January 9, 2024 • 26 mins
On this episode we hear from nonprofit representatives who have benefited from the Super Bowl Host Committee's 501c3 support. We discuss their missions, how the support has made a difference, and their partnerships with the Host Committee. And Sam Joffray is back with the latest announcements and information about additional planning for SBLVIII.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
This is Inside the Vegas Huddle,your podcast connection to the events and initiatives
led by the Las Vegas Super Bowlfifty eight Host Committee in advance of the
big game at Allegiance Stadium. Welcometo Inside the Vegas Huddle. Welcome back
(00:24):
to Inside the Vegas Huddle, yourpodcast dedicated to all things super Bowl fifty
eight. I'm Joanna Bowman with iHeartRadio, and I'm Chris Matthews with Channel eight
KLSTV here in Las Vegas. Boy, Joanna, how exciting is this as
we count down now lesson a monthaway from Super Bowl Week? It has
flown by. I feel like therewere the Holidays in the mix, if
(00:45):
one was in the mix, andnow we're here and it's the talk of
the town. So we have theexpert on all things super Bowl fifty eight.
Sam Jeoffrey, Las Vegas Super BowlHost Committee CEO and President, joining
us again. Welcome Sam. Thankyou for having me, so you got
to fill us in on all ofthe details, all this stuff everybody needs
to know. The countdown is on. We are officially in what we call
(01:07):
the red zone now getting ready tohopefully score the last few touchdowns between now
and February. But yeah, it'skind of a pencils down moment where we've
started looking at uh we kind ofput a pause on being creative and saying,
now we got to just start executingon everything that we've planned or laid
out for the past couple of years. So we're definitely in execution mode as
(01:27):
well as, you know, playingfiremen a little bit, putting out some
fires here and there. But thirtydays it once you at the playoffs,
it happens overnight, So it's gonnabe fun. And I was just wondering
as you walk around and as thetourists and and just the locals walk up
and down the strip and kind ofsense the Super Bowl feel, what will
(01:49):
we start seeing now in the nextcouple of weeks. Well, what you're
not seeing is all the contractors andNFL staff that are now boots on the
ground here. People are in townworking starting on Monday right now after that
last Raiders game, So we havea lot of stuff going on behind the
scenes. If you were to watchthe stadium from day to day from a
window somewhere or a webcam or whathave you, you will start to see
(02:10):
it transform. I likened it earlierto what the convention center looks like right
now for cees, what are normallyparking lots are going to become structures and
decor and a whole festival, fairgroundsenvironment around the Every square inch of that
stadium is gonna get filled up overthe next few weeks, and the perimeter
(02:30):
will go in place. You're gonnasee a couple of things happening around town,
a couple of little enclosures to accommodatethings like the CBS set is under
construction now at Blasio. It's gonnabe a great backdrop for that week long
worth of broadcast that will happen.CBS is gonna have not just sports,
but news and talk, and Ithink over forty hours of programming for them
alone, plus accommodating their affiliates tobe able to come and do live shots.
(02:54):
And so you're gonna see that popup. And then it'll probably won't
be until after the championship game thatyou really start to see a lot of
the decor elements around the city,whether that's wraps on bridges or installations here
and there. You'll see some largeroma numerals start to pop up in surprise
locations so there should be a lotof things happening right after the championship game,
(03:19):
but right now you'll get to seeit all being built firsthand. So
exciting, so exciting, and youguys have recently rolled out where it's live
now the Note before you Go websitethat people can check out and what's exactly
on that page and what type ofinformation is provided there. So there's a
couple of ways to get information.One's going to be through the NFL one
Pass app. So if you're goingto an event like Super Bowl Experience or
(03:40):
Opening Night, the NFL has anofficial app that'll have all the information that
you need as an attendee of thoseevents. If you're local and you just
want to know what's happening with littlethings like word closures and or laning closures,
the build out of the stadium.The Note before you Go platform or
our website will have information on dailyupdates and maps and information on parking and
(04:00):
different ways to get around. Willbe kind of a consolidated site for everything
from public transportation to parking to bestways to get from A to B.
That's awesome. What is that website? Address? Lvsuper Bowl HC dot com,
so LV is in Las Vegas SuperBowl, as in this little event
that we're putting on at HC,as in Hostcommittee dot Com. I love
(04:24):
that that's gonna be very helpful forpeople because yeah, I think a lot
of people are now just have questions. Yeah, lot locals and you don't
other thing, sam is I didn'trealize so that the sweepstakes is still open
where you can Vegas Sports Jackpot's stilllove that until January twenty eighth. I
believe you still buy your affle ticketfor a hundred bucks. And for those
who don't know what it really is, because we've talked about it a couple
times, but maybe they're new tothis podcast, they're listening and they'll say,
(04:46):
what is that is the most phenomenalthing ever? I talked about it
io. So we partner with UnitedWay and just about every sports team or
event in Las Vegas and twenty twentyfour to you're a pair of tickets,
uh, to everything from starting withSuper Bowl, Raiders, every Raiders game,
(05:06):
Nights games, ACES games, theRodeo, the NASCAR events, Formula
one, the Las Vegas Bowl.Uh. You tested me on the list
because it's such a long list ofevents. Aviators are in there and one
hundred dollars raffle ticket. One winnerwins everything, so hundreds of sporting tickets.
(05:31):
One winner will become the king ofLas Vegas and making it, making
it rain with tickets to all theirfamily and friends. So I love that.
