Hosts ready for guests, event to get ‘real’
After the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons locked in spots for Super Bowl LI in Houston, organizers have begun hunkering down for the impending extravaganza.
After four years of grueling preparation, the Super Bowl hosts will begin receiving guests this weekend.
“This is the day when it all becomes real,” said Peter O’Reilly, senior vice president of events with the National Football League, at a news conference Monday in a suite overlooking Minute Maid Park.
With the matchup set, average ticket prices for the game edged slightly higher, up to $5,216 on Monday, according to a price tracker kept by ticket marketplace SeatGeek.
By the end of the week, Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center will erupt with commotion. Saturday marks the start of the NFL Experience, which O’Reilly described as an “NFL amusement park” where visitors can experience a virtual reality professional football game, get signed memorabilia or catch a glimpse of the competing team.
That event doesn’t require a $5,000 ticket. Entrance to the fan fest costs $25.
“Our first goal was to make sure the community has a way to enjoy the Super Bowl,” said Sallie Sargent, president of the Houston Super Bowl host committee.
The NFL experience will provide a means for local football fans to revel in the excitement without a payment plan. Just outside the convention center, a free nineday festival will sport music, rides and other attractions.
Accommodations are also in place for the fans who plan to splurge on a game-day ticket and more. Sargent said hundreds of VIPs would soon be landing in Houston — special guests affiliated with the NFL, the host committee, the sponsors or either of the teams.
“We’ve got many famous people coming to town and we want everything to go perfectly with these VIPs. We want to serve their needs,” said Jack Christie, a Houston City Council member. “We are public servants to the Super Bowl these next few weeks. Whatever the Super Bowl needs, we’ll give it to them.”