equipment, seating, parking, and privacy.
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Make sure your venue is easy to locate and identify. If it isn't, consider providing wayfinding signage to help attendees find the space.
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Remember to communicate with your venue in the weeks leading up to the event to confirm logistics, guest expectations, and any venue-specific requirements.
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Looking for a venue? Check out our list of preferred venues to help you get started. While we hope these recommendations are helpful, hosts are responsible for securing and managing their own event venue.
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AZ Tech Week takes place March 1–7, 2027, with community-hosted events happening across Arizona all week long.
To kick off and close out the week together, AZ Tech Week will feature two signature experiences that bring the community together from across the state:
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Monday, March 1, 2027 | 2:00 PM–5:30 PM
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Friday, March 5, 2027 | 4:00 PM–8:00 PM
These time blocks are reserved exclusively for official AZTW featured events and will not be available for community-hosted programming. We encourage all hosts and attendees to join these shared experiences as part of the AZ Tech Week celebration.
When planning your event, please select a date and time outside of these reserved windows.
For virtual events, be sure to clearly list the event time and include the applicable time zone (for example, Arizona Time (MST)) so attendees know when to join.
To submit an event, start by completing the Host an Event application. Be sure to complete each step of the form before submitting.
For your event to be approved, you must provide all required information in the Host an Event application and on your Partiful event page. This includes:
- Event type
- Event title
- Event topic
- Event theme
- Event capacity
- Target audience
- Event date and time
- Event location/venue
- Host and co-host information
Your event must also follow all rules listed in the AZ Tech Week Community Guidelines.
Once your application has been reviewed, you'll receive an email letting you know whether your event has been approved or if additional information is needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide for submitting an event.
Partiful is the official event platform for AZ Tech Week. Hosts will use Partiful to create event pages, manage RSVPs, communicate with attendees, track guest lists, add co-hosts, manage approval settings, sell tickets (optional), and check in guests, all in one place.
To host an event during AZ Tech Week, you must have a Partiful account.
Format and Audience
All event types are welcome as long as it showcases Arizona’s Tech Ecosystem! You are encouraged to be creative, but some popular event types include:
Breakfast
Host a group breakfast at a restaurant, venue or park of your choice.
Lunch
Host a group lunch at a restaurant, venue or park of your choice.
Dinner
Host a group dinner at a restaurant, venue or park of your choice.
Experiential
Build community with a group activity or experiential event. (Think golf, wine tasting, hiking, etc.)
Hackathon
Create a challenge and invite attendees to solve it using the power of technology.
Happy Hour
Keep things casual and host a happy hour at a venue of your choice.
Founder/Investor Speed Meeting
Help founders find their match in a speed dating-style networking event.
Networking
Host a networking event for a specific field.
Panel Event and/or Fireside Chat
Bring together experts to discuss a specific topic. Ask them questions and guide the discussion.
Pitch Event or Demo Day
Bring entrepreneurs together to pitch ideas and/or share demos.
Other
Host an event type of your choosing. The more creative and unique the better.
Host Expectations
To be included on the official AZ Tech Week calendar, your event must follow Community Guidelines.
In addition, all events must:
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Take place during AZ Tech Week (March 1–7, 2027)
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Be submitted and approved through the official event submission process
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Have a Partiful event page using the AZTW template
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Include accurate event information for attendees
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Follow AZ Tech Week branding guidelines
Promoting Your Event
To pull off a successful event, you'll manage your guests through your Partiful event page.
Use Partiful to communicate with attendees, send event updates, share reminders, and track RSVPs leading up to your event.
Hosts are encouraged to keep their guest lists up to date and actively engage attendees before the event.
You should expect some attrition to happen leading up to your event.
To limit cancellations and keep your guest list as up to date as possible, remember to:
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Communicate regularly with your attendees.
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Send reminder emails.
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Share details.
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Post on social media.
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Do whatever you can to keep your event top of mind.
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Ask attendees to update their RSVP status as event day approaches.
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Kindly remind them to update their RSVP if their plans change.
This will help you keep a more accurate head count and simplify event planning. Plan for up to a 55% attrition rate. For example, if you have 100 RSVPs, expect only about 45 people to attend.
