The Town of Paradise Valley is renowned for its world-class resorts, its ability to be an amazing host and it is a prime location in the Valley --- it lines up perfectly for hosting a Super Bowl.”

Kyle Hedstrom, director of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee

By Melissa Rosequist
Twitter: @mrosequist_

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is seeking to court the Town of Paradise Valley, as it lays the groundwork for the National Football League’s ultimate game in 2023.

Kyle Hedstrom, the director of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, stood before Paradise Valley Town Council Nov. 21, to give a presentation seeking to discuss partnership opportunities with the municipality.

Super Bowl 57 will be held in Glendale at the University of Phoenix Stadium in 2023. It will be the fourth Super Bowl hosted in the Valley.

According to Mr. Hedstrom, bringing the NFL’s premier game back to Arizona is, in part, due to the help of folks in Paradise Valley.

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is a nonprofit organization formed as the catalyst between the NFL and stakeholders in order to successfully host the one-day game.

The last time the Super Bowl was held in Phoenix, in 2015, Mr. Hedstrom says record-breaking results were achieved. This includes:

• $720 million economic impact to the Valley;
• $2 million in grants given to Arizona non-profit organizations;
• 120,000-plus visitors to Arizona; and
• 200-plus events hosted in the Valley.

“We doubled the number of visitors from the last Super Bowl,” Mr. Hedstrom said, pointing to the 2007 Super Bowl in Glendale.

“It’s great to know that people are coming. It’s a testament to how the game has grown and evolved to be an experience and destination more than just a game on a Sunday.”

The court of Paradise Valley

In Paradise Valley specifically, the 2015 Super Bowl impacted the town’s tourism significantly, Mr. Hedstrom explained.

In 2015, Paradise Valley had five hotels, with a total of 1,065 rooms.

The occupancy in Paradise Valley increased 34% from the same time the previous year, rising from 72% in 2014 to 97% during the Super Bowl.

In addition, the average daily rate increased 164% from $202/night in 2014 to $533/night during the Super Bowl. Looking forward to the 2023 weekend, there will be an estimated eight Paradise Valley hotels, with a total of 1,643 rooms. The average room rate is expected to increase 41% from the 2015 Super Bowl, to $705/night.

“The Town of Paradise Valley is renowned for its world-class resorts, its ability to be an amazing host and it is a prime location in the Valley --- it lines up perfectly for hosting a Super Bowl,” Mr. Hedstrom said during his presentation to council.

“It’s evidenced by a number of these quantifiable metrics we’ve put together. There was a lot of focus the last go around on driving the success from the Super Bowl back to Paradise Valley.”

Mr. Hedstrom says the tourism numbers provided for the 2015 Super Bowl were the highest in Maricopa County.

“Meaning, hotels were most full here. They were receiving the highest rates in Maricopa County, and they drove home the most revenue, again, in any city in Maricopa County,” he said.

As Mr. Hedstrom prepares for the next Super Bowl hosted in Arizona, the outlook is positive, he says.

“Over three times the amount of revenue was earned by those five hotels in 2015 as they earned in the same period in 2014,” he said. “What’s projected for 2023, that number would probably at least double.”

Overall, the Host Committee is seeking to partner with the town for events and hospitality.

Specifically, the Committee proposes including participating Paradise Valley venues in the official Super Bowl LVII venue program; working with the NFL and various sponsors to encourage the use of Paradise Valley venues as sites for official Super Bowl LVII and Host Committee events and activities; and recommending the use of Paradise Valley bars and restaurants as potential sites for third-party private events.

“EL Chorro has been proposed as an NFL house location, that’s their premier hospitality experience the NFL hosts,” he said.

The town would gain exposure through the Host Committee by having its logo on the Committee’s website; inclusion in advertising where sponsors are listed; and inclusion in the Committee’s social media posts, among other things.

Open meeting law stipulates the Town Council cannot discuss or vote on items not agendized, but Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner did close the presentation by stating the Town Council would discuss the opportunity in the future.

“I’m sure we’ll be getting back to this with some discussion in the future,” Mr. Bien-Willner said.