LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — All eyes are on Glendale, Arizona for Superbowl LVII, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off this weekend for the biggest night in football.
But come next Monday, all eyes will turn to the valley as Las Vegas ramps up for Superbowl LVIII.
13 Action News Anchor Tricia Kean sat down for an exclusive interview with the man who played a key role in landing Las Vegas its first-ever Super Bowl.
Meet Sam Joffray — the brains behind the bid. He was hired by the LVCVA to create the bid since Las Vegas was new to the game, and he brought a wealth of experience after working for 25 years in New Orleans putting together similar bids.
"The first step is the host city has to have a team and a stadium, and that big landmark occurred when the Raiders relocated here to Vegas. Then at that point, you're allowed to be invited to bid," Joffray told KTNV. "Las Vegas was invited to bid on the Super Bowl in 2021 at the beginning of the year."
During his time in New Orleans, Joffray put together bids for Super Bowls, Finals Fours, NBA All-Star Games and even Wrestlemania.
"There's nothing like the excitement of a major sporting event to help unite the community and to serve as a valuable anchor for a destination city like Las Vegas with tourism and hospitality," he said.
In December 2021, NFL owners voted to allow Las Vegas to host next year's Super Bowl — but with one major requirement.
"The NFL requires that once you're awarded the Super Bowl, you have to create a separate entity that is required, that signs the contracts and that goes on the hook for everything," Joffray said. "That was promised for the bid and then ramps up with a full-time staff and a volunteer committee."
Now, the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee is alive with Joffray at the helm as president and CEO. With a staff of 12 personnel, the work begins this year on one of the biggest events Las Vegas will ever host.
However, before Las Vegas goes big, there is Super Bowl etiquette to follow first. The real ramp-up in the valley won't officially begin until after Glendale has finished its Super Bowl weekend.
So on Monday, Feb. 13, it's official.
"Starting that Monday morning, we'll have a handoff press conference in Phoenix, where Commissioner Goodell will officially congratulate Phoenix on the great job that they're bound to do because they're a repeat host as well," Joffray said. "Then they'll officially hand off the torch to Las Vegas to be on the clock for Feb. 11, 2024."
Once Las Vegas is on the clock, you'll notice a big difference around our community, Joffray said. Around 9,000 volunteers are needed for the many events put on by the host committee throughout the year.
"Greeting visitors at the airport, asking them to help kids kick footballs at fan events and to help us welcome the 6,000 members of the media that will be coming to town," Joffray said. "It takes a village to raise a Super Bowl, and the host committee is really kind of the starting point for that."
Joffray says the Super Bowl weekend will have a huge economic impact — to the tune of at least $700 million — but expect to see a "legacy impact" in our community, as well.
The Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee will work with local charities, non-profits, environmental programs, economic development initiatives and business connect programs in the Southern Nevada community.
"We have a number of programs that we hope will have a legacy here that continues until the next Super Bowl [in Las Vegas]," Joffray said.
The Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee staff are already hard at work this week in the Valley of the Sun, studying things like transportation in the Phoenix area as Glendale gets ready to host Super Bowl LVII.
"The Super Bowl is not a one-size-fits-all event. You don't just pick it up and move it from city to city. Everything has to be tweaked and changed," Joffray said. "Especially in Vegas, where we have never hosted one before, there is nothing to copy and paste from. We're authoring every plan from scratch, every drawing is being generated from scratch. This will become the blueprint for all future Super Bowls."
Joffray says Las Vegas has always been seen as a destination hot spot for Super Bowl weekends. In fact, it's the second-most popular travel destination for the Big Game, so hosting the game itself in Las Vegas is truly monumental.
Hosting professional sports in a city known for gambling was once taboo — but now, it has turned into the ultimate relationship.
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"For so many years, Las Vegas and the NFL couldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence — this was an epic love story. You've got two lovers who were never allowed to talk, then all of a sudden they got to flirt. Then they started dating and moved in together, and now, they're getting married," Joffray said. "We're kind of like the wedding planners of this marriage."
The Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee says they have a $55 million obligation to successfully deliver the Super Bowl bid.
The one thing the host committee will have nothing to do with is the Super Bowl Halftime Show, since that is something the NFL works on exclusively with its network partner.
While the valley has lit up with excitement since Las Vegas won the bid, there's been one burning question on everyone's mind — will locals be able to get tickets to Super Bowl LVIII?
"I'm glad you asked, because not that many tickets are allotted for the general public," Joffray said.
The NFL controls every seat in the stadium, and a majority of the tickets go to the teams, sponsors and NFL owners. However, a small amount goes out to the public in a drawing.
For those unable to acquire tickets, however, the Host Committee promises lots of viewing parties and fan events across the valley when the Big Game finally arrives.
For more information on Super Bowl LVIII, go to ktnv.com/superbowl.
