Super Bowl XLIX:
Millions Of Eyes Worldwide Will Be On The Valley
By Peter Madrid
Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona, Inc.
It’s billed as “33 days in January in Phoenix.” Of course, we all know there are just 31 days in the first month of the year. But come the end of December and into the first of February, the eyes of the sporting and business worlds will be on the Valley of the Sun.
Here’s the lineup:
Dec. 31: 2015 Fiesta Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale;
Jan. 10-18: 2015 Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, Scottsdale;
Jan. 25: 2015 NFL Pro Bowl, UOP Stadium;
Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Waste Management Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale;
Feb. 1: Super Bowl XLIX, UOP Stadium.
With the Valley a few months away from hosting the biggest sporting event in the world, the October Valley Partnership breakfast was all about the big game and the ancillary events surrounding it.
Super Bowl host committee members and a City of Phoenix official shared what the impact will be locally. Speakers including David Rousseau, Chairman of the Phoenix Super Bowl Host Committee; Michael Bidwill, President of the Arizona Cardinals; and Paul Blue, Deputy City Manager for the City of Phoenix.
Opening the monthly breakfast at Phoenix Country Club was Peoria Mayor-elect Cathy Carlat. She highlighted development projects such as the Avenue Shops at P83, the refurbishing of the Peoria Sports Complex, and the master-planned community of Vistancia. She also took great pride in pointing out a natural amenity of which she is proud – Lake Pleasant.
Paul Blue said that when Super Bowl XXX was played in 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, the economic impact to the state was $306 million. When Super Bowl XLII in 2008 was played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, the economic impact to the state was $500 million. Blue predicts the economic impact of the 2015 game will surpass the $500 million mark as more than one million people are expected to flock in the Valley during Super Bowl week. Phoenix Sky Harbor and regional airports including Scottsdale, Goodyear and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway will handle about 5,000 incoming flights.
“We’ve got to get it right,” Blue said. “We all need to work together and work hard. We need to plant the seeds so we can get more Super Bowls, and maybe even a Final Four.”
When Super Bowl XLII was played here in 2008, most of the activities associated with the game were held in Glendale. This time around, Downtown Phoenix is the place to be, Blue said.
Super Bowl Centralwill feature live performances by national recording artists and local musical talent, community groups and schools, football themed activities, and beer and wine gardens. Activities will cover 5th Street to First Avenue and Jefferson Street to Monroe Street.
The NFL Experience, a football-oriented daytime event with kids’ football clinics, interactive football games and autograph sessions, take place at the Phoenix Convention Center.
A newcomer to the Valley will be the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl. Traditionally played in Hawaii, it will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 25. Michael Bidwill was instrumental in bringing that game to the Valley as well.
“I’m not a very popular person in Honolulu,” he said with a laugh. “But think of that game being a tourism infomercial for Arizona instead of for Hawaii.”
As Chairman of the host committee, David Rousseau mentioned the investment in terms time from the local business community. The goal of the committee, he said, is to raise $30 million. Local non-profits will benefit as well, he said. About $2 million will go to local charities.
“Arizona has never seen anything what it will experience those 33 days in January,” Blue said.