Dillard students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to hear from key executives with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and Super Bowl LIX Host Committee during a special convocation held on Nov. 14 in the Georges Auditorium.
Caesars Superdome will be hosting the Super Bowl LIX on February 9th, 2024. This will be the 11th Super Bowl hosted in the city of New Orleans and the eighth to be hosted in Caesars Superdome since its construction in 1971.
“The impact that a large-scale event like the Super Bowl is going to have on this city is going to last for years to come,” said Donald Dunbar, Assistant Director of Community Engagement at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the Super Bowl Host Committee. It’s estimated that the last Super Bowl hosted in New Orleans in 2013 brought in more than $3.44 billion to the city.
Not only did it bring economic benefits, but also it portrayed an important message.
“After Hurricane Katrina and the devastation, we used the 2013 Super Bowl as a magnifier of the resilience of New Orleans and how far we have come since eight years earlier,” said Jay Cicero, President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation & the Super Bowl Host Committee. “This Super Bowl for 2025, there’s still a resilience message that’s out there. It’s not about Katrina as much as it was back then, but this is more about this is a great place to live, work, and play, and hopefully bring your business to Louisiana,” he continued.
The Committee is led by the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Saints. They take charge of planning around the NFL Championship game.
The lineup of events created by the committee immerses fans in the Super Bowl experience while staying true to the roots of New Orleans’ culture. Monday, Feb. 9 the Super Bowl Opening Night will take place offering family-friendly activities and the chance to hear from players before the game. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the annual Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, a concert aimed at celebrating culture, faith, and football will be hosted at the Mahalia Jackson Center. NFL Honors will be presented on Thursday, Feb. 6 to recognize players for their achievements during the 2024-2025 NFL Season.
The Super Bowl Host Committee will also be hosting a parade on Saturday, Feb. 9 in the French Quarter. This is the first time the committee has done a parade for the Super Bowl. The purpose is to celebrate New Orleans hosting its record-tying 11th Super Bowl. Paradegoers can expect Super Bowl-themed floats, marching bands, and local stomping groups.
“We’ll be showcasing NFL-themed floats that will be tailor-made for NFL sponsors and reflect a lot of our culture, unique culture, that only New Orleans can present. So we talk a lot about how we can differentiate ourselves from other cities in the Super Bowl; our unique culture is probably the number one way we can do it,” said Cicero.
Dr. Monique Guillory, President of Dillard University, said, “What better opportunity is there than to have a conversation about the Super Bowl, the economic impact of the Super Bowl, the marketing impact of the Super Bowl, how the Super Bowl traverses all of these different disciplines and sectors, and I wanted our students to really understand that from the people who are doing that work, who are bringing the Super Bowl to New Orleans.”
