LVCVA unsure of 2021 Pro Bowl’s effect on Las Vegas tourism

How much the presence of the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl in Las Vegas will move the economic needle is unknown, but any kind of new event at Allegiant Stadium is likely to be a good thing.

While Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill, who also chairs the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, issued a statement of appreciation that the NFL chose to move its annual all-star game to the Entertainment Capital of the World in January, there’s no playbook for gauging success.

“We’re appreciative of the NFL’s leadership and commitment to bring the 2021 Pro Bowl to Las Vegas,” Hill said. “We look forward to hosting the best NFL players and their incredible fan base for a weeklong celebration that could only happen in Las Vegas.”

How many people will schedule a special trip to Las Vegas to take in the Pro Bowl and all the special events surrounding it? How many millions of television viewers will watch a meaningless football exhibition game the week before the Super Bowl? Both are unknown.

First-time event for Vegas

Additional wild cards exist because of the uncertainty of life in general in a COVID-19 world. What will hotel capacity look like in January, weeks after CES is scheduled to hit the city? Will football fans be able to attend games in person by then? What will be the impact of Las Vegas experiencing its first full season as an NFL city?

“The LVCVA does not have projected economic or visitation estimates available at this time as it’s a first-time event for the destination at a new venue that has yet to open, making it difficult to make accurate projections,” said Lori Kraft, a spokeswoman for the LVCVA.

It isn’t the first time that the convention authority has been asked to crack a first-time-event puzzle.

The organization was the primary connection point among the NFL, the Raiders and the city’s resort community for logistical planning when the city prepared to host the NFL Draft in April. When asked to project the economic impact on the community, the LVCVA could only look to results that occurred in Nashville, Tennessee, the year before.

Nashville reported a $224 million economic impact, with $130 million in direct spending calculated.

Economic experts believed Las Vegas was in line for an even greater return with its variety of entertainment and dining options available during what amounted to a four-day, full-capacity gathering.

But the Pro Bowl event will be different.

While the Pro Bowl won’t have the same cache as the NFL Draft, it’s still tabbed to be a weeklong celebration of football. It will feature various activities including the NFL FLAG Championship games, AFC and NFC team practices and for the fifth straight year, the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, where the NFL’s biggest stars from each conference compete in tests of their skills. NFL FLAG is a non-contact youth flag football league.

Southern Nevada’s nonprofit community is expected to benefit from the Pro Bowl’s presence. A series of community and charity-focused events for the local community is planned.

As for the possibility that coronavirus issues are still around, the NFL says all NFL activities during Pro Bowl week would adhere to the latest public safety guidelines set by medical and public health officials, as well as operate in full compliance with all local and federal government regulations.

Measuring success

Kraft said the success of a special event in Las Vegas isn’t measured alone on attendance and how much visitors spend. The LVCVA also monitors media impressions — news stories that mention Las Vegas and its attractions and images on broadcasts showing the resort destination.

This year’s Pro Bowl game drew nearly 8 million viewers, according to German statistics portal Statista, and next year’s will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes, a Spanish language sports channel.

While viewership of the Pro Bowl has steadily declined since 2018 when there were 8.6 million people watching, the NFL hopes that the glitz of Las Vegas and the new $2 billion, 65,000-seat state-of-the-art indoor stadium will breathe new life into the game. Over the last 20 years, viewership peaked at 13.4 million in 2011.

If the LVCVA supports the game with sponsorship as it has with the Las Vegas Bowl since its inception, game viewers will likely see several images of Las Vegas as well a few commercials promoting the city.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.