Super Bowl packages; which typically include Super Bowl tickets, hotel accomodations, and other things, are normally organized by and purchased from tour groups. This season, the National Football League is making a significant move of their own in this arena Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL for the big game Sunday, February 1, 2009. The NFL has been heavily courting its own corporate Super Bowl ticket and travel packages. But they have not been focusing on corporations in the United States. The NFL has been directing their collective energies on corporations who are chiefly located outside of the United States. Clearly, the NFL is attempting to increase its brand to a larger worldwide marketplace. To that end, the NFL has gotten control of many hotel rooms, conference rooms, and other facilities in and around Tampa, FL – home of Super Bowl XLIII.
The NFL has an arm of their organization known as NFL on Location. This group has been working closely with corporations centered in Japan, Canada, Mexico, and of course, within the United States as well. The NFL has been working with these organizations to offer them comprehensive trips for this year’s championship game to be played on February 1, 2009. The league’s representatives will either be the Philadelphia Eagles or the Arizona Cardinals representing the National Football Conference, and either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens representing the American Football Conference.
Since Florida is always thought of as a tourist destination. The NFL is marketing their packages as all-inclusive vacations by combining golf vacations and trips to Orlando, FL to stay at the resorts associated with Universal Studios and Disney World.
The NFL has played regular season games in Mexico and England. It is clear that they are trying to broaden their reach to a worldwide audience. Trying to bring in large multi-national corporations seems like a natural fit for the NFL. The international attention will increase people from around the world as potential recruits as has been happening in the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball. The National Football League controls most of the tickets for the Super Bowl, so they can carve out some of the premier seats, select some of the higher end hotels and their best rooms and include these choice products in the Super Bowl packages that they present to these international corporations. There are other items that get included in these packages. For instance, these corporate customers would have the opportunity to have premium parking, private entry into Raymond James Stadium along with elite parties. The corporate clients will also have the option to purchase these same deals for subsequent NFL championship games. For instance, the next game, Super Bowl XLIV, will be in Miami on Sunday, February 7, 2010. The following game, Super Bowl XLV, will be in the new home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX. That game will take place on Sunday, February 6, 2011.
For this year’s game, the most expensive and luxurious Super Bowl package in Tampa, FL will cost well over $10,000 per person. The NFL is offering eight different deals the base price costing somewhat less than $5,000. The premier packages include choice seats, right along the sidelines, and access to several parties before and after the game. The least expensive, base package includes tickets in less desirable areas of the stadium – in the corner areas on the upper decks.
The effort to lure foreign corporations has been a huge success for the NFL. IN previous seasons, they had completely sold out their Super Bowl packages that they had made available to these corporations. Given their level of success, the NFL has significantly increased the number of these Super Bowl packages that they are making available to these corporations, foreign and domestic, from 1,000 in recent seasons, to well over 3,000 for this season’s Super Bowl.
Many people feel that the regular season and the playoffs are for the individual, die-hard fans, but that the Super Bowl is more of a corporate event. The NFL seems to be facilitating this by increasing the number of packages that they are offering to corporations.
Super Bowl packages are still readily available. Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Cardinals, Steelers, and Ravens can still find airfare, hotel accommodations, and most importantly, tickets to the big game through several of the many tour providers that offer such Super Bowl packages. Even of you are not fans of any of the four remaining teams; you may still attend the big game. It is the culmination and highlight of the NFL season each year – a spectacle not to be missed.
On this coming Sunday, January 18, 2009, the National Football League will have their two conference championship games to determine which teams will earn the right to play in this season’s Super Bowl game which will determine this season’s NFL champion. All four teams have a legitimate chance of winning this coming weekend. The Eagles and Ravens and both the number six seeds in their respective conferences. Last season, the New York Giants won the Super Bowl as the sixth seed. The Pittsburgh Steelers also recently accomplished this feat in Super Bowl XL. All of the remaining teams have been to the Super Bowl except the Cardinals. However, their starting quarterback, Kurt Warner, and their starting running back, Edgerrin James have each won the Super Bowl – James with the Indianapolis Colts and Warner with the St. Louis Rams, dubbed the “Greatest Show on Turf.”
Super Bowl packages are a great way to get super bowl tickets. Even though the NFL has offered more of these packages to corporations, there are still many opportunities for you to obtain tickets, hotel accommodations, and perhaps airfare and ground transportation so that you can be there to cheer on your team as well. You may even want to get a charter flight to the Super Bowl. Just be aware of Super Bowl ticket scams. We want you to go and enjoy yourselves.
