Pollstar (02/16/24) Muret, Don
NFL executives are crediting Allegiant Stadium’s design and flexibility among the main reasons why the league's first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas ran so smoothly. Jon Barker, the NFL's head of global event production and operations, recently joined Peter O'Reilly, the league's executive vice president of club business and league events, on a video conference call to wrap up Super Bowl LVIII before attendees at the Stadium Managers Association seminar. Barker said getting fans into the venue was one of the smoothest pieces of Super Bowl game day the NFL has ever had. An estimated 30,000 people used the Hacienda Bridge that connects the Mandalay Bay resort to the stadium. Also, for the first time ever, the NFL adopted a Super Bowl Opening Night format on Monday, Feb. 5, to kick the week off. Tickets cost $30 and about 29,000 fans showed up to see both teams' players and coaches converge with hundreds of media representatives. The event also featured a performance by Blue Man Group. O’Reilly states, "It was a bit of a test run, which is helpful to us, but it’s also about allowing people who [otherwise] wouldn’t have a chance to be there, attend, and set the tone for the week."
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