Plan the ultimate FIFA Watch Party in downtown Seattle

Event space still available at Seattle Convention Center during FIFA World Cup 26

When the FIFA World Cup 26 comes to Seattle this summer, the city will be buzzing with international fans, teams and media. While the spotlight will be on the matches, the Seattle Convention Center (SCC) has another opportunity for organizations and businesses looking to tap into the excitement: Grab event space downtown.

“People may think finding event space in downtown Seattle would be challenging during that time,” Michael McQuade, SCC’s Senior Advisor, Commercial Strategy, says. But partially because of that assumption, the Seattle Convention Center has space available. “We can support whatever type of event you are looking to host,” he says.

Seattle is currently scheduled to host six matches at Seattle Stadium (the temporarily renamed Lumen Field). With global attention focused on the city, the tournament presents a unique opportunity for companies and organizations to gather people together.

One especially compelling option: Hosting a private watch party in the heart of the city.

“A FIFA watch party, where a corporate entity or organization wants to put on their own invitee party would be perfect,” McQuade says. “And not necessarily for a game here in Seattle, but for any of the other games that are being played during the tournament.”

Organizers should be aware that FIFA has strict rules governing public viewing events. Resources and guidelines are available through the Seattle Sports Commission’s Watch Party Playbook, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has also created a Small Business Readiness Playbook outlining considerations for organizations planning World Cup-related activations.

Beyond watch parties, the Center’s campus can accommodate a wide range of gatherings — from corporate receptions to brand activations, filming opportunities and community celebrations.

“If a corporate sponsor wants to host an evening gala in a ballroom for 800 to 4,000 guests, we can bring that to life,” Aaron Davis, Assistant Director of Sales, says. “And if they’re looking to create an immersive brand activation in an exhibit hall for their guests, we have the space, the infrastructure and the team to make it happen.”

SCC’s downtown campus includes three buildings — Arch at 705 Pike, Arch at 800 Pike and Summit at 900 Pine — with availability during the World Cup window from June 14 through July 7. Together, the campus offers flexible meeting rooms, large exhibit halls and award-winning food and beverage services designed to support everything from corporate gatherings to large-scale productions.

SCC also has space available for a high-visibility, street-level, outdoor activation adjacent to the Summit building — adding another opportunity for brands looking to engage audiences during the tournament.

Located about a mile from the stadium and within walking distance of hotels, transit, restaurants and waterfront attractions, the Center expects the World Cup to create a unique atmosphere across the city.

“If there’s any time to come downtown, this would be it, during FIFA,” Krista Daniel, SCC Vice President of Event Operations, says. “The whole city is focused on hospitality, the energy, and the experiences.”

For the team at SCC, that spirit of connection and innovation is central to how they see the role of the convention center itself.

“We're a blank canvas for anyone,” Davis says. “People use us as a canvas to express their brand and excite their base, and that’s what’s exciting for us too — we’re a great venue for those groups that have a creative idea and want to entertain it.”

Event planners, companies and organizations interested in hosting an event during the tournament window can reach out online to learn more about available spaces and possibilities.

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Unreasonable Hospitality, reimagined for events

When John Elston takes the stage at this year’s Northwest Event Show, he’ll be talking about service, something most event professionals understand.

But he’ll challenge them to rethink service entirely.

Elston, who will deliver several sessions at the show (April 28-30), is an expert in the philosophy of Unreasonable Hospitality, popularized by restaurateur Will Guidara. At its core, the distinction is simple: “Service is very transactional […] service is black and white. Hospitality is technicolor.”

That is where events can stand out. For Elston, the shift starts by understanding what attendees actually remember.

“My job [as a hotel GM] was not just ‘hot food hot, cold food cold’ — it was how I made people feel,” he says. “It was the memory.”

In an events context, that means moving beyond logistics and toward emotional impact, to the moments people talk about long after the closing keynote.

So what makes hospitality unreasonable?

“It starts really with first and foremost, making people feel seen,” Elston says. That could mean noticing why someone is attending, anticipating friction points, or creating small, personalized moments that signal care.

Those moments don’t have to be expensive. “Nine out of 10 times, it’s ‘big listening,’ systemizing that standard, recurring moment, and making it better.”

For event planners, Elston sees this as both an opportunity and a responsibility.

“Their job is much harder than most people think. They have the responsibility of making sure that their client is getting unreasonable hospitality, too.” That often requires deeper collaboration with venue partners, and a willingness to ask for more than standard service.

“You are not out of line to be requesting unreasonable hospitality,” he says.

Elston encourages planners to start by mapping attendee touchpoints. In a typical experience, there can be more than 80 touch points, half of them reoccurring. Those predictable moments: check-in, wayfinding, room drops, transitions, are prime opportunities to elevate the experience in small but meaningful ways.

Even something as simple as acknowledging an attendee personally can shift the tone of an event. “You need to pick one or two things that you know about that person, and then you need to address it when they show up.”

The result is attendees not just experiencing an event, but talking about it long after it’s over.

“Being unreasonable,” Elston says, “will get people talking about your business.”

See John Elston at the Northwest Event Show
Elston will be speaking on Unreasonable Hospitality (and more) at the Northwest Event Show, April 28–30. With 2,400+ attendees, 200+ exhibitors, and participants from 30 states and four countries, it’s one of the region’s largest gatherings of event professionals.

👉 Register and grab your tickets here.

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