Now I know a lot of people, at least some of the chatter
that I've been hearing is there's alot of people wondering just because of what
happened with f F one. Isthe transportation, especially with all the big
events that you are rolling out withOpening night and everything leading up. Ease
(05:55):
people's minds a little bit about thathow easy is that going to be for
people to find access to these events? A little different model than F one,
where it was, you know,a major closure of the strip,
which they did a phenomenal job withby the way, but you know those
four days of strip closures was totallydifferent. We have something kind of similar
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to the stadium. There's a federallymandated security perimeter that's built at around the
stadium and that'll affect some definitely hassome road closures right around the stadium,
but if you're not in that proximity, strip should remain relatively open if you're
trying to get to work your hotel. Yeah, people coming from out of
town. So that so the stripwill be nice and convenient. And of
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course I've been reading more about thesafety measures with that security fencing that's going
around. You talk about that alittle bit more. Yeah, I mean,
so for Super Bowl Sunday, there'sa there's a lockdown period beforehand bomb
sweeps. It's the safest place inthe world to be on Super Bowl,
so sure, I'll put it thatway. So, yeah, that that
facilitates a hardened perimeter. That's getthat gets built out three hundred feet extending
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out three hundred feet from the stadium. So what that means is there is
no parking at the stadium. Everysquare inch of that within that perimeter is
going to be programmed as either hospitalityspace, the halftime show spaces, the
CBS production space. Every square inchof the stadium is going to be programmed.
So once that parking goes away,then we have some other options that
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will be a lot of drop offand pickup zones for black cars, for
shuttles, for buses. Fan parkingdefinitely available right across the street at the
mandale Ba Garage, so kind ofinforming everybody that for opening night, especially
Monday night, if you're going tosee the two teams for the first time
get interviewed by the media, there'sparking over at mandale Ba Garage discounted that
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night, as well as a SuperBowl Experience which is there from Wednesday to
Saturday. The big fan event thatwe do, it's kind of a carnival,
a super Bowl carnival at the MandaliBay Convention Center. Again, parking
at the Convention Center garage there willbe discounted throughout the word week if you're
a ticket holder there. So thoseare the two big fan events. And
if you're not getting dropped off ortaking the deuce or your favorite way to
(08:07):
get to Mandalay Bay, which isuh you know right there south side of
the strip, easy to get to, shouldn't cause a lot of other disruptions
there. It's going to be interestingnow to see what happens with now you
mentioned the playoffs are here to startto see who, hey, which are
the teams can make it to LasVegas. You know we were talking about
Dallas would be phenomenal. America's teamBaltimore would be great, I mean Detroit
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hasn't been to the I mean there'sthere's a lot of cool Kansas City and
there's some cool teams that could makeLas Vegas even more attractive for these fans.
Well, you know we mentioned LasVegas. If you back in the
day, if you couldn't go tothe game, this was the place to
be. It still is and yeah, every every weekend. So that's what's
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gonna make this one really so muchso special is the fact that this incredible
weekend every year here in Vegas isnot getting complimented with the actual Super Bowl
on top of it. Yeah,we could be more excited about that.
What are you most excited about rightnow with a month out? I think
a month out right now, anxietyprobably outweighs excitement at this point, but
(09:18):
he doesn't show it. Really justexcited to see it all come to life.
Everything we've been working on on paperto see how it becomes three D
now, so we've been looking attwo D drawings for two years. Now
we start to see things actually beingbuilt out. So watching that stadium from
day to day is gonna be reallyinteresting. It's gonna be a lot of
(09:39):
fun. The countdown is on.Sam Joffrey Thank you so much for all
of the insider info countdown to SuperBowl fifty eight. Thanks for having me,
and we're back inside the Vegas Huddle. Chris under a month until the
super Bowl. How that happened?You know, it's he's a two eight,
(10:00):
Sam Joffrey. He's so calm andand this thing has been just wild
for the last two years now andnow under a month away from the super
Bowl, super Bowl fifty eight,you know, his head's just spending now.
Well, he did say I lovewhen you asked him about what his
favorite thing is or what he's lookingforward to, and he's like, I
just got to get rid of thisanxiety. That guy always what's cool as
a cucumber. I don't know howhe does it, how he juggles everything.
(10:22):
There's just so many different parts thatthe Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee
does, of course on a nationallevel, but on a local level too.
So joining us right now we haveMyisha Boyce, Las Vegas super Bowl
Host Committee Chief Community Engagement Officer.Welcome. Thank you so much. This
is phenomenal. And just so youknow, Sam is pretending. Absolutely he
(10:45):
does a good job. He doesdo a great job. He did win
a Golden globe. So we arevery excited to learn more, Maisha about
what you do. We know youare very busy, but if you can
just kind of give everybody listening alittle bit insider info into what programs and
what experiences you're part of leading upto the super Bowl. Absolutely, so,
(11:07):
I have the distinct honor of representingthe Las Vegas community in liaison,
acting as liaison between them and theNFL to make sure that every corner of
Las Vegas is touched in a positiveway with Super Bowl being here. So
the programs that we oversee span fromyou know, bringing in diverse businesses,
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to opportunities related to Super Bowl,from NFL green events for environmental and sustainability,
as well as our Legacy program whichgives grants to nonprofits here locally,
and then just a range of corporatesocial responsibility, which I'm happy to get
into. Sounds like a lot onyour plate, It's fun. Yeah,
(11:52):
you can't complain though. I meanto see the impact that it's having on
a daily basis on the people thatlive here where it care and contribute here.
Seeing that come back to them isa joy. Did you even realize
how much the NFL did in acommunity prior to the Super Bowl, announcing
they're going to come to Vegas andnow preparing all the volunteers, UNLB students
helping out. It just seems likeit's been such a great community effort,
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which Sam says many times that theywas surprised how this community stepped up beyond
his expectations. Absolutely. So.I had the pleasure of seeing kind of
the tail end of Super Bowl inPhoenix to get kind of an idea of
what to expect, but it wasnothing compared to actually being on the ground.
And the energy in Las Vegas ispalpable. And so you know we
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talk about you know, you doa call to action for people to show
up, and that response is justunbelievable. And I think that that's unique.
