Las Vegas Super Bowl hype building as NFL season begins

As Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season began Thursday night, the league took to its social media accounts to let football fans know that the end goal is to be in Las Vegas in February.

The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign is prominently featured in an image posted on the NFL’s X and Instagram accounts, depicting star players from each of the 32 NFL teams staring at Allegiant Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LVIII (58) scheduled for Feb. 11.

Despite the season just beginning, the hype for Las Vegas’ first Super Bowl has been building ever since the handover ceremony in Phoenix, the Monday after Super Bowl 57.

“As we kick off the 104th NFL season this week, the journey to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas is officially underway,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, league events and international. “There’s nothing like the excitement around the start of the season, and there is incredible energy and anticipation across all fan bases. With Super Bowl 58 being the ultimate goal for every club, we know there will be many incredible stories on the journey to Vegas.”

On Location, the NFL’s premium ticket provider for the Super Bowl, has seen record demand with its early Super Bowl ticket packages. The first two premium ticketing offerings sold out, with two new packages going up for sale this week.

“The fact that we’ve already sold out of two of our most popular hospitality experiences shows people are eagerly anticipating the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas,” said Scott Jernigan, chief commercial officer at On Location and IMG Events.

“The Super Bowl in Las Vegas will be unlike any that came before. Being able to use Las Vegas as our canvas to create memorable moments for our guests is a dream come true.”

As is the case with every Super Bowl, tickets for the big game don’t come cheap. The least expensive package being offered through On Location, with a ticket in the 300 level of Allegiant Stadium and a pregame tailgate party featuring a performance from rocker Billy Idol, is $9,832 with taxes and fees. Tickets outside of those tied to hospitality packages to the game have yet to be released.

At February’s Super Bowl in Arizona, fans with seats in some of the highest sections at State Farm Stadium paid $4,500 and higher to sit in the 400 level of the Cardinals’ home facility.

Room demand for Super Bowl weekend is also strong, but Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill said that is not unexpected.

“I was just talking to one of the heads of a major resort just a couple of days ago who was saying the demand for the Super Bowl is outstripping any event he has seen,” Hill said. “The Super Bowl is a big commodity when the game is not in Las Vegas. Having the demand be super high was not something that we didn’t anticipate, but it’s great to see that it’s happening.”

Having the Super Bowl in Las Vegas is expected to generate upwards of $700 million in economic impact, Hill said. That does not include the fans who are traveling to Las Vegas to watch the big game in sportsbooks and resorts across the city.

The NFL and various television networks have been making regular trips to Las Vegas over the past year to get their Super Bowl plans in place. Last month, the league and the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee released some of their plans for the week of the big game, with more to be released as the year progresses.

“The road to Las Vegas is open, and things are heading down it and everybody is excited about that,” Hill said. “The anticipation around having the Super Bowl in Las Vegas has been fun to watch. You’ve got announcers talking about it, players talking about it, coaches talking about it. That makes it special, and because the season has started, it has become more real.”

Getting that attention is free advertising for the city, which will only help grow the buzz around the game and Las Vegas as a sports city, Hill said.

“It’s marketing value for Vegas that we couldn’t afford to buy, that’s for sure,” Hill said.

On top of the free advertising the city will get each Sunday when the Super Bowl is mentioned, the LVCVA is prepping a targeted ad rollout over the next few months to further build up the excitement of a Super Bowl in Sin City.

“We’re excited about some of the ideas we have now, and we know people will think they are really great when we roll them out,” Hill said.

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