Excitement Builds with the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh Now Two Months Away
While Pittsburgh has previously hosted the NFL Draft in the 1940’s, this marks the first time the modern, traveling Draft experience comes to the city. The three-day event will take place at Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25.
VisitPITTSBURGH holds the agreement with the NFL to deliver the event and has worked very closely with the home team -- the Pittsburgh Steelers -- to create the vision for this particular edition of the draft.
In the following Q&A, Jim Britt, vice president of sports events for SportsPITTSBURGH -- the sports arm of VisitPITTSBURGH -- shares his thoughts on the Pittsburgh-flavor of the draft, what has taken place during the planning process so far, what fans can look forward to those three days, and the lasting effects of the event landing in Pittsburgh.
With the NFL Draft now only a couple months away, how would you describe the Pittsburgh elements that will be woven into the
presentation of this massive event?
Jim Britt: “VisitPITTSBURGH, the Steelers and the NFL have collaborated to imagine what we want to showcase in order to highlight where Pittsburgh sits right now. So many folks around the country and around the world hear ‘Pittsburgh’ and they think ‘steel mills’ And ‘Steelers’ is the name of the football team, so they’re going to think steel first. But we want to show the way the city has evolved, the beautiful landscape and the techs, the meds and the eds -- all of the things that are thriving in our city. We’re really looking to spotlight how our city and our region have stayed cutting edge and relevant, and undergone a renaissance.
“And then we are marrying the story of the evolution of Pittsburgh with the growth and significance of football, not only within our culture in Western Pennsylvania, but the importance of Western Pennsylvania football to the sport at-large. It’s the story of the Hall of Famers who came from Pittsburgh and all the little towns across Western PA to shape the NFL -- from Mike Ditka to Johnny Unitas to Joe Montana and Dan Marino and right down the line to the Aaron Donalds, who are going to be Hall of Famers. It’s the story of the
Rooney family and their role in shaping what the NFL has become, and the evolution of the NFL and the growth of the Steelers side by side with the
growth of our city and our region. That story, that narrative is going to be everywhere you look.”
How would you frame VisitPITTSBURGH/SportsPITTSBURGH’s role in the planning and execution of this year’s NFL Draft?
Jim Britt: “As you can imagine, the planning process is just a massive machine of cooperation and coordination across what feels like hundreds of
entities to deliver the operations needed for this -- transportation, road closures, city structures, venues, parks. It’s collaboration across government
and public and private agencies to come together and all really have a seat at the table. For everyone in the region to come together and say, ‘OK, what
do we need to do? What do we need to deliver for an event of this scale?’ VisitPITTSBURGH has largely been the unifier for that, sort of building the
table and making sure everyone has a seat there. There are plenty of pieces where we are certainly not the subject matter experts, but we are the folks
who are connected to everyone and make sure all the right parties are involved and engaged.”
How much did being on the ground in Green Bay for the NFL Draft last year help the VisitPITTSBURGH/SportsPITTSBURGH team and its partners prepare for this year’s event?
Jim Britt: “It helped a lot. We had about 50 individuals in Green Bay in two groups. One group went in early and saw all of the operations, the back of the house. Studying things like signage, entryways, security, restrooms and food and beverage -- all of those pieces -- to understand the challenges that come along with an event this unique. And then we had another group that
came in for the actual event to observe the look and feel. It’s valuable because you take concepts you have in your head from discussions and
meetings and see them applied to real life. That helps you understand the opportunities and the challenges that you need to solve. Seeing them in action certainly helps you conceptualize a little better.
“But it’s not apples to apples, obviously, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Pittsburgh. Their venue and event site were really entirely on the campus of Lambeau Field. It’s a very unique situation because it’s not an urban setting. It’s a remarkably residential area. It would be like us having the NFL Draft in Bethel Park (a suburb of Pittsburgh). But in terms of seeing fan flow and habits, what folks were doing and how they were reacting to the space, that was helpful for all of us to see in person.”
In preparation for the NFL Draft, there have been great improvements to Market Square and Point State Park, the creation of Arts Landing, and several other key projects around the city. While all of those will help Pittsburgh put its best foot forward for a worldwide audience, there’s long-term benefit for the citizens of Pittsburgh too, right?
Jim Britt: “There’s a $600 million renovation project happening across Downtown Pittsburgh that involves the city, the state, the county and the professional sports teams as well as private and foundational folks. They’ve all invested to help rebuild Market Square and Point State Park, build Arts Landing and address housing needs and other things. “The draft gives us a deadline to say, ‘We want to get them all done before company arrives.’ You want to clean up and vacuum before the guests get here. There’s going to be a lasting impact with the draft itself. We’ll have a remarkable event for three days in April. We’ll be flooded with visitors. They will fill our hotel rooms and our restaurants and bars. They will spend money in our shops and fly into our new airport. The economic impact will be tremendous. Then the event will leave, but Market Square and Point State Park will still be brand new (versions), and with Arts Landing, we will now have this beautiful new public park right Downtown. We might be doing these things before guests arrive. But the guests will get to enjoy them for three days, and the residents of Pittsburgh will get to enjoy them forever.”
Nowadays, there are so many exciting festivities and celebrations that surround the NFL Draft, but the actual draft -- the league’s future stars coming up to the podium when their name is called -- is unforgettable too, isn’t it?
Jim Britt: “Yes, the NFL Draft has become such a massive event, the piece that can get lost sometimes is the young men that are going to hear their name called and have a life-changing moment. That’s also pretty special, naturally. One of the 32 teams is going to pick their next franchise quarterback who could go on to become a Hall of Famer. We’re all going to get to hear his name called, and years from now we’ll think, ‘I was there at that moment.’ Alongside all of the other festivities is that really neat and important moment for the athletes and their families, who worked so hard all their lives. This is the moment when they find out what it was all for. That’s pretty special to experience, too.”
What are some of things fans can look forward to enjoying over the course of the three-day NFL Draft? It’s much more accessible than the league’s other marquee event -- the Super Bowl -- right?
Jim Britt: “Yeah, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl. It’s become the ‘it’ ticket, right? It feels almost out of reach to everyday fans. It’s for the highest of the high. The NFL Draft is exactly the opposite. There is no entry fee. All are welcome. This will be a Black and Gold party, celebrating how much we all love football and the Steelers. There will be games for the kids. There will be opportunities for autographs from current and legendary players. You’ll be able to come and see the Lombardi Trophies and Super Bowl rings from all the Super Bowls. Kids will get to kick field goals and run the 40-yard dash.
“It will be a really entertaining, three-day carnival, celebrating the NFL, the Steelers and the history of football. It’s going to be like nothing our city has ever seen. And it’s going to be a lot of fun. So, come on down. Bring your family. See it all. Experience it all. It’s going to be a big ol’ party for three days.”
