Corporate Event Emcee in Scottsdale: Will Gill
Short answer
If you need a corporate emcee in Scottsdale, Will Gill is a corporate event emcee and DJ whose Arizona record includes CDW’s two-wave President’s Achievement Awards at the Arizona Biltmore in April 2024 and three days of main-stage hosting for a 4,500-attendee national medical conference at the Phoenix Convention Center in September 2024.
One booking covers three jobs: DJ, emcee and a one-man team-building show. He holds 2,520 five-star Google reviews, was named the number one corporate DJ by The Wall Street Journal, and is a Forbes Next 1000 honoree. Rates are published below.
See what the room looks like when the emcee is doing the job
Five rooms, sound on.
Gameday host for the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium
Hosting Jaguars halftime, roasting the NFL mascots
10,000 Hilton managers under one roof
Sharing a bill with Pitbull, 3,500 people at Mission Ballroom
Hosting SAP’s late-night talk show
Where I have actually worked in and around Scottsdale
Most emcee pages for this city are written by people who have never stood in an Arizona ballroom. These are the programs in my own records. Neither was inside Scottsdale’s city limits, and the page says so.
| When | The room |
|---|---|
| April 13 to 18, 2024 | CDW President’s Achievement Awards, two waves, at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix: executive rehearsals each morning, then the awards night in the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom, produced by the client’s agency. |
| September 25 to 27, 2024 | Main-stage emcee for a 4,500-attendee national medical conference at the Phoenix Convention Center, north building: three days of 90-minute main-stage sessions with interactive audience segments on days two and three. |
Each row is backed by a contract, certificate of insurance or event folder in my records. I do not list rooms I have not stood in.
What a corporate emcee does that a “host” from the agenda cannot
Scottsdale programs are incentive trips and President’s Clubs: resort awards nights with executive rehearsals in the morning, sales kickoffs in 20,000-square-foot ballrooms, and receptions that move outdoors after sunset. The audience has sat through a thousand introductions. The emcee’s job is to make the schedule hold and the room stay awake, not to be the star.
| Moment in the program | What I am doing |
|---|---|
| Doors and walk-in | DJing the room to the energy the opening needs, then bringing the house to order on time without a producer having to beg. |
| Executive handoffs | Short, accurate introductions, names pronounced right, sponsor reads delivered as written, and the clock protected when a speaker runs long. |
| Awards block | Pacing thirty names so the room still cares about the thirtieth, with walk-up music matched to each winner. |
| The dead spot | When the laptop dies or the caterer is late, the interactive team-building show fills the gap on purpose instead of by accident. |
| Reception | The same person who ran the general session DJs the party, so the energy never resets and there is one contract, one point of contact. |
That is the 3-in-1: DJ, emcee and a one-man team-building show. Planners book one vendor instead of three, and the person on the microphone has already run the room since doors.
Why Scottsdale rooms are busier than they look
Scottsdale is one of the biggest incentive and President’s Club markets in the country, and its high season is the exact window most companies run their awards programs. The size of the market is not a guess.
- More than 11 million visitors traveled to Scottsdale in 2024, generating $3.7 billion in economic impact and supporting more than 36,000 local jobs in hospitality and related industries. (Source: City of Scottsdale tourism analysis, reported by Signals AZ, August 25, 2025)
- Domestic visitors spent an estimated $1.91 billion in Scottsdale in 2023, with a typical domestic overnight traveler spending about $323 per trip. (Source: Experience Scottsdale 2024 Visitor Report)
- 47.7 million people visited the Phoenix metro in 2025 with direct spending above $13.4 billion, impacting more than 144,000 jobs. (Source: Visit Phoenix, Phoenix facts)
The practical takeaway: the resorts publish their high season as January through April and October through December, and both Arizona programs on file were contracted four to six months ahead. Book the host at contract stage for winter and spring dates.
Corporate rooms in Scottsdale and what they actually hold
Capacities below were checked against each venue’s own published numbers on the date shown, or against a named listing where the resort’s own site returned only a script shell.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
More than 316,000 sq. ft. of event space with two 23,000 sq. ft. ballrooms, the largest meetings resort in the Fairmont portfolio worldwide.
Verified 2026-09-03 at scottsdaleprincess.com
JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort and Spa
26 meeting rooms and 127,500 square feet of total space. The Arizona Ballroom is 19,968 square feet, seating 1,950 theatre-style or 2,100 for a reception, with the 15,048-square-foot Paradise Ballroom alongside.
Verified 2026-09-03 at marriott.com
The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort
More than 160,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, with the Phoenician Grand Ballroom offering more than 20,000 square feet.
Verified 2026-09-03 at thephoenician.com
The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa
A 25,000-square-foot Kierland Grand Ballroom, a 15,000-square-foot Herberger Ballroom and a new 11,000-square-foot Trailblazer Ballroom.
Verified 2026-09-03 at Conference Hotel Group listing (marriott.com returned a script shell)
Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort
The renovated Arizona Ballroom has nearly tripled to 24,000 square feet within a total of 90,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space at the former Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch.
Verified 2026-09-03 at Hyatt newsroom
Talking Stick Resort
A 25,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom for groups up to 2,000, with the resort’s own published high season of January through April and October through December.
Verified 2026-09-03 at talkingstickresort.com
Map centered on the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in North Scottsdale, with the Westin Kierland to the south and Camelback Inn and the Phoenician along Camelback Mountain.
What it costs to book a corporate emcee in Scottsdale
My rates are published, so there is nothing to negotiate around. Half day is $5,000. Full day is $8,000. Rehearsal-only is $1,000. Multi-day programs get $1,000 off each additional day after day one. Virtual hosting is $2,300 for the first hour and $2,000 each additional hour. Travel to Scottsdale is coordinated as part of the booking so nothing lands on the planner’s plate.
A Scottsdale President’s Club usually runs as an executive rehearsal in the morning and the awards night in the evening, which is the full-day rate, and a two-wave program is priced as one full day plus discounted additional days. A resort welcome reception on its own is the half-day rate. Travel into Phoenix Sky Harbor is coordinated as part of the booking so nothing lands on the planner’s plate.
Five questions to ask any corporate emcee, including me
- “Walk me through how you handle a run of show that slips 20 minutes.” A working emcee answers instantly and unemotionally. A voice-for-hire talks about their intro.
- “Who is riding the fader on my CEO’s microphone?” If nobody owns the podium feed, your executives will fight the room.
- “Show me footage of you talking to a corporate audience, not a dance floor.” Everyone has party clips. Very few have footage of holding a general session.
- “Can I have the name of the specific person performing, in the contract?” Essential with agencies and multi-host rosters.
- “What is not included in this number?” Staging, uplighting, LED, labor and travel move a quote enormously. Ask before you compare.
Frequently asked questions about booking a corporate emcee in Scottsdale
Does Will Gill emcee corporate events in Scottsdale?
Yes. Will works Scottsdale resort ballrooms and the wider Phoenix metro. His Arizona record includes a two-wave President’s Club awards program for CDW at the Arizona Biltmore in April 2024 and three days of main-stage hosting for a 4,500-attendee national medical conference at the Phoenix Convention Center in September 2024, both paid in full. Neither was inside Scottsdale city limits, and this page says so.
What does a Scottsdale corporate emcee cost?
Will Gill’s published rates are $5,000 for a half day and $8,000 for a full day, with $1,000 off each additional day on multi-day programs and rehearsal-only days at $1,000. Virtual hosting starts at $2,300 for the first hour and $2,000 each additional hour. Every booking is the 3-in-1 show: emcee, DJ and one-man team-building.
Why is Scottsdale such a big incentive and President’s Club market?
Scottsdale drew more than 11 million visitors in 2024 and generated $3.7 billion in economic impact supporting more than 36,000 hospitality jobs, inside a Phoenix metro that hosted 47.7 million visitors with $13.4 billion in direct spending in 2025. The resorts are built for it: the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has more than 316,000 sq. ft. of event space and the JW Marriott Camelback Inn has 127,500 square feet across 26 rooms.
When is Scottsdale’s high season for corporate events?
Talking Stick Resort publishes its high season as January through April and October through December, with May through September as low season. Book the emcee at contract stage for winter and spring dates. Will’s CDW President’s Club ran April 13 to 18.
How does summer heat change a Scottsdale program?
Summer programs move receptions indoors or after dark, and every resort on this page has an indoor ballroom of 20,000 square feet or more. The general session stays inside, and the reception moves to the terrace after sunset.
What is the largest Scottsdale ballroom Will can work?
Scale is not the constraint. Camelback Inn’s Arizona Ballroom seats 1,950 theatre-style and 2,100 for a reception, the Kierland Grand Ballroom is 25,000 square feet, the Phoenician Grand Ballroom is more than 20,000 square feet, and Will’s Phoenix Convention Center program drew about 4,500 physicians.
Do you run rehearsals with executives before an awards night?
Yes. The CDW program included three-hour executive rehearsals each morning before the five-hour awards nights, and a rehearsal-only day is priced at $1,000. Names are confirmed and pronounced correctly in advance, and executive handoffs are timed to protect the clock.
Can one person cover emcee, DJ and team-building?
Yes, that is the 3-in-1 format. The medical conference brief asked for exactly that: an MC who could engage the audience and the leaders, bring energy to the room and run something interactive with 15 to 20 minutes on days two and three. Will’s one-man team-building show fills that block.
How far ahead should a Scottsdale company book?
Both Arizona programs were contracted well ahead: CDW confirmed availability in December 2023 for April 2024, and the September 2024 conference signed in mid-August. For January through April peak dates, four to six months is the working guidance.
Is there a virtual or hybrid option for distributed Arizona teams?
Yes. Will hosts virtual DJ sets, virtual emcee segments and interactive team-building over Zoom or Teams, starting at $2,300 for the first hour, and hybrid programs pair an in-room show at a Scottsdale resort with a produced stream for remote offices.
Three more rooms, for scale
Captioned with where each one actually was. None of these are stock.
Related pages
The full corporate emcee service is described at the corporate event emcee hub. Will is also available as a keynote speaker on morale and audience engagement.
Booking a corporate event in Scottsdale?
Send the date, the venue and the format. You will get a straight answer on availability and a written quote, not a sales call.
About the author: Will Gill
Will Gill is a corporate event emcee, DJ and keynote speaker named the number one corporate DJ by The Wall Street Journal and honored in the Forbes Next 1000. He holds 2,520 five-star Google reviews, has performed at three Super Bowls, a World Cup, a Formula 1 race and the MLB All-Star Game, and has worked with Google, Amazon, Salesforce, PayPal, Pepsi, AT&T, Hilton, Home Depot, the United Nations and Cracker Barrel. His company, Faders and Fitness, LLC, is MBE certified.