WORLD TO SEE. AT THE SAME TIME, PITTSBURGH IS ONE OF 20 CITIES COMPETING TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT IN 2026 OR 2027. EACH CITY HAS SUBMITTED A BID. THIS IS A LOOK AT THAT BIDDING PROCESS AND WHAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE FOR PITTSBURGH TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT. ALL EYES ON THE CHOSEN CITY FOR THE NFL DRAFT SPECTACULAR. DETROIT SHOWING OFF ITS VIBE, ITS RHYTHM, ITS FLAVOR, OUR FOOD, OUR MUSIC, OUR CULTURE ALL PART OF DETROIT’S WINNING BID TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT, JESSICA PARKER, DETROIT’S DEPUTY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER. WE ARE IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT. YES, WE ARE. AND AS YOU SAID, WE HAVE THE MAIN STAGE HERE, WHICH WILL BE THE MAIN FAN EXPERIENCE. DETROIT SHOWS THE CAMPUS MARTIUS SECTION OF DOWNTOWN FOR THE NFL MAIN STAGE AND THEATER. THIS AREA HAS GAINED NATIONAL RECOGNITION. THIS AREA WAS ACTUALLY NAMED THE BEST PUBLIC SPACE THREE YEARS IN A ROW. IN A ROW BY USA TODAY. THEY TOLD US FROM DAY ONE, MAKE IT UNIQUELY DETROIT AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT CAMPUS MARTIUS PARK AS THE THE HUB OF IT ALL FOR EVERYONE THAT WORKS DOWNTOWN, THAT LIVES DOWNTOWN, THAT VISITS DOWNTOWN, A CROWD OF 200 TO 300,000 PEOPLE IS EXPECTED. AND SO DETROIT IS USING SEVEN ANCILLARY LOCATIONS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE MAIN STAGE. HART PLAZA FOR THE NFL EXPERIENCE A TRENDY NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED CORKTOWN AND A TOURISTY NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED GREEKTOWN. WHILE PITTSBURGH IS FOLLOWING DETROIT’S BLUEPRINT TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT PARTY, IT WOULD BE THE LARGEST EVENT GATHERING IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY. IT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE, IF NOT THE LARGEST, JUST ONE OF THE LARGEST EVENTS TO EVER HOST, UH, EVER BE HOSTED HERE IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. A PITTSBURGH HOST COMMITTEE SUBMITTED THE BID TO LAND THE NFL DRAFT. IT’S LED BY THE STEELERS. VISIT PITTSBURGH, THE COUNTY AND STATE, AND A HOST OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. BUT WHERE ARE THEY PROPOSING TO HOST 300,000 PEOPLE FOR THE NFL DRAFT? WHERE WOULD THEY PLACE THE MAIN STAGE HAND IN HAND WITH VISIT PITTSBURGH’S PRESIDENT AND CEO PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS. WE PROPOSED SEVERAL SITES WHERE THAT THAT COULD BE WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE. CAN YOU TELL US WHERE, UM, WHERE IT WOULD PROBABLY MAKE THE MOST SENSE IS ON THE NORTH SHORE NEXT TO ACRISURE STADIUM. ONE IDEA IS TO MAKE ACRISURE STADIUM THE HUB, PLACING THE STAGE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STADIUM. FANS WOULD GATHER ALONG GENERAL ROBINSON BOULEVARD FOR AT LEAST TWO BLOCKS, AND NORTH SHORE DRIVE WOULD ALSO BE PART OF THE VENUE. LIKE DETROIT, PITTSBURGH WOULD CREATE ANCILLARY VENUES ACROSS THE RIVER. WOULD YOU UTILIZE PENN AVENUE IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT? WE’D USE IT ALL. ALL OF DOWNTOWN WOULD REALLY BE ACTIVATED FOR THE DRAFT. PENNSYLVANIA’S DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION TELLS PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR THAT THE NFL TOURED POINT STATE PARK IN THE FALL, WHICH HOLDS 30,000 PEOPLE. SEVERAL BLOCKS OF PENN AVENUE IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT WILL BE PART OF THE FAN EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS GATEWAY CENTER AND SEVERAL BLOCKS OF LIBERTY AVENUE. IT REALLY IS GOING TO TAKE THE ENTIRE DOWNTOWN AREA, AND THAT’S ANOTHER THING THAT IT WAS REALLY ATTRACTIVE TO THE NFL. WHEN THEY’RE LOOKING AT PITTSBURGH AS A CITY, THE NFL HAS THE FINAL SAY ON WHERE THE DRAFT IS HELD. IF PITTSBURGH WINS THE BID, SO THE 200 TO 300,000 PEOPLE THAT WE EXPECT IN TOWN WON’T NECESSARY. BE IN ONE LOCATION AT ALL TIMES. IT’LL BE SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE CITY. AND AGAIN, WE’RE VERY CONFIDENT WITH OUR BID SUBMISSION OPTIONS. BUT IT TAKES MORE THAN ENOUGH OPEN SPACE TO WIN THE BID TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT. KANSAS CITY HOSTED LAST YEAR’S DRAFT AT UNION STATION, BUT THE CITY HAD TO GUARANTEE THAT ITS NEW AIRPORT WOULD OPEN IN TIME FOR THE DRAFT. THAT HAPPENED JUST TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE BIG EVENT. PITTSBURGH MADE A SIMILAR PROMISE TO THE NFL ABOUT THE NEW TERMINAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL. IT IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2025. A FULL SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE 2026 DRAFT. A MAJOR REQUIREMENT THAT SITS IN PITTSBURGH’S FAVOR IS THAT THE CITY IS WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF ONE THIRD OF OTHER NFL MARKETS. BUT HOTEL SPACE PRESENTS A CHALLENGE. 6000 HOTEL ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE CITY, BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH. VISIT PITTSBURGH SAYS EVERY MUNICIPALITY AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES MUST PITCH IN TO SATISFY THE NFL’S REQUIRED NUMBER OF HOTEL SPACE. TO HOST AN EVENT OF THIS SIZE, YOU WOULD NEED HOTELS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION. SO WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF PITTSBURGH WINNING A BID TO HOST THE NFL DRAFT? HERE’S WHAT THE NFL TELLS PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. WE ARE THRILLED TO SEE THE ENTHUSIASM FROM THE STEELERS GOVERNOR AND OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS, AS PITTSBURGH HAS HOSTED A NUMBER OF BIG EVENTS AND IS CLEARLY A KEY NFL MARKET WITH OUTSTANDING HISTORY AND TRADITION. WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THINGS UP OUR SLEEVES AS WELL TO SHOWCASE THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AND WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT IN JUST A MATTER OF WEEKS, THE NFL WILL ANNOUNCE THE HOST CITIES FOR THE 2026, 2027 NFL DRAFT IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN.