Lunch With the City’s Leaders – Angela Val, Visit Philadelphia
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On Wednesday, July 27th, Members and Guests gathered at the Hyatt Centric in Center City for our sold-out Lunch with the City’s Leaders event. Attendees enjoyed networking, reconnecting, and lunch while hearing from Angela Val, President and CEO of Visit Philadelphia. Angela was interviewed by longtime friend and colleague -- Tiffany Newmuis, Director, Corporate Administration/Local Media Development at Comcast.
Angela shared her personal and professional story with the audience, specifically what led to a career in the tourism industry in Philadelphia including her current role. After decades of experience, she shared that when she received the job offer at Visit Philadelphia, “Something just felt right. It’s where I’m supposed to be.”
Among many questions, Tiffany asked Angela, “If you could wave a magic wand, what would you like to see change in Philadelphia?”. Laughing, Angela said, “I have a list.”
Below are ten of the many ideas that Angela believes would make the City of Brotherly Love a better place to live, visit, and work.
Share in a common mission to better the city. Angela explained that we all have our own unique goals to improve professionally and personally. But, in addition, we have to ask ourselves what we can do, as individuals and professionals, to improve Philadelphia and create a better environment in the city. We need shared goals, a common mission, and dedication to the city. And this mission starts with asking ourselves the question, “What do we want the city to be like post-pandemic?”
Look to other cities as examples. “Why reinvent the wheel?”, Angela asked. Reflecting on her own travels, she noted that she looks to other cities for inspiration. She noted that Madrid generates enormous volumes of trash, but the trash collection system was so efficient that the streets would be completely clean right after every trash day. In Shanghai, public transportation is ubiquitous, efficient, and allows people to go to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. In Bangkok – the most visited city in the world – businesses and individuals cater to tourists and tourism.
Shed light on the good happenings in the city. “Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye,” she said, “but good things take time”. Despite the negative things that happen in Philadelphia, which are very easy to report and focus on, there are also good and exciting things happening everywhere. And those good things must be highlighted if we want to attract tourists and create more of a sense of pride in our city.
Clean up and beautify the city. Angela said it’s always been a dream to have a city-wide clean-up – getting rid of waste, scrubbing graffiti away, and creating a cleaner, more welcoming city in general. Having a clean city would make Philadelphia feel more like a home, as well as attract people from other cities. “We want residents to take pride in their home. I think of coming home to a clean living room versus a messy one. It’s the same thing with the city. When we have a clean home, we take pride in it and we feel better about where we live,” she said. “And the city is an extension of our home”.
Create a better environment, not just for tourists, but for residents too. While the mission of Visit Philadelphia may seem like it’s geared to attracting tourists, it’s essential that we be mindful of people who already live here and call Philadelphia their home, she said. And we must cultivate a sense of pride, safety, and belonging among residents, just as we must do the same for tourists.
Create a safer, more welcoming environment for businesses, especially those owned by Black and Brown populations. “Sixty-one percent of the city is Black or Brown,” she noted. And we must make the city business-friendly for them and for potential business owners. She added that in 2026 during the World Cup, “people will be coming from parts of the world that aren’t just white. We need to be prepared for that and we need them to feel welcomed.”
Helping those who are unhoused in Philadelphia. “There must be a way to fix this problem”, she said, adding that Philadelphia has a relatively low population of unhoused individuals compared to other major cities such as Los Angeles or San Francisco. She noted that there are already projects and initiatives that are addressing ways to help those who are unhoused, and we all must support them to enact positive change.
Make Philadelphia more pedestrian-friendly. Angela said that as an avid walker herself, she supports having “pedestrian-only” blocks for a few days out of the week. So many people in Philadelphia travel by foot, and making the streets safer and more accessible for them is a must.
Collaborate. The business community, government, nonprofits, and residents all must embrace a willingness to collaborate. “You can’t build a house without a good foundation,” she said, “and you can’t do this without collaboration”. She added that all entities must ask themselves what they would like Philadelphia to be like in 2026 – and we must all challenge ourselves by asking what it will take to get there and what we’re willing to do to accomplish our goals. “When it comes to issues and challenges, we can’t always just tell ourselves, ‘I’ll let someone else handle it’”, she said. We all have to take part in overcoming obstacles.
Have faith in each other. Angela said that she’s often asked, “What makes Philadelphia different from any other city?”. Her answer is always the same: the people. Philadelphia has a uniquely rich history, and the people here have grit and determination. We must focus on the positives of the city, work towards improving it and remembering who we are as Philadelphians.
We thank Angela Val for sharing these insights and Tiffany Newmuis for leading an insightful and inspiring discussion. We also thank our sponsors who make these events possible including Citizens Bank, Comcast Business, Community College of Philadelphia, Friedman LLP, KYW, LevLane, Oval Project Management, PECO, Post Brothers, and Visit Philadelphia.
To reserve your tickets for the next Lunch with the City’s Leaders event featuring City Commerce Director, Anne Nadol, on September 14, click here.