You are responsible for promoting your event.
Once the calendar is live, all approved events will appear in the calendar. Arizona Commerce Authority will also promote AZ Tech Week through various marketing channels; however, featured placement or promotion of individual events is not guaranteed.
We recommend:
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Fully completing your event page
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Creating an email campaign
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Leveraging social media
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Engaging partner organizations and community groups
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Encouraging speakers, sponsors, and co-hosts to share the event
Be sure to tag @AZTechWeek and use official Arizona Tech Week hashtags when promoting your event.
All AZ Tech Week hosts and attendees acknowledge the event photo and video release.
By participating in Arizona Tech Week, attendees consent to being photographed or recorded, and hosts are welcome to capture and share event photos and videos for promotional and marketing purposes.
Remember to leverage social media before and after your event to build awareness and engagement. Create posts promoting your event leading up to it and share content from your event after it concludes. Be sure to tag any relevant speakers, and use #AZTW so that everyone knows you were a part of the conference.
Have Questions?
Yes. You can view it here.
Yes. Once you submit your first event application, you'll be asked if you'd like to submit another event.
If you have additional events to submit, you can continue completing event applications during the same session. However, unlike your first event application, additional event submissions are not saved if you leave the application before completing them.
For that reason, we recommend having all of your event details ready before starting any additional event submissions. If you leave the application before submitting an additional event, you'll need to start that event submission again.
Event hosts are responsible for all costs associated with their events. There is no charge to host an event.
Yes! Submit your event and create your event page as if you were hosting an in-person event. Make sure that your event description and event pages include a link to attend your virtual event.
Yes. Hosts are encouraged to use AZ Tech Week logos and branding found in the Media Kit. Please follow the branding guidelines included in the Media Kit when creating promotional materials.
No. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation.
Host organizations may have their own direct sponsors and set their own sponsorship criteria; however, sponsors will only be listed on AZ Tech Week marketing and communications if they are sponsored through Arizona Commerce Authority. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please complete the form.
AZ Tech Week welcomes a wide range of hosts, including startups, investors, corporations, universities, coworking spaces, accelerators, incubators, nonprofits, government organizations, and community groups. If you're creating an event that supports Arizona's innovation ecosystem, we'd love to have you participate!
Yes. You are welcome to collaborate with other organizations or individuals. Simply add your co-hosts to your Partiful event page so they can help manage invitations, RSVPs, and event details.
Yes. Partiful allows hosts to sell tickets directly through their event page. Visit the Partiful Help Center for instructions on setting up ticket sales.
Yes. If you're hosting a ticketed event, you can enable Guest Approval in Partiful to review and approve attendees before their tickets are confirmed.
Here's how it works:
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Turn on Guest Approval in Event Settings → RSVPs.
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Guests will request tickets instead of purchasing them instantly.
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A temporary hold is placed on the guest's payment method until you approve or decline their request.
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Hosts should review pending requests within 7 days, as payment holds expire after that time.
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Once approved, the guest's payment is processed automatically, their ticket is confirmed, and they receive a confirmation notification.
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If you've already sold tickets before enabling Guest Approval, those ticket holders will remain approved automatically.
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Guest approvals are currently managed through the Partiful web platform, while guests can request tickets through the latest version of the Partiful app.
Partiful allows you to sync your events with your preferred calendar so you can easily keep track of upcoming events and invitations. Learn how here.
Our team reviews event submissions on a rolling basis. Once your event has been reviewed, you'll receive an email letting you know whether it has been approved or if additional information is needed.
Yes. If you need to update your event details after submission, please update your Partiful event page as needed.
Yes. If you need to cancel your event, please notify your registered attendees and cancel your event through Partiful.
Weekly Webinars and Contact Info
Have questions while planning your AZTW event? Join a weekly AZTW Host Webinar for live guidance, helpful resources, and the opportunity to ask questions in real time.
AZTW Host Webinar Details:
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Dates: Every Friday starting Nov 6, 2026 to February 26, 2027
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Time: 2:00–2:45 p.m.
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Format: Virtual
Each session will cover key AZTW 2027 updates, event planning resources, host expectations, and tips to help you create a successful event.
Have a more urgent question? Email aztw@azcommerce.com.