North Texas Super Bowl impact will be great, Lively says

Bill Lively, president and CEO of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee North Texas, was in Plano on Thursday to speak about the potential effect of the February 2011 Super Bowl.

"One billion people will be watching the game on TV, live and delayed. The eyes of the world will see North Texas," he said. "With the tremendous attention put onto the region, we want to showcase North Texas - its families, cultures, companies and businesses."

Lively said the increased attention to the area is the perfect reason for the communities in the North Texas region to work together.

"The Super Bowl is a very, very significant event in that it serves as the catalyst to unite the region unlike any other event in North Texas history," he said in an interview Monday. "There has not been, in my opinion, a unifying event like this in the area since DFW Airport was built 35 years ago."

The host committee includes staff and volunteers from North Texas' four-county region - Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties - in a collaborative effort to plan the first Super Bowl to take place in North Texas in National Football League history, Lively said.

"Football will galvanize the region with the power of collaboration," he said. "We are building a template that will serve this Super Bowl and the next and the next."

Lively said the demographics of the region provide ample reason to create one of the biggest Super Bowl events in the history of the NFL.

"North Texas is the fourth-largest metroplex in the nation; it's the fastest-growing and has the healthiest economy," he said. "It's vibrant and dynamic. Texas can dream and translate it into action."

Where previous Super Bowls called for a committee of 25 regional business leaders to plan buildup events, Host Committee North Texas is comprised of 275 local leaders from throughout the North Texas area who form more than a dozen committees to provide appropriate experience and expertise in certain areas, such as regional transportation, aviation, public safety and volunteer recruitment. A unique committee, the Council of Mayors, includes 114 mayors of North Texas cities and towns and provides insight to how the municipalities can get ready for the event, Lively said.

Allen Mayor Stephen Terrell said the Super Bowl will be better and more memorable and set the standard for future football games.

"The Super Bowl is an event that gives North Texas an avenue to work together as a metroplex," he said. "An event of this magnitude needs the participation of all cities and towns to be successful. I don't think one city would have handled it, but as a region, we have all the tools to make it work."


Economic impact

"The Super Bowl will bring more than 150,000 out-of-state visitors and attract nearly a half million Texans to the North Texas region, who will all stay in your hotels for at least five days," Lively said. "They will see your museums, dine in your restaurants, shop at your malls and spend, spend, spend. There will be an enormous impact on the region."

With so many visitors in the North Texas region, the 2011 Super Bowl is expected to have a regional economic impact of $612 million, Lively said.

"The Super Bowl will be an opportunity for local businesses to get involved and become vendors or benefit economically because of the many people coming and going," said Brad Shanklin, president and CEO of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. "A big event like this will draw a huge crowd, and a percentage of them will likely stay or be in the Plano area. Our hotels will be filled, our restaurants will be dined in and our businesses will profit."

The state comptroller estimated that, while Arlington is the official host of the game, Dallas would see the biggest revenue boost – about a $4.5 million city tax revenue gain related to the game. With game-related events occurring in Fort Worth, Arlington and Irving, the three cities will also receive an increase in revenues: Fort Worth would see about $1.3 million, Arlington would receive about $1.1 million and Irving would see about $330,000.

Smaller cities, such as Lewisville, Farmers Branch, Addison, Frisco, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Denton, Plano and Richardson would see varying amounts from $4,000 to $209,000 as a rippling effect spreads outward from the main hub of activity.

While most of the action will be in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Irving, other North Texas cities are gearing up for the overflow of tourists who will likely bunker down in cities and towns as far away as Denton and Collin counties.

"The economic footprint will be broad across the metroplex, from creating new business opportunities to hiring additional staff," said Denise Stokes, Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau communications manager. "The impact of sold-out hotels and restaurants in other areas will certainly push business to Frisco, which is not that far away from the game area. What you cannot measure is the future impact on the city by a visitor to the Super Bowl that might return to Frisco for a meeting or leisure trip because of the great experience they had."

Allen Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Sharon Mayer agreed and said she looks forward to welcoming to Allen the surplus of tourists who will be in the North Texas area.

"Though the majority of the events will be in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Irving, there are other cities in the second ring of North Texas suburbs who can provide housing opportunities for the visitors," she said. "We hope to attract some to Allen because of the shopping and other things to do that are not related to the Super Bowl."


Working together

Lively said the buildup to the Super Bowl began earlier this month with a concert at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.

"We'll have at least 60 events around North Texas, and right now we're preparing the different regions (for the events)," he said.

Christie Hartwell, director of The Colony Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the city will be launching a Super Bowl marketing campaign in May featuring a customized logo and tagline aimed at attracting visitors. The logo's catchphrase will read, "In THE Colony for THE Game."

"All CVB advertisements for The Colony will feature a Super Bowl teaser, which will include our customized logo," she said. "In addition, a countdown clock will be uploaded to our CVB Web site to stir anticipation and excitement among football fans."

The city also is partnering with local hotels to develop special packages that may include transportation to and from Cowboys Stadium, dinner vouchers and commemorative gift items.

Hartwell hopes visitors not only enjoy the football game but also the city's other amenities while they're in town.

"Visitors who take advantage of The Colony's wonderful hotel accommodations can also begin planning their summer visit, which can include a round of golf at one of our top-ranked courses, a romantic dinner and show, a full day of fishing, skiing, or canoeing on Lewisville Lake, or a Hawaiian Falls Waterpark adventure," she said.

Carrollton Mayor Ron Branson said since the city does not have a large base of tourism, he is not sure the city would benefit at all.

"I have looked very hard; if we were to have a hotel in the city then yes, we would benefit," he said. "The DART train will be here by then; people would be able to get on the train and go out to the Super Bowl."


Lasting effects

Lively said the Super Bowl is not just about football. Some of the plans being made will have lasting effects on the North Texas region.

In a partnership with the education program Big Thought, the host committee has initiated several programs that will operate in conjunction with the Super Bowl buildup events.

SLANT 45, which stands for Service Learning Adventures in North Texas and Super Bowl XLV (45), will impact the North Texas region with educational programs. Coincidentally, a "slant" is also a football pattern, and the SLANT 45 program was named after an actual football play used by Daryl Johnston and Emmitt Smith for the Dallas Cowboys.

"This program is one of the largest community-wide service-learning programs for elementary-aged children," Lively said. "More than 20,000 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students will give more than 45,000 hours of community service to their communities. This program will teach them the value of community service and giving back."

The committee has also started fundraising for Youth Education Town (YET) and Taste of the NFL, two initiatives that will leave a lasting legacy on the North Texas region. The Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee will raise $1 million in net revenue for each initiative to benefit the North Texas area.

"We are planning the Super Bowl in a way to galvanize the region and extend this regional game into the backyards of North Texas families," Lively said. "When the fans go away and the banners go down, we want to leave North Texas a better place than it was before. Kids will know the importance of community service and have heroes like Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. These programs will leave legacies far beyond the glam and glory of a football game."

Plano Mayor Phil Dyer said he hopes the game will not only boost North Texas' destination appeal for tourists around the nation and world, but also serve as an invitation for businesses and companies to consider the region for relocation purposes.

"DFW will be in the limelight for that entire week, and it is the perfect way for us to show how extraordinary a place it is," he said. "This is a chance for us to market the entire region, not only from a convention-tourism standpoint, but also business relocation."

Staff writers Jan Bellamy, Blaine Crimmins and James Roth contributed to this report.

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