S9 E6: Bringing the FIFA World Cup to Seattle with Peter Tomozawa and Aaron Blank

Hosting a global sporting event is about much more than filling stadiums and delivering a great experience. For a host city, it is also an opportunity to shape reputation, strengthen community pride and create something that lasts long after the crowds go home.

In this episode, Aaron Blank, president and CEO of Fearey, and Peter Tomozawa, CEO of Seattle FIFA World Cup 26, take us behind the scenes of Seattle’s approach to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Peter explains why successful host-city bids must focus less on touting a city’s assets and more on understanding what the organization making the decision actually needs—and how Seattle reframed its strengths accordingly.

Aaron and Peter also discuss the importance of building local credibility before pursuing global visibility, bringing businesses and communities into the experience, and thinking beyond the matches themselves. For Seattle, the goal was not simply to host the World Cup successfully, but to use the moment to strengthen the city, expand access to soccer and create memories and infrastructure that would endure for decades.

Key Takeaways

• Major events can function as reputation campaigns, giving cities an unusual opportunity to shape how residents, visitors and global audiences perceive them.
• Winning a host-city bid requires understanding what the decision-maker needs, not simply promoting everything that makes your city impressive.
• Local credibility should come before global visibility. Community support, business participation and grassroots engagement create the foundation for a successful international moment.
• The most meaningful impact often happens beyond the event itself, through investments in infrastructure, access, community programming and shared experiences.
• Legacy should be part of the strategy from the beginning. The real measure of success is not only what happens during the event, but what people remember—and what remains—years later.

About the Guests

Peter Tomozawa is a global executive with more than 40 years of leadership experience across finance, professional sports, civic service, and education. A former Partner and Global Head of Foreign Exchange Sales at Goldman Sachs, he later served as Vice President and Executive Director of Partnerships and Board Relations for Los Angeles’ successful bid to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Peter is an owner of Seattle Sounders FC, where he previously served as President of Business Operations, and a minority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights. He also helped lead Seattle’s successful FIFA World Cup host-city bid and serves as CEO of the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee. Peter has also served in public and nonprofit roles, including as Executive Director of Business Development in the Honolulu Mayor’s Office, where he advanced projects including a $5 billion light rail system, Waikiki public WiFi, and innovative public-private park partnerships. He also served as Commissioner of Charter Schools in Hawaii, helping stabilize and grow a statewide education system. A lifelong ice hockey, skiing, soccer, and racquet sports enthusiast, Peter brings an authentic passion for sport alongside extensive leadership experience in finance, global events, and civic development.

Aaron Blank is CEO, president and owner of Fearey, one of the West Coast’s leading public relations and strategic communications firms. A trusted advisor to sports organizations, athletes, venues and major brands, Aaron has helped shape high-profile moments across the sports landscape, including the launch of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and major initiatives tied to soccer, golf, baseball, football, hockey and entertainment. Aaron played a key communications role in helping Seattle announce its new arena and launch the Kraken brand and NHL franchise, supporting the team’s public relations efforts for five years. His sports experience also includes work connected to the FIFA World Cup, LPGA Tour, Minor League Baseball, Topgolf and TOCA Football, as well as athlete and celebrity partnerships involving Basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens and former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. Since joining Fearey in 2005, Aaron has helped grow the firm into a creative communications leader serving clients across sports, healthcare, civic, corporate and community sectors. He became CEO and president in 2011 and owner in 2014, leading the agency through years of double-digit annual growth. Aaron was named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list in 2015 and recognized by PRWeek in 2020. He has also served as president of the Public Relations Global Network and sits on several civic and nonprofit boards and advisory groups. A lifelong sports fan and believer in the “never eat alone” philosophy, Aaron is known for building lasting relationships across industries, locker rooms, boardrooms and communities.

About the Hosts

Abbie Fink is president of HMA Public Relations in Phoenix, Arizona and a founding member of PRGN. Her marketing communications background includes skills in media relations, digital communications, social media strategies, special event management, crisis communications, community relations, issues management, and marketing promotions for both the private and public sectors, including such industries as healthcare, financial services, professional services, government affairs and tribal affairs, as well as not-for-profit organizations.

Dr. Adrian McIntyre is a cultural anthropologist, media personality, speaker, and strategic communications consultant for PR agencies and marketing firms. He's lived in over 30 countries and spent more than a decade in the Middle East and Africa as a researcher, journalist, communications adviser, media spokesperson, and storytelling consultant. He earned a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a Fulbright scholar and National Science Foundation fellow. Adrian helps agency leaders strengthen their positioning, sharpen their messaging, boost their visibility, and win new clients by replacing impersonal, intrusive and ineffective marketing tactics with authentic human conversations.

PRGN Presents is brought to you by Public Relations Global Network, the world’s local public relations agency. Our executive producer is Adrian McIntyre. The show is produced by the team at Speed of Story, a B2B communications firm in Phoenix, AZ.

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