I think that while other markets arevery excited about Super Bowl, I
think Vegas does it best. Yeah. I was going to say a lot
of your volunteer programs and when youguys put out the call for these initiatives,
you've had to cap the list becausethe response was so great. Yes,
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And I've seen that across the boardfor all of our programs. So
whether it be our Business connect program, we're getting higher numbers than other markets,
whether it be sponsors or those thatwant to be a part of we're
seeing we're seeing a larger response.So I think it's across the board.
Vegas is excited, very excited.Now, are there any specific programs or
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efforts maybe aimed at underprivileged groups withinour Vegas community because there are a lot
of nonprofits that need help and needassist in so many organizations. Any that
you can talk about with us todayspecifically, Yeah, absolutely. I'd say
that all of our programming touches underservedpopulations, but it's not limited to But
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we talk about our partnership with CatholicCharities where we've helped to issue funds for
un housed to make sure that thoseimpacted by some of the movements from Super
Bowl are supported anti trafficking efforts.We have a partnership with Signs of Hope
and they're working with all the localorganizations to make sure that there's awareness drawn
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there. We also have a partnershipwith jen Youth, who has focused on
food insecurity and a lot of Titleone schools are benefiting from no cost food
carts that students can access in themorning, so I mean, we can
talk about the hundreds of ways thatfolks are being impacted, but we want
to make sure that underserved populations arerepresented. Wow. How cool is it
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too? When you think about theexposure that you get from the Super Bowl,
from the local businesses, small businesseswho are able to get involved in
the nonprofits. I think it's reallycool that there's so many eyeballs and now
on this business, this nonprofit,and that's pretty cool. Absolutely. And
I think a lot of times whenyou look at these big organizations, you
think people are always seeking funding,are always seeking some type of financial support.
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But what we are seeing on communityis can you shine a light on
us? And what I think SuperBowl does that's unique is that everybody's watching.
Every time the name is mentioned,you know, it turns ahead.
And I think that that's really importantand very valuable. There's a lot of
people doing good work at a grassrootslevel that sometimes just shining in that spotlight
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their way can help them to,you know, take off for the next
ten years. Is there a specificevent or initiative that you have seen the
locals really like just get very excitedfor and go all in about. I
think, well, maybe it's becauseit's my personal passion. But small diverse
business is just on fire. Tosee these local mom and pop shops getting
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tailgate contracts and showing up to youknow, some of the VIP parties providing
linens and flowers and photography and likejust to see that, you know,
five person entity, you know insome of the most valuable places. I
think when you look at those SuperBowl you know, the whole scheme of
Super Bowl, like, I wantto be there. You're seeing small business
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there, and I believe that smallbusiness is backbone of economy. It helped
to get us through, you know, our recent troubles with COVID, and
I'm like, it's so exciting tosee them rewarded at this level something so
big. That's huge. She hasa great job because she gets to see
all the smiles and all the happypeople, and the people are thrilled with
the opportunities. I'm how great wouldthat be every small business? Hey,
(16:26):
we get this, we're doing this. Thanks for picking up you know whatever.
How great is that? It's phenomenalAnd with you know the nonprofits,
Yeah, like to change lives andto have an opportunity to have any kind
of input on what might impact somebodythat lives here in a positive way.
It is the best job, sothere's no complaining on the end. That's
(16:47):
incredible. Can you talk to usa little bit about the Legacy Grant?
Absolutely, so. Our NFL LegacyProgram is one that is implemented in every
host city for all Super Bowls.Ltimately, the NFL Foundation partners with the
host of the Host Committee to identifylocal nonprofits that should receive matching funds to
(17:11):
increase efforts that are being done,but not just an effort to you know,
sell food tomorrow that's going to begone, but something that is going
to have impact years and years downthe line. So that's why it's called
the Legacy Program. It is howcan we pour into the local host community
and see that impact the next timethe Super Bowl returns. And so with
(17:33):
our Legacy Program, it we hadour pregame grant recipients already issued some awards
and those are from some of ourhigh impact nonprofits that have been identified by
some of the partner organizations of theHost Committee. We've already been able to
match one point two million in funding, and so now we're looking to give
(17:55):
away another one point eight million ingrant funding through competitive grants, and these
are non restrictive, which is veryvery rare. A lot of times when
nonprofits are going after grant opportunities,they're very restrictive and they can only be
used for certain things. Sure,what NFL Foundation Host Committee are partnering to
do is to identify those that aremaking a difference in this community and pouring
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into them immediately without restriction. Youknow, there's so many terrific people here
in Las Vegas and my issue,you're one of them. Because the NFL
looked at you right and said,hey, we can use you down the
road at some different events, right, tell us about that. That's pretty
cool. Well, I wonder ifit's top secret though right now maybe I
don't know. I have no ideawhat he's talking about. I know is
(18:41):
that what is going on with theLas Ages Super Bowl Host Committee and with
Super Bowl fifty eight big impacts.I want to talk a little bit more
about the Legacy Grant because in studiowith my Isha right now is Cynthia Lewis,
Special project manager for the Just OneProject. Welcome, Hi, thank
you so much for having me.We are so excited to talk with you.
A little bit, because we knowthat you have benefited from NFL legacy
(19:04):
grants, if you first and foremostcan tell everybody a little bit more about
the Just One Project and then howthat grant has affected your organization. Absolutely.
So, the Just One Project isa local five oh one C three.
We've been around a brick and mortarfor just five short years, but
our growth has been absolutely tremendous.Our mission is to increase access to food
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resources and services to build a strongerand healthier into a more connected community.
That's awesome, Yeah, that's wonderful. So the legacy grant, what did
that mean to the Just One Project? It's everything, especially when you have,
you know, an organization like thefreaking super Bowl, you know,
like we can say freaking on apodcast. So I mean there's you know
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a lot of a lot of timespeople don't know us yet. We're still
tiny, but we're very mighty.You know. We started again five years
ago. We served our very firstclient in February of twenty nineteen, and
then our last year's number for twentytwenty two because we're working on our report.
Sure for this past year, weserve two hundred and forty three thousand
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clients and so you know, ourgrowth has been insane, but again tiny
but mighty. A lot of peopledon't know about us, and so when
an organization such as the super Bowl, can you know, kind of spotlight
us and show us to those whowouldn't know who we are. It's important
and it's huge and it's makes sucha big difference for our organization. So
(20:30):
the grant that we have received,that was a match from Bank of Nevada,
which was fantastic nice. I mean, we're able to use those into
our programs to just continue serving.And our biggest thing right now is building
sustainability. No, you mentioned sustainabilitywith the super Bowl, the lasting impressions
with how big this is. Imean, this will extend beyond all super
(20:52):
Bowls over it's done, It'll goon be bigger and better that yeah,
absolutely so, I mean combining fundswith the moneys we've already received, and
if we were to be awarded theyou know, more legacy fending would I
mean it would be huge for us. And Chris brought up a good point
about that lasting impact of the hostCommittee's assistance with your organization. How do
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you envision that going on? Afterthe super Bowl leaves town, we want
to put roots here again. Youknow, for the last five years we
have been renting space, and youknow, it would be fantastic to have,
you know, a home of ourown where we can you know,
do our magic and create our magicnow. So that's that would be big
for us. You know, youalways hear Las Vegas it's a it's a
(21:36):
city and what two point three ortwo point five million, yet it always
has kind of that small town feelwhere you have my back, I got
your back, let's help you doyou get the sense the absolutely. So
I was actually born and raised inToledo, Ohio, so kind of like
a smaller scale city. And I'vebeen in Vegas for twenty one years,
and so as a local, Ialways tell people as a local, it's
(21:57):
like I'm in Ohio because everyone andsees each other, you have your backs.
Like I'll be at the movies andI will see my friend's kid and
I will say I'll shoot a textlike, hey, you know, Casey
is here, and she's like,yeah, it's all good, but thanks
for you know, thanks for watchingout. Or I'll get a text like
I see your daughter, you know, walking around downtown summerlant is she is
she good? Yeah, she's fine. She's with her friends. You know,
(22:18):
it's nice to have that that connectionamongst your your friends and in our
in our town. And then wejust get to have the Strip as our
backyard and have all the funness ofof you know what Vegas has to offer
here. Big city, small town. Yeah yeah, big city, small
town vibes. Yeah. Absolutely,It's fun to see, Uh, some
(22:40):
of the nonprofits be affected by youknow what the Last Vegas super Bowl Host
Committee has done and the Legacy Grant. Uh, And it's incredible and I
know it means so much to somany nonprofit organizations. Is there a specific
message or thank you that you wouldwant to say, uh to the Las
Vegas super Bowl Host Committee and theLegacy Grant. Oh? Absolutely, I
mean, we are absolutely grateful forwhat we have received thus far. And
(23:03):
again, if chosen for the LegacyGrant, you can definitely count on us
to put that money towards good usefor our community. You know, our
three pillars that we have been youknow, we focused on food and security
first, and then the county actuallycame to us to do housing, which
was fantastic and amazing and that hasreally grown. And then with our youth
(23:25):
program to be able to grow thatthat program would be huge. It's such
a special, special little secret thatwe have, and just to build for
our clients to have self sufficiency andsustainability is really important. So I guess
for both of you, what areyou guys hearing out in the community now
(23:45):
with a month away from the SuperBowl, from your friends, from your
associates, from the different people thatrun different nonprofits. What's kind of the
buzz out there that you're hearing.I think for me, everybody wants to
be a part of it, andso we're trying to find ways to carve
out a corner for everyone. Andso when we hear from somebody in community,
I haven't had that experience yet.We're trying to make sure that we
(24:10):
use these you know, last lastseveral weeks to make sure that they are
And so I think that for me, the buzz is more Super Bowls coming.
How can I be a part ofit if you haven't been a part
of it already? Where can wecarve out a niche for you? I
love that you're hearing anything out there, Oh for sure, of course,
especially because I live here, soall my friends that don't live here and
(24:33):
they're like, oh my gosh,can I come? Do you have an
extra room? Can I stay withyou? Do you have tickets? A
night's a deal? But it's reallycool. A lot of organizations are you
know, getting out there and they'recoming, you know, to est to
volunteer, and there's a lot ofgroups that are coming into town specifically for
Super Bowl and they are looking forways to get involved and help the community
while they're here, which is reallyawesome. Nice. So we've got some
(24:55):
team building experiences that we have builtout specifically for organization that are traveling here
for the Super Bowl. Are youexcited about the halftime entertainment? Yes,
that's my that's my high school crush. Shout out to a mister Raymond.
I'm movid. There's just so muchcollaboration and excitement leading up to Super Bowl
(25:19):
fifty eight right around the corner amonth away. Cynthia Lewis, Special project
manager for the Just One Project.Thank you so much for joining us today.
And Myisha Boyce at Las Vegas SuperBowl Host Committee, Chief Community Engagement
Officer, thank you for your timeand info. My honor and pleasure.
Thank you for having us. Thankyou to the Super Bowl fifty eight Host
(25:40):
Committee sponsors, Caesar's Entertainment, InnerMountain Health, Howard Hughes, sand Manuel
Band of Mission Indians. We'd alsolike to thank our partners MGM Rewards,
Allegian, UFC, PNC Bank,FIBO, iHeartMedia, Bank of Nevada,
Bank of America, MSG, sphereVichy and Southwest Gas
This is Inside the Vegas Huddle,your podcast connection to the events and initiatives
led by the Las Vegas Super Bowlfifty eight Host Committee in advance of the
big game at Allegiance Stadium. Welcometo Inside the Vegas Huddle. Welcome back
(00:24):
to Inside the Vegas Huddle, yourpodcast dedicated to all things super Bowl fifty
eight. I'm Joanna Bowman with iHeartRadio, and I'm Chris Matthews with Channel eight
KLSTV here in Las Vegas. Boy, Joanna, how exciting is this as
we count down now lesson a monthaway from Super Bowl Week? It has
flown by. I feel like therewere the Holidays in the mix, if
(00:45):
one was in the mix, andnow we're here and it's the talk of
the town. So we have theexpert on all things super Bowl fifty eight.
Sam Jeoffrey, Las Vegas Super BowlHost Committee CEO and President, joining
us again. Welcome Sam. Thankyou for having me, so you got
to fill us in on all ofthe details, all this stuff everybody needs
to know. The countdown is on. We are officially in what we call
(01:07):
the red zone now getting ready tohopefully score the last few touchdowns between now
and February. But yeah, it'skind of a pencils down moment where we've
started looking at uh we kind ofput a pause on being creative and saying,
now we got to just start executingon everything that we've planned or laid
out for the past couple of years. So we're definitely in execution mode as
(01:27):
well as, you know, playingfiremen a little bit, putting out some
fires here and there. But thirtydays it once you at the playoffs,
it happens overnight, So it's gonnabe fun. And I was just wondering
as you walk around and as thetourists and and just the locals walk up
and down the strip and kind ofsense the Super Bowl feel, what will
(01:49):
we start seeing now in the nextcouple of weeks. Well, what you're
not seeing is all the contractors andNFL staff that are now boots on the
ground here. People are in townworking starting on Monday right now after that
last Raiders game, So we havea lot of stuff going on behind the
scenes. If you were to watchthe stadium from day to day from a
window somewhere or a webcam or whathave you, you will start to see
(02:10):
it transform. I likened it earlierto what the convention center looks like right
now for cees, what are normallyparking lots are going to become structures and
decor and a whole festival, fairgroundsenvironment around the Every square inch of that
stadium is gonna get filled up overthe next few weeks, and the perimeter
(02:30):
will go in place. You're gonnasee a couple of things happening around town,
a couple of little enclosures to accommodatethings like the CBS set is under
construction now at Blasio. It's gonnabe a great backdrop for that week long
worth of broadcast that will happen.CBS is gonna have not just sports,
but news and talk, and Ithink over forty hours of programming for them
alone, plus accommodating their affiliates tobe able to come and do live shots.
(02:54):
And so you're gonna see that popup. And then it'll probably won't
be until after the championship game thatyou really start to see a lot of
the decor elements around the city,whether that's wraps on bridges or installations here
and there. You'll see some largeroma numerals start to pop up in surprise
locations so there should be a lotof things happening right after the championship game,
(03:19):
but right now you'll get to seeit all being built firsthand. So
exciting, so exciting, and youguys have recently rolled out where it's live
now the Note before you Go websitethat people can check out and what's exactly
on that page and what type ofinformation is provided there. So there's a
couple of ways to get information.One's going to be through the NFL one
Pass app. So if you're goingto an event like Super Bowl Experience or
(03:40):
Opening Night, the NFL has anofficial app that'll have all the information that
you need as an attendee of thoseevents. If you're local and you just
want to know what's happening with littlethings like word closures and or laning closures,
the build out of the stadium.The Note before you Go platform or
our website will have information on dailyupdates and maps and information on parking and
(04:00):
different ways to get around. Willbe kind of a consolidated site for everything
from public transportation to parking to bestways to get from A to B.
That's awesome. What is that website? Address? Lvsuper Bowl HC dot com,
so LV is in Las Vegas SuperBowl, as in this little event
that we're putting on at HC,as in Hostcommittee dot Com. I love
(04:24):
that that's gonna be very helpful forpeople because yeah, I think a lot
of people are now just have questions. Yeah, lot locals and you don't
other thing, sam is I didn'trealize so that the sweepstakes is still open
where you can Vegas Sports Jackpot's stilllove that until January twenty eighth. I
believe you still buy your affle ticketfor a hundred bucks. And for those
who don't know what it really is, because we've talked about it a couple
times, but maybe they're new tothis podcast, they're listening and they'll say,
(04:46):
what is that is the most phenomenalthing ever? I talked about it
io. So we partner with UnitedWay and just about every sports team or
event in Las Vegas and twenty twentyfour to you're a pair of tickets,
uh, to everything from starting withSuper Bowl, Raiders, every Raiders game,
(05:06):
Nights games, ACES games, theRodeo, the NASCAR events, Formula
one, the Las Vegas Bowl.Uh. You tested me on the list
because it's such a long list ofevents. Aviators are in there and one
hundred dollars raffle ticket. One winnerwins everything, so hundreds of sporting tickets.
(05:31):
One winner will become the king ofLas Vegas and making it, making
it rain with tickets to all theirfamily and friends. So I love that.
