By Cecilia Chan and Philip Haldiman, Independent Newsmedia

On the opening night of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament March 15, the bar at Dillons in Peoria was slammed.

Hometown regulars and tourists packed the restaurant and bar, many of them to watch the tournament on the more than 15 TVs the establishment offers.

General Manager  Kelley Darnell said if the first days of the competition are any indication of the tournament to come, coupled with spring training in full swing, the rest of the month and the Final Four stand to be very good for business.

March Madness has definitely begun, she said.

“We knew it was going to busy, but we had no idea we would get that many out of town guests,” Ms. Darnell said of the tournament’s first day. “This could continue. It’s an amazing problem to have.”

More than 100,000 college basketball fans are expected to descend upon the West Valley later this month for the conclusion of the tournament in neighboring Glendale March 31-April 3.

The teams of the Final Four have yet to be determined, but Peoria wants to roll-out the red carpet for those basketball fans and share with them all the city has to offer.

Jennifer Stein, a spokeswoman for the city said the premiere sporting event will have a big impact on Peoria’s businesses because of the tournament’s proximity to the city, which is taking place at University of Phoenix Stadium, at Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue.

She said Peoria has a lot to offer fans from recreation at Lake Pleasant to shopping and dining at P83 Entertainment District.

She said Peoria plans to promote the city through social media efforts.

The city expects hotel occupancy to remain strong into April, which is also bolstered by spring training at the Peoria Sports Complex, where the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres play, Ms. Stein said.

“We have so many attraction points and want to make sure we inform fans of all there is to do here,” she said. “It is an added bonus to be so close to the host city. It’s a win-win.”

Cha-Ching

In Glendale, cash registers are expected to ring nonstop at Dave & Busters in the Westgate Entertainment District, adjacent to University of Phoenix Stadium.

“We are going to be packed. We could potentially see 10,000 for the entire tournament,” said Mark Medina, Dave & Buster general manager. “And that’s a conservative number.”

Although the Glendale location of the restaurant-and-entertainment chain can hold 2,000 people at one time and already has a sizable staff, 20 more employees have been added to handle the tournament crowd and spring training fans, Mr. Medina said.

“The main draw for us is our sports lounge,” he said. “They come in and watch all the pre-games on our TVs. Really, there are no other venues in the area that compare with what we have in terms of TV viewing. We have dozens of large TVs and three projectors, and outside of the building we have four very large TVs.”

Jean Moreno, executive officer for Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects, said the Glendale does not do an economic impact analysis because it is too difficult to isolate the figures, especially with spring training in full swing.

“From a local perspective we don’t pay a lot of attention to the economic impact analysis because it’s not actual revenue for the city,” she said. “From our perspective it’s more of a tourism perspective. What does it do for our community? The tourism industry is huge for Arizona. According to an economic impact report, it supports over 180,000 jobs.”

From the tourism end, Glendale Visitor Center partnered with the Arizona Office of Tourism for a multi-level digital advertising campaign promoting pre- and post-game activities, as well as tourism in Glendale and the West Valley, according to Manager Lorraine Zomok.

The cost was $4,999, she said.

“We are connecting with incoming sports fans utilizing our bureau assets including online, social, digital programs and in-person services at the Glendale Visitor Center.” she said. “This first-time event will bring a new sports audience to our community to not only enjoy all the action on the court, but take in the local flavors of our region. From shopping and dining, to cultural attractions and outdoor adventure, the tourism amenities of Glendale and the state of Arizona will be showcased to a worldwide audience.”

When the tournament ends and the fans go home, Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business will conduct an economic impact study of the 2017 Final Four, according to Kristen Pflipsen, spokeswoman for the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee, a nonprofit hosting the Final Four.

She said the event is expected to attract tens of thousands of out-of-state visitors and produce hundreds of millions of dollars for the state’s economy. She cited W.P.Carey’s study of the last mega event, the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship, which generated $274 million in economic impact. That championship playoff also took place at the Glendale stadium.

Public safety

Merchants are not the only ones prepared for the mega event.

Glendale budgeted $1.1 million for staffing and equipment, mostly public safety, according to Ms. Moreno. However, with the Department of Public Safety now taking the lead on security, Glendale will likely not spend that much, she said.

“It will be way less than $1.1 million, but we won’t know until six to eight weeks after the event,” she added.
Glendale Police Sgt. Scott Waite said the department has been preparing for the event since last year.
“We’ve been getting staffing for the event to make sure there is complete coverage,” he said.

DPS will provide security inside the stadium, which seats about 65,000. Glendale and a coalition of public safety officers from 13-17 agencies in the Valley will be tasked with monitoring the outside, directing traffic and making a visible presence in the Westgate area, Sgt. Waite said.

“Obviously one of the concerns people have is when a mega event happens, what happens with service throughout the city?” he said. “We never go short in staffing levels in other areas when we have mega events.”
Police does not expect to encounter problems with fans in Glendale, which is no stranger to big events — the city hosted the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2015.

“We have been very blessed in the fact the visitors we get, the tourists we get are extremely friendly people,” he said. “These people pay a lot of money to come and they travel here not looking for trouble.”

Traffic

Glendale last week was finalizing its game plan on handling  the onslaught of traffic, according to Allan Galicia, an analyst for the city transportation department.

“We do have a great plan set and we are ready to handle any traffic that comes to us,” he said. “We have done it for the Super Bowl twice and the national championship game last year.”

The department is working closely with Arizona Department of Transportation and police.

Event traffic is expected to be heavy on Interstate 10, Loop 101, Northern Avenue, Camelback Road, Bethany Home Road as well as Maryland and Glendale avenues, according to Mr. Galicia, who noted many Valley hotels will offer shuttle services for their guests.

“We expect a lot of shuttle buses from hotels,” he said. “So the more buses we get, the more people who use shuttles, the better it is for us.”

Mr. Galicia said no problems are anticipated if people heed the advice to head out early for the games, especially on April 3, which is Monday, a workday. The game starts at 5:30 p.m., which coincides with rush-hour traffic.

“I 10 is busy normally, so if fans attend on Monday they need to be aware to arrive early, four to five hours prior to tip-off,” he said. “Treat it like you are going to the airport. You never know how long the lines are at the airport.

“If they do that, if they leave and arrive here early, it will give them plenty of time and a lot better fan experience.”

Fans arriving early do not have to worry about standing around waiting because there will be plenty of activities until the game, he said. The stadium opens at 2 p.m. on April 3.

He also suggested that fans driving in from north Phoenix and Scottsdale take Loop 101 instead of I 10 to get to the stadium.

“It should be quicker to get into the stadium and vice versa,” he said. “And going back to the hotels if they drove to the stadium, going north after the game is also quicker, head north on Loop 101 to the east side rather than south on I 10.”

As for workday commuters, they should expect delays on I 10 and Loop 101, he added.

“Luckily it’s a going home type-of-deal, so at least they are not in the rush to get to work,” he said.
And, if a crash happens, there is a quick clearance policy with ADOT.

“They will do a quick clearance of vehicles if there is a stalled vehicle or minor fender-bender,” he said. “Get it out of the way quickly and put it on the shoulder. Normally within five minutes they are out of the roadways.”

Dynamic message boards over the freeways and Glendale streets also will help direct drivers to the stadium.