This One Man Is Somehow Producing Two of Philly’s Biggest Events Right Now

Q&A

Welcome back to Masters of Ceremonies, where, in the lead-up to Philly’s biggest summer ever, I’ll be talking to some of the people behind the scenes making it all happen. From America’s 250th to the World Cup and beyond, you’ll get to know a little bit more about the folks working to bring Philly to the world — and bring the world to Philly.

Today: Michael DelBene, who serves both as the president and CEO of Wawa Welcome America and the executive producer of fan experience for FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia.

In practice, that role sits at the intersection of event production, city activation, and large-scale public programming. He helps design and coordinate how fans and visitors engage with the World Cup across Philadelphia over 39 days — especially at the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill. That includes thinking through the overall journey of being in the city during the event: how spaces feel, how people move through them, what programming is happening before and after matches, and how different neighborhoods and partners might plug into the moment. At the same time, he’s been planning the 16-day Wawa Welcome America festival, which is even bigger this year for the nation’s milestone birthday.

“What makes these fun and exciting and memorable is that they’re concurrent,” he says. “Right now, we are on truly double duty because both festivals are alive and happening at the exact same time.” That requires managing two distinct narratives and operational systems at once — one global, one civic and historical — and making sure both feel intentional, coherent, and welcoming to a very broad audience.

I’m amazed you even have time to talk to me. What does a typical day look like for you right now with these two big events happening simultaneously?
So, I’m usually up at about 5 a.m., just to make sure that I am going over the different run-of-shows for the days. Depending on the match schedule and the Welcome America Festival schedule, I generally go back and forth between Welcome America and the Fan Festival a few times a day. I need to make sure the schedules for both of the events are on time and being met. My role also gives me a really unique intersection — a lot of times I will communicate to Welcome America things that are happening at Fan Fest, and vice versa. So, for example, last night, we did the Eve concert at the Dell for Welcome America. That was followed by a fireworks show. You can see that fireworks show from Lemon Hill, so we wanted to make sure that the timing of that fireworks show didn’t interfere: We made sure the fireworks happened in between [World Cup] matches, so that folks could enjoy the fireworks show without interrupting the match. When you’re overseeing two events that are that large, you have to make sure that they, each in their own right, are successful, but you also have to make sure that they don’t sort of bump into each other.

So, you had this one job [as CEO of Welcome America], already a huge undertaking. And then an opportunity comes up, which is another entirely full-time job that also sounds overwhelming, and you’re just like, “Sure!”
You know, the craziest thing about this is that it was my idea. I’ve been president and CEO of Welcome America since 2019, but when I knew Philadelphia was a top contender to win a World Cup host city seat, I reached out and said I wanted to be involved. Welcome America produced the watch party in LOVE Park when we drew that we were selected as a host city, so that’s when the partnership began. And then going forward, I was just like, “Hey, you know, this is what I love and this is what I do. Let me be helpful.” And yeah: Be careful what you wish for. I ended up with two full-time jobs.

I hope that you have something lined up after the summer to relax.
Yeah, definitely every once in a while on tough days, I think about some vacation time when it’s all over. But, you know, to be honest with you, I’m having the time of my life. I mean go back and forth between these events and one of the things that’s amazing about my position is I am the CEO of a company and also the executive producer of the events, right? So sometimes I will be in the office with, you know, a polo shirt and a blazer on, going over budgets and payroll and HR. And then last night I had my boots on and I was out in a field at one o’clock in the morning with 5,000 screaming U.S. fans, and we were out there moving bike racks … so there’s an administrative aspect to it, but also a blood, sweat, and tears sort of grunt work aspect to it. And I love that dichotomy. I love that I get to be both.

What are you most looking forward to in Philly this summer that you’re not running? What else is what else is exciting you?
Yeah, I mean, obviously the MLB All-Star Game is very, very cool. I’m a huge baseball fan, a huge Phillies fan. And I’m very, very excited to see how the city becomes activated for an All-Star Game. We are also trying very diligently to make sure that the experience at [FIFA] Fan Festival is one that baseball fans might also find interesting. So, we’re going to announce some talent coming during All-Star Week, and we think that that could be really a fun crossover because we’re bringing someone who baseball fans might know and love and enjoy. So, you know, it’s sort of a fun, again, just trying to figure out how we all live in this ecosystem together.

I just love the way that Philadelphia is activated in tiny moments as well. Fan Festival had thousands and thousands of people at it yesterday, but there was also a watch party on South Street. Philadelphia 250 and Kathryn Ott Lovell have done an amazing job of activating neighborhoods with these block parties. So, I got home at 1 a.m. from Fan Fest, and there was a group sitting on the corner listening to the radio, and they had been barbecuing all night and having a good time. I love the way that Philadelphia is activated in big ways and small ways at the same time.

That kind of goes to my next question, which is to imagine that it’s 2076 and Philly’s getting ready to celebrate the tricentennial, and future planners are looking back at what we did in 2026, saying “Let’s do something like that again!” What do you think they’re referring to?
I think they’re referring to the amazing ways that the city’s leadership, both on the public side and the private side, have come together to collaborate, to make sure that this is a good experience. There are a lot of cities out there who are doing 250th anniversary celebrations and hosting the World Cup. And the collaboration between event planners and city leaders isn’t there. And I think in Philadelphia, it really is, right? So, you’ve got Jazelle Jones overseeing Special Events. You’ve got myself, you’ve got Kathryn Ott Lovell, Angela Val [Visit Philly], Gregg Caren [Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau], Mike Harris from the Phillies, Lauren Swartz [World Affairs Council] … all of these leaders across the city who we literally talk every single day — and we have been for the last three years — just to try to figure out a way to make sure that we are all doing things that are value-add, that we all stay in our lanes and make sure that we don’t interfere with each other because we all have our own missions and we all want to make sure that things are done well.

I think when this is all over, we’ll look back and say that certainly there were hiccups along the way, but a lot of the road was made very smooth because of this incredible public-private partnership. The City of Philadelphia’s leadership is so invested in the success of all of these events, and all of us as leaders are so invested in the success of the city; that sort of cross-collaboration is what’s going to make this a success.

You don’t even have to wait until 2076. I would tell anybody who’s going to do a big event next year: Make sure there’s that open dialogue, that transparency, and that collaboration, because it’s the only way.

Well, as you know, Philly’s Fan Festival is the best attended in the country, of all the FIFA fan festivals. Everything I’ve heard and personally experienced at FIFA so far is such a success story.
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I mean, we are very, very proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. There’s a lot of Welcome America left, and a lot of World Cup soccer left. We’re going to be out there for a long, long time. But, you know, we’re off to a good start. We feel confident that we’ve built a model that works. Now it’s just about keeping it going. It’s about keeping the energy up and keeping the guest experience up. We don’t want to become complacent; we don’t want to get comfortable. We have to be vigilant on security. We have to be at the forefront of the guest experience. We have to always be out there thinking that, even though this may be day 26 or 27 in a row — I’ve been out at Fan Fest since the build started in mid-May — even though this isn’t my first time at Lemon Hill, it might be someone’s first time at Lemon Hill. We have to be ready to greet them in a way that makes them feel special.

You make it sound like a performance — in a good way. This is exactly what my 12-year-old daughter, who’s in theater, says when she’s in a play: That no matter how much she’s rehearsed and performed, the audience hasn’t seen the show yet. This is their first experience.
Yeah, I’ll tell you: Three-quarters of the people that work with me, and for me, and around me — we’re all theater kids. Let this be a plug for the theater program in every public school in America because theater kids learn all about that. And, you know, when you’re doing events, you have to remember that it’s not just what goes on behind the scenes, which takes a lot of work, but it’s also how people digest this programming and this product that we have built. And we want to make sure that they have a great time. So yeah, even people who come back day after day after day to Fan Fest — and we have a lot of repeat visitors — we always treat them like it’s their first time.

