Las Vegas Super Bowl Committee looking to include community in big game

The Super Bowl is about a year-and-a-half away from taking place in Las Vegas, and organizers want to get the community involved.

Host committee chair Maury Gallagher, who also serves as chairman of Allegiant Air, Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan and Jeremy Aguero, principal analysts with Applied Analyst, spoke at an event Friday at Allegiant Stadium, where Super Bowl LVlll will be held on Feb. 11, 2024.

Among other things, the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee Charities was announced at the event. By the time the big game comes and goes in 2024, the charity will have invested $4 million and thousands of hours of work into the local community. Founding donors of the charity include the Raiders Foundation, UFC, United Way of Southern Nevada, PNC Bank and Madison Square Garden Entertainment.

The host committee also is partnering with NFL Business Connect to open up opportunities to a diverse pool of suppliers and vendors to compete for contract opportunities tied to the Super Bowl.

“The Super Bowl provides the host city several incredible opportunities for global exposure, economic growth and social impact,” Morgan, co-chair of the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIll executive committee, said. “As the executive committee, it is our responsibility to ensure we maximize those opportunities to create long-term community benefits and a lasting legacy of positive change.”

As a native Southern Nevadan, Morgan said hosting the Super Bowl in Las Vegas is personal to her. She said that the stigma surrounding Las Vegas finally has been removed, which opened up the city to the professional sports world.

“We haven’t been able to have these events and be embraced by these professional leagues for so long because of maybe concerns about gambling or maybe thinking we weren’t a town that’s large enough to handle it,” Morgan said. “I know when we have the Super Bowl here in 2024, we’re going to show everyone that not only can we handle it, but it’s the best place to have (it).”

Local college students can get in the action through an internship program that began last month. Students in the program will receive access and experience in the realm of large-scale events. Opportunities in operations, sales, philanthropy, logistics, marketing and communications will be available to UNLV students.

About 40 students are already part of the paid internship program, which is now funded to last for at least three full semesters.

“As our first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and not our last, the stakes could not be higher,” Sam Joffray, president & CEO of the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee, said. “Our barometer for success is that everyone in our community finds hosting the Super Bowl to be a valuable experience. In the coming months, the host committee will continue to embed itself into this community with programs and initiatives designed for residents, businesses and local non-profits to get involved. Nevadans are the most valuable stakeholders in this event and should be the primary beneficiaries of Super Bowl LVIlI.”

The Super Bowl is expected to generate $500 million in economic impact and lead to thousands of jobs and opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses.

“It’s not just about game day,” Aguero said. “It’s going to be the most significant economic event that we’ve ever had in Southern Nevada.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.