Now I know a lot of people, at least some of the chatter
that I've been hearing is there's alot of people wondering just because of what
happened with f F one. Isthe transportation, especially with all the big
events that you are rolling out withOpening night and everything leading up. Ease
(05:55):
people's minds a little bit about thathow easy is that going to be for
people to find access to these events? A little different model than F one,
where it was, you know,a major closure of the strip,
which they did a phenomenal job withby the way, but you know those
four days of strip closures was totallydifferent. We have something kind of similar
(06:15):
to the stadium. There's a federallymandated security perimeter that's built at around the
stadium and that'll affect some definitely hassome road closures right around the stadium,
but if you're not in that proximity, strip should remain relatively open if you're
trying to get to work your hotel. Yeah, people coming from out of
town. So that so the stripwill be nice and convenient. And of
(06:39):
course I've been reading more about thesafety measures with that security fencing that's going
around. You talk about that alittle bit more. Yeah, I mean,
so for Super Bowl Sunday, there'sa there's a lockdown period beforehand bomb
sweeps. It's the safest place inthe world to be on Super Bowl,
so sure, I'll put it thatway. So, yeah, that that
facilitates a hardened perimeter. That's getthat gets built out three hundred feet extending
(07:01):
out three hundred feet from the stadium. So what that means is there is
no parking at the stadium. Everysquare inch of that within that perimeter is
going to be programmed as either hospitalityspace, the halftime show spaces, the
CBS production space. Every square inchof the stadium is going to be programmed.
So once that parking goes away,then we have some other options that
(07:23):
will be a lot of drop offand pickup zones for black cars, for
shuttles, for buses. Fan parkingdefinitely available right across the street at the
mandale Ba Garage, so kind ofinforming everybody that for opening night, especially
Monday night, if you're going tosee the two teams for the first time
get interviewed by the media, there'sparking over at mandale Ba Garage discounted that
(07:45):
night, as well as a SuperBowl Experience which is there from Wednesday to
Saturday. The big fan event thatwe do, it's kind of a carnival,
a super Bowl carnival at the MandaliBay Convention Center. Again, parking
at the Convention Center garage there willbe discounted throughout the word week if you're
a ticket holder there. So thoseare the two big fan events. And
if you're not getting dropped off ortaking the deuce or your favorite way to
(08:07):
get to Mandalay Bay, which isuh you know right there south side of
the strip, easy to get to, shouldn't cause a lot of other disruptions
there. It's going to be interestingnow to see what happens with now you
mentioned the playoffs are here to startto see who, hey, which are
the teams can make it to LasVegas. You know we were talking about
Dallas would be phenomenal. America's teamBaltimore would be great, I mean Detroit
(08:31):
hasn't been to the I mean there'sthere's a lot of cool Kansas City and
there's some cool teams that could makeLas Vegas even more attractive for these fans.
Well, you know we mentioned LasVegas. If you back in the
day, if you couldn't go tothe game, this was the place to
be. It still is and yeah, every every weekend. So that's what's
(08:54):
gonna make this one really so muchso special is the fact that this incredible
weekend every year here in Vegas isnot getting complimented with the actual Super Bowl
on top of it. Yeah,we could be more excited about that.
What are you most excited about rightnow with a month out? I think
a month out right now, anxietyprobably outweighs excitement at this point, but
(09:18):
he doesn't show it. Really justexcited to see it all come to life.
Everything we've been working on on paperto see how it becomes three D
now, so we've been looking attwo D drawings for two years. Now
we start to see things actually beingbuilt out. So watching that stadium from
day to day is gonna be reallyinteresting. It's gonna be a lot of
(09:39):
fun. The countdown is on.Sam Joffrey Thank you so much for all
of the insider info countdown to SuperBowl fifty eight. Thanks for having me,
and we're back inside the Vegas Huddle. Chris under a month until the
super Bowl. How that happened?You know, it's he's a two eight,
(10:00):
Sam Joffrey. He's so calm andand this thing has been just wild
for the last two years now andnow under a month away from the super
Bowl, super Bowl fifty eight,you know, his head's just spending now.
Well, he did say I lovewhen you asked him about what his
favorite thing is or what he's lookingforward to, and he's like, I
just got to get rid of thisanxiety. That guy always what's cool as
a cucumber. I don't know howhe does it, how he juggles everything.
(10:22):
There's just so many different parts thatthe Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee
does, of course on a nationallevel, but on a local level too.
So joining us right now we haveMyisha Boyce, Las Vegas super Bowl
Host Committee Chief Community Engagement Officer.Welcome. Thank you so much. This
is phenomenal. And just so youknow, Sam is pretending. Absolutely he
(10:45):
does a good job. He doesdo a great job. He did win
a Golden globe. So we arevery excited to learn more, Maisha about
what you do. We know youare very busy, but if you can
just kind of give everybody listening alittle bit insider info into what programs and
what experiences you're part of leading upto the super Bowl. Absolutely, so,
(11:07):
I have the distinct honor of representingthe Las Vegas community in liaison,
acting as liaison between them and theNFL to make sure that every corner of
Las Vegas is touched in a positiveway with Super Bowl being here. So
the programs that we oversee span fromyou know, bringing in diverse businesses,
(11:30):
to opportunities related to Super Bowl,from NFL green events for environmental and sustainability,
as well as our Legacy program whichgives grants to nonprofits here locally,
and then just a range of corporatesocial responsibility, which I'm happy to get
into. Sounds like a lot onyour plate, It's fun. Yeah,
(11:52):
you can't complain though. I meanto see the impact that it's having on
a daily basis on the people thatlive here where it care and contribute here.
Seeing that come back to them isa joy. Did you even realize
how much the NFL did in acommunity prior to the Super Bowl, announcing
they're going to come to Vegas andnow preparing all the volunteers, UNLB students
helping out. It just seems likeit's been such a great community effort,
(12:16):
which Sam says many times that theywas surprised how this community stepped up beyond
his expectations. Absolutely. So.I had the pleasure of seeing kind of
the tail end of Super Bowl inPhoenix to get kind of an idea of
what to expect, but it wasnothing compared to actually being on the ground.
And the energy in Las Vegas ispalpable. And so you know we
(12:37):
talk about you know, you doa call to action for people to show
up, and that response is justunbelievable. And I think that that's unique.
I think that while other markets arevery excited about Super Bowl, I
think Vegas does it best. Yeah. I was going to say a lot
of your volunteer programs and when youguys put out the call for these initiatives,
you've had to cap the list becausethe response was so great. Yes,
(13:00):
And I've seen that across the boardfor all of our programs. So
whether it be our Business connect program, we're getting higher numbers than other markets,
whether it be sponsors or those thatwant to be a part of we're
seeing we're seeing a larger response.So I think it's across the board.
Vegas is excited, very excited.Now, are there any specific programs or
(13:22):
efforts maybe aimed at underprivileged groups withinour Vegas community because there are a lot
of nonprofits that need help and needassist in so many organizations. Any that
you can talk about with us todayspecifically, Yeah, absolutely. I'd say
that all of our programming touches underservedpopulations, but it's not limited to But
(13:43):
we talk about our partnership with CatholicCharities where we've helped to issue funds for
un housed to make sure that thoseimpacted by some of the movements from Super
Bowl are supported anti trafficking efforts.We have a partnership with Signs of Hope
and they're working with all the localorganizations to make sure that there's awareness drawn
(14:05):
there. We also have a partnershipwith jen Youth, who has focused on
food insecurity and a lot of Titleone schools are benefiting from no cost food
carts that students can access in themorning, so I mean, we can
talk about the hundreds of ways thatfolks are being impacted, but we want
to make sure that underserved populations arerepresented. Wow. How cool is it
(14:28):
too? When you think about theexposure that you get from the Super Bowl,
from the local businesses, small businesseswho are able to get involved in
the nonprofits. I think it's reallycool that there's so many eyeballs and now
on this business, this nonprofit,and that's pretty cool. Absolutely. And
I think a lot of times whenyou look at these big organizations, you
think people are always seeking funding,are always seeking some type of financial support.
(14:52):
But what we are seeing on communityis can you shine a light on
us? And what I think SuperBowl does that's unique is that everybody's watching.
Every time the name is mentioned,you know, it turns ahead.
And I think that that's really importantand very valuable. There's a lot of
people doing good work at a grassrootslevel that sometimes just shining in that spotlight
(15:13):
their way can help them to,you know, take off for the next
ten years. Is there a specificevent or initiative that you have seen the
locals really like just get very excitedfor and go all in about. I
think, well, maybe it's becauseit's my personal passion. But small diverse
business is just on fire. Tosee these local mom and pop shops getting
(15:41):
tailgate contracts and showing up to youknow, some of the VIP parties providing
linens and flowers and photography and likejust to see that, you know,
five person entity, you know insome of the most valuable places. I
think when you look at those SuperBowl you know, the whole scheme of
Super Bowl, like, I wantto be there. You're seeing small business
(16:03):
there, and I believe that smallbusiness is backbone of economy. It helped
to get us through, you know, our recent troubles with COVID, and
I'm like, it's so exciting tosee them rewarded at this level something so
big. That's huge. She hasa great job because she gets to see
all the smiles and all the happypeople, and the people are thrilled with
the opportunities. I'm how great wouldthat be every small business? Hey,
(16:26):
we get this, we're doing this. Thanks for picking up you know whatever.
How great is that? It's phenomenalAnd with you know the nonprofits,
Yeah, like to change lives andto have an opportunity to have any kind
of input on what might impact somebodythat lives here in a positive way.
It is the best job, sothere's no complaining on the end. That's
(16:47):
incredible. Can you talk to usa little bit about the Legacy Grant?
Absolutely, so. Our NFL LegacyProgram is one that is implemented in every
host city for all Super Bowls.Ltimately, the NFL Foundation partners with the
host of the Host Committee to identifylocal nonprofits that should receive matching funds to
(17:11):
increase efforts that are being done,but not just an effort to you know,
sell food tomorrow that's going to begone, but something that is going
to have impact years and years downthe line. So that's why it's called
the Legacy Program. It is howcan we pour into the local host community
and see that impact the next timethe Super Bowl returns. And so with
(17:33):
our Legacy Program, it we hadour pregame grant recipients already issued some awards
and those are from some of ourhigh impact nonprofits that have been identified by
some of the partner organizations of theHost Committee. We've already been able to
match one point two million in funding, and so now we're looking to give
(17:55):
away another one point eight million ingrant funding through competitive grants, and these
are non restrictive, which is veryvery rare. A lot of times when
nonprofits are going after grant opportunities,they're very restrictive and they can only be
used for certain things. Sure,what NFL Foundation Host Committee are partnering to
do is to identify those that aremaking a difference in this community and pouring
(18:17):
into them immediately without restriction. Youknow, there's so many terrific people here
in Las Vegas and my issue,you're one of them. Because the NFL
looked at you right and said,hey, we can use you down the
road at some different events, right, tell us about that. That's pretty
cool. Well, I wonder ifit's top secret though right now maybe I
don't know. I have no ideawhat he's talking about. I know is
(18:41):
that what is going on with theLas Ages Super Bowl Host Committee and with
Super Bowl fifty eight big impacts.I want to talk a little bit more
about the Legacy Grant because in studiowith my Isha right now is Cynthia Lewis,
Special project manager for the Just OneProject. Welcome, Hi, thank
you so much for having me.We are so excited to talk with you.
A little bit, because we knowthat you have benefited from NFL legacy
(19:04):
grants, if you first and foremostcan tell everybody a little bit more about
the Just One Project and then howthat grant has affected your organization. Absolutely.
So, the Just One Project isa local five oh one C three.
We've been around a brick and mortarfor just five short years, but
our growth has been absolutely tremendous.Our mission is to increase access to food
(19:26):
resources and services to build a strongerand healthier into a more connected community.