If you could talk to a tourist who’s in town for your events, what’s another thing you’d tell them they have to do while they’re in Philly?
I would say the restaurant scene, the food scene. It’s Philadelphia. I have been very fortunate to travel around the world, and I think food is how you experience a culture. I think food is how you get to know people. People very rarely focus on their differences when they’re breaking bread together, right? So I would tell them to go into these incredible sorts of Philly-centric restaurants, and talk to the people, meet Philadelphians, meet the wait staff — you know, get to know Philadelphia.

Do you have a favorite spot?
I think I think you can’t come to Philadelphia and not go to Parc. You gotta wait for the table, you gotta sit and look at the park. I think it’s probably my favorite restaurant in Philly and the one that I have eaten at more than any other restaurant in Philadelphia

What is a less cliché Philly souvenir you’d recommend for someone to take home a little piece of the city with them?
I’m probably gonna get burned for this, but I would tell them to take home a Phillies hat. And look, I know this city loves to chant “E-A-G-L-E-S,” and the Eagles are a wonderful and amazing and I love them, but to me, there is nothing more iconic in the city of Philadelphia than that red hat with that white P.

Yeah, that’s the more iconic hat for sure. And I love the Eagles too, but it does bother me when the Phillies are doing badly and people start chanting “E-A-G-L-E-S” at a Phillies game. It’s like, the disrespect!
Yeah, no other city would do that. Only Philadelphia would do that, which makes it amazing and wonderful at the same time, but also, you know …

Do you have a favorite Philly memory?
Yes, when my father took me to see my first-ever basketball game, a Penn basketball game at the Palestra. Back in the ‘90s. My dad took me to that and then took me to a local South Philly restaurant for a sandwich, and it was just the coolest Philly night of all time.

And I remember turning to my father and saying, “Dad, who is that man behind the bench, jumping up and down, red in the face, screaming at the referees?” And my father said, “You’re never going to believe this. That’s Ed Rendell. He’s the mayor of Philadelphia.” It was this incredible moment. Ed was just so passionate, and, you know, he was a Penn guy through and through, and he was just jumping up and down. And so, that was a really cool memory that I’ll never forget.

My other favorite Philly memory is the first concert that I ever saw at the Mann Center. Jack Johnson. Now, that is a little bit of insider trading, because I worked with the Mann [as VP of business development] for eight years.

Who’s your favorite Philly mascot, past or present?
I think that the Phillie Phanatic is not only my favorite Philly mascot but the greatest mascot in all of sports.

So, this is gonna be a love fest to the Phillies, but one of my other favorite Philly memories was when on my seventh birthday my parents brought me to Vet Stadium for a Phillies game, and the Phanatic climbed up on my seat and stood over me and sang “Happy Birthday” and threw glitter in my face.

You’re making a Philly playlist, and what song is kicking it off?
“Motownphilly,” by Boyz II Men. That, or “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John, but probably “Motownphilly.” I mean, Boyz II Men was popular when I was in high school, so I really resonate with their sound.

So, obviously there’s been so much talk about what it’s like for people coming to Philly — visitors, tourists, people from all over the world. But what do you hope that all this means for Philadelphians? Is there a lasting mark or collective memory you hope we’ll carry with us?
Well, the first thing is that I want Philadelphians to know is that, it may not feel like it sometimes, but we’re doing this for them. We’re doing this to improve Philadelphia, to make Philadelphia more vibrant, more welcoming, more accessible to the world.

This is an experience that will fundamentally change the city of Philadelphia forever, right? I said this three years ago in an interview: We will be a different city in 2027 than we were in 2025 because of what happened in 2026. There are millions of people who will come back to Philadelphia. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are here for the first time. They are spending their money; they’re enjoying our assets. They are activating our city, and all of this is for Philadelphia. And so sometimes I know that with big events like this, Philadelphians sometimes feel like it’s happening to them, but it’s really not — it’s happening for them.

The key memory that I want Philadelphians to hang their hats on is: We did it. There are only 11 cities in America that are World Cup host cities — we’re one of them. And there’s only a handful of cities in America that have 250th anniversary celebrations. Some have one, some have the other; we have both. We also have the MLB All-Star Game. We also had the PGA Championship. This city and the Philadelphians who have committed themselves to this, have pulled off something that is unique in the world. No other city has done what we’ve done, and Philadelphia should be proud of that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.