Nice job Houston. Y’all put on a good show.
But it’s time to move on. Your time is done. Now it’s our turn.
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will be the home of Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018. And the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee spent the past week in Houston, learning how the hell to put on one of these things without having it fall apart.
#Minnesota we're officially on the clock for Super Bowl 52! #handoffweek https://t.co/9kgHnx4CU0
— U.S. Bank Stadium (@usbankstadium) February 6, 2017
The committee sent out daily emails during the week recapping things, which included:
- Meeting with public transportation officials to talk about coordinating all the travel, and toured transportation operations to see how Houston managed it. MSP Airport officials spoke with Houston airport officials about managing things there.
- Taking a look at team hotels, and how they’re being utilized – the host committee expects 41,000 hotel rooms in the Twin Cities to be used during the 10-day Super Bowl LII activities next year.
- Scoping out entertainment spaces, including the free and public Super Bowl Live center (which they’ll have a “Bold North” version of in Minneapolis) and Club Nomadic, a concert venue that hosted multiple performances during the Super Bowl festivities.
- Looking at the Super Bowl media party – which Mall of America will host in 2018. That’s where more than 5,000 reporters will gather.
- Learning how Houston managed the credentials process and flow of ticketholders for the Super Bowl.
- And getting a preparations tour from NRG Stadium, to look at what needs to be done in the days leading up to Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium.
And there’s a lot going on this week
Never one to let a marketing opportunity go by, the NFL is helping kick off this official Super Bowl handoff week.
Morning press conference with @HouSuperBowl @nflcommish to handoff the game ball to @MNSuperBowl2018. #BoldNorthDownSouth pic.twitter.com/TnzOyfFyJX
— Minnesota Super Bowl (@MNSuperBowl2018) February 6, 2017
The Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee has things planned for every day this week, including a few community events around the Twin Cities.
Monday is the above-mentioned handoff press conference, plus 30 digital billboards that will display a Super Bowl LII countdown clock. (If you’re super into countdowns, there’s a downloadable one available.)
Tuesday will be a “Celebrate the Bold North” event outside U.S. Bank Stadium Plaza from 2-4 p.m. There will be ice sculptures, free coffee or hot chocolate, and “other surprises.
On Wednesday they’ll unveil the “52 Weeks of Giving” campaign – charitable grants for communities across the state, focused on health and wellness.
On Thursday they’ll be surprising people with “gifts celebrating the countdown.” Crew 52 – that’s the group Chad Greenway is captain of – will be popping up at locations around the Twin Cities metro.
And to cap it all off, there will be a “Show us Your Bold” rally at the Mall of America rotunda from 5-7 p.m. Friday.
More on Super Bowl LII
There’s a website dedicated to the upcoming Super Bowl in Minnesota – check it out here. It’s got a bunch of information, if you want more.
And here’s a look at the official Super Bowl LII logo, via an NFL communications person:
See you next year @usbankstadium. I'm packing my mittens (though temp inside the stadium will be 72 degrees) #SB52 #TheBoldNorth pic.twitter.com/4cTp3wrhf4
— Natalie Ravitz (@Nravitz) February 6, 2017