That's awesome, Yeah, that's wonderful. So the legacy grant, what did
that mean to the Just One Project? It's everything, especially when you have,
you know, an organization like thefreaking super Bowl, you know,
like we can say freaking on apodcast. So I mean there's you know
(19:48):
a lot of a lot of timespeople don't know us yet. We're still
tiny, but we're very mighty.You know. We started again five years
ago. We served our very firstclient in February of twenty nineteen, and
then our last year's number for twentytwenty two because we're working on our report.
Sure for this past year, weserve two hundred and forty three thousand
(20:08):
clients and so you know, ourgrowth has been insane, but again tiny
but mighty. A lot of peopledon't know about us, and so when
an organization such as the super Bowl, can you know, kind of spotlight
us and show us to those whowouldn't know who we are. It's important
and it's huge and it's makes sucha big difference for our organization. So
(20:30):
the grant that we have received,that was a match from Bank of Nevada,
which was fantastic nice. I mean, we're able to use those into
our programs to just continue serving.And our biggest thing right now is building
sustainability. No, you mentioned sustainabilitywith the super Bowl, the lasting impressions
with how big this is. Imean, this will extend beyond all super
(20:52):
Bowls over it's done, It'll goon be bigger and better that yeah,
absolutely so, I mean combining fundswith the moneys we've already received, and
if we were to be awarded theyou know, more legacy fending would I
mean it would be huge for us. And Chris brought up a good point
about that lasting impact of the hostCommittee's assistance with your organization. How do
(21:14):
you envision that going on? Afterthe super Bowl leaves town, we want
to put roots here again. Youknow, for the last five years we
have been renting space, and youknow, it would be fantastic to have,
you know, a home of ourown where we can you know,
do our magic and create our magicnow. So that's that would be big
for us. You know, youalways hear Las Vegas it's a it's a
(21:36):
city and what two point three ortwo point five million, yet it always
has kind of that small town feelwhere you have my back, I got
your back, let's help you doyou get the sense the absolutely. So
I was actually born and raised inToledo, Ohio, so kind of like
a smaller scale city. And I'vebeen in Vegas for twenty one years,
and so as a local, Ialways tell people as a local, it's
(21:57):
like I'm in Ohio because everyone andsees each other, you have your backs.
Like I'll be at the movies andI will see my friend's kid and
I will say I'll shoot a textlike, hey, you know, Casey
is here, and she's like,yeah, it's all good, but thanks
for you know, thanks for watchingout. Or I'll get a text like
I see your daughter, you know, walking around downtown summerlant is she is
she good? Yeah, she's fine. She's with her friends. You know,
(22:18):
it's nice to have that that connectionamongst your your friends and in our
in our town. And then wejust get to have the Strip as our
backyard and have all the funness ofof you know what Vegas has to offer
here. Big city, small town. Yeah yeah, big city, small
town vibes. Yeah. Absolutely,It's fun to see, Uh, some
(22:40):
of the nonprofits be affected by youknow what the Last Vegas super Bowl Host
Committee has done and the Legacy Grant. Uh, And it's incredible and I
know it means so much to somany nonprofit organizations. Is there a specific
message or thank you that you wouldwant to say, uh to the Las
Vegas super Bowl Host Committee and theLegacy Grant. Oh? Absolutely, I
mean, we are absolutely grateful forwhat we have received thus far. And
(23:03):
again, if chosen for the LegacyGrant, you can definitely count on us
to put that money towards good usefor our community. You know, our
three pillars that we have been youknow, we focused on food and security
first, and then the county actuallycame to us to do housing, which
was fantastic and amazing and that hasreally grown. And then with our youth
(23:25):
program to be able to grow thatthat program would be huge. It's such
a special, special little secret thatwe have, and just to build for
our clients to have self sufficiency andsustainability is really important. So I guess
for both of you, what areyou guys hearing out in the community now
(23:45):
with a month away from the SuperBowl, from your friends, from your
associates, from the different people thatrun different nonprofits. What's kind of the
buzz out there that you're hearing.I think for me, everybody wants to
be a part of it, andso we're trying to find ways to carve
out a corner for everyone. Andso when we hear from somebody in community,
I haven't had that experience yet.We're trying to make sure that we
(24:10):
use these you know, last lastseveral weeks to make sure that they are
And so I think that for me, the buzz is more Super Bowls coming.
How can I be a part ofit if you haven't been a part
of it already? Where can wecarve out a niche for you? I
love that you're hearing anything out there, Oh for sure, of course,
especially because I live here, soall my friends that don't live here and
(24:33):
they're like, oh my gosh,can I come? Do you have an
extra room? Can I stay withyou? Do you have tickets? A
night's a deal? But it's reallycool. A lot of organizations are you
know, getting out there and they'recoming, you know, to est to
volunteer, and there's a lot ofgroups that are coming into town specifically for
Super Bowl and they are looking forways to get involved and help the community
while they're here, which is reallyawesome. Nice. So we've got some
(24:55):
team building experiences that we have builtout specifically for organization that are traveling here
for the Super Bowl. Are youexcited about the halftime entertainment? Yes,
that's my that's my high school crush. Shout out to a mister Raymond.
I'm movid. There's just so muchcollaboration and excitement leading up to Super Bowl
(25:19):
fifty eight right around the corner amonth away. Cynthia Lewis, Special project
manager for the Just One Project.Thank you so much for joining us today.
And Myisha Boyce at Las Vegas SuperBowl Host Committee, Chief Community Engagement
Officer, thank you for your timeand info. My honor and pleasure.
Thank you for having us. Thankyou to the Super Bowl fifty eight Host
(25:40):
Committee sponsors, Caesar's Entertainment, InnerMountain Health, Howard Hughes, sand Manuel
Band of Mission Indians. We'd alsolike to thank our partners MGM Rewards,
Allegian, UFC, PNC Bank,FIBO, iHeartMedia, Bank of Nevada,
Bank of America, MSG, sphereVichy and Southwest Gas
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