Preparations Begin in Downtown Detroit for 2024 NFL Draft Presented by Bud Light
· *City, civic, business leaders kick off 30-Day Countdown to largest public sporting event in Detroit history with details of NFL Draft Theater construction*
· *NFL Draft Theater to be built in front of the award-winning Campus Martius Park, on site of The Development at Cadillac Square (formerly Monroe Midway); Phase 1 of street closure begins Friday*
· *Know Before You Go: All NFL Draft details available at **visitdetroit.com/2024nfldraft*DETROIT, March 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of Detroit, Visit Detroit, Detroit Sports Commission, and a coalition of key stakeholders including the State of Michigan, Wayne County, Rocket Companies, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and the Detroit Lions today announced the launch of a comprehensive "Know Before You Go” public awareness campaign to provide essential information for residents, business owners, and fans planning to attend the 2024 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light in Detroit.
The Draft will be free and open to fans in the downtown area surrounding the award-winning Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza from April 25–27, bringing unprecedented national and global media attention to the City of Detroit, including 90 hours of broadcast coverage reaching more than 50 million viewers on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and streamed on NFL+. The announcement, marking 30 days before night one of the Draft on April 25, took place at the Development at Cadillac Square—formerly known as the Monroe Midway—the site of the NFL Draft Theater.
“The NFL Draft is going to do more for our city in terms of economic activity and its national image than any single event in Detroit’s history,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Just 30 days from now, hundreds of thousands of visitors will be staying at our hotels, shopping at our stores and dining at restaurants across the city. We’ve been working behind the scenes for more than a year and now is the time people will actually start to see the NFL Draft event space start to take shape.”
*NFL Draft Theater to begin rising, streets to start closing*
Built in front the of the award-winning Campus Martius Park, the NFL Draft Theater will act as the Draft’s central hub where all 32 teams pick the future football stars live and in-person.
During the media event, the City announced the first downtown street closures for the Draft, which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and customers for downtown businesses. Phase one closures, which will begin on Friday, March 29^th and last until May 7, will be largely contained to the perimeter of the NFL Draft Theater footprint, including:
· Randolph Street between Macomb Street and Fort Street
· Monroe Street between North Woodward Avenue and Randolph Street
· Farmer Street between Randolph and Bates (Garage access only)
· Bates Street (no through traffic)
· Farmer from Randolph to Bates
Organizers have been meeting for weeks with business owners and residents in the impacted area to inform them of the closure and to answer any questions they may have. Details of later phases of closures, including E. Jefferson for the construction of the NFL Draft Experience at Hart Plaza, will be announced shortly after the Phase One closure has been implemented.
These updates will be posted on the NFL One Pass app, visitdetroit.com and detroitmi.gov. Upcoming phases of the build-out will include the area around Hart Plaza, which will host the NFL Draft Experience presented by Rocket Mortgage, also free for the public to enjoy.
In addition to the construction of the NFL Draft Theater, visitors already can see other signs of the excitement starting to build downtown including NFL team banners on downtown light poles and electrical transformer boxes painted with the jerseys of Detroit sports legends from each of its professional sports teams.
The City also provided transportation updates to assist fans traveling downtown for the Draft, including vehicle parking information and details on alternate transportation options such as DDOT, RTA, SMART, Uber or Lyft, and other modes of fan transportation.
*Ancillary Viewing Sites Announced*
In addition, a slate of free and exciting ancillary viewing and entertainment areas, where thousands of visitors outside of the immediate NFL Draft footprint can enjoy the experience, were announced. The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) will present ‘Draft Day in the D’ viewing parties in Grand Circus Park, Beacon Park, Capitol Park, and Paradise Valley Beatrice Buck Park, while Bedrock will be activating Woodward Avenue from State St. to Park Avenue, as well as Parker’s Alley and The BELT.
“The Downtown Detroit Partnership’s ‘Draft Day in the D’ is free to fans, friends, and families who will be enjoying Detroit during Draft Weekend,” said Downtown Detroit Partnership CEO Eric B. Larson. “We’re focused on creating an inclusive and fun atmosphere throughout downtown that builds upon the energy and excitement from the main event in Campus Martius Park that engages local businesses to provide something for everyone.”
“Bedrock continues to work in collaboration with many partners to ensure that the experience for everyone who attends the NFL Draft in Detroit is the most seamless possible,” said Ivy Greaner, chief operations officer at Bedrock. “Additionally, we will stand up a variety of activities, events and entertainment options at our dining establishments, retailers, public spaces across Detroit for all to enjoy.”
The Draft will engage other areas of the city over the three-day event, including Corktown and Corner Ballpark which will host youth-focused activities like NFL FLAG skills and drills and football clinics. Greektown, Eastern Market, Columbia Street in the District Detroit area are planning for football-themed activities to welcome fans.
Alexis Wiley, expressed enthusiasm for the ancillary events, stating, "The Draft will welcome hundreds of thousands of football fans downtown, but these ancillary events will help us to engage other Detroit communities outside of the footprint, and allow all city residents to enjoy the excitement of this event.”
Claude Molinari, CEO of Visit Detroit, added, "We can't wait to welcome football fans from Detroit and worldwide to our city. Success in hosting major events is much like success on the football field. It takes an incredible team working together, and I want to recognize this region's incredible corporate, civic, and philanthropic community whose donations are making the NFL Draft possible."
Donors include Visit Detroit, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Rocket Mortgage, Flagstar Bank, General Motors, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, City of Windsor, Detroit Pistons, DTE Energy, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington National Bank, Ilitch Companies, Kaiser Enterprise, Knight Foundation, Meijer, Penske Corporation, PNC Bank, The Skillman Foundation, Tourism Windsor Essex, Walbridge, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
For more information on the NFL Draft presented by Bud Light, fans should visit nfl.com/draft/event-info and download the NFL OnePass app or on the web at NFL.com/DraftAccess. All adults are required to register for free entry to the NFL Draft but can also register up to five children to get into the event. The Draft site has limited capacity, and attendance is on a first-come first-served basis. For those without a smartphone, registration on site via Fan Services staff is also permitted.
*NFL DRAFT EXPERIENCE PRESENTED BY ROCKET MORTGAGE - HOURS OF OPERATION**
*
*DATE* *HOURS OF OPERATION*
Thursday, April 25 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, April 26 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
*NFL DRAFT PROGRAMMING - TIMING*
*DATE* *TIMING (ESTIMATED)*
Thursday, April 25 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Friday, April 26 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
*ABOUT VISIT DETROIT*
Visit Detroit is a private, not-for-profit organization with a mission to drive regional tourism and economic impact by connecting the world to our diