Local nonprofit Visit Ventura receives key to the city for X Games success

VENTURA, Calif. – Mayor Joe Schroeder presented Visit Ventura with a key to the city for the nonprofit's success during the X Games.

Visit Ventura, a nonprofit designed to increase tourism revenues, worked to bring the X Games to Ventura over the summer and led city and county-wide partnerships to ensure a successful event.

By teaming with Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink, more transportation companies and other local businesses, the nonprofit was able to support bringing the large-scale event to the city and see the profits within small businesses and the community.

"[Visit Ventura] did so much for the City, not just for this year but for the next decade," said Mayor Schroeder. "Everything went better than we ever hoped... [Visit Ventura] showed everybody what can happen when you preplan and you communicate with others, (when) you work with the city— your work was out of sight."

The nonprofit said that the finals weekend saw a number of record-breaking moments, such as selling out all tickets for day two of the competition — the first time in X Games’ history.

In addition, Visit Ventura said X Games California 2023 witnessed the competition’s first Chumash blessing in which three Chumash tribe members performed the welcoming in front of athletes.

Official X Games merchandise was sold out for the first time ever as well, according to Visit Ventura.

The nonprofit added that 16 hours of X Games broadcasted content on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2 averaged 459 thousand total viewers, up 9% versus X Games 2022 and a 10% increase versus X Games Minneapolis 2019 (the last event with fans in attendance). 

"That’s a heavy key!" said Marlyss Auster, president and CEO of Visit Ventura, after receiving the key. 

"This was truly a team effort," said Auster. "It was amazing to have all of our stakeholders and partners at the table collaborating to make this event the success that it was. It just goes to show what we can do together…and the whole world witnessed what Ventura is all about and what we’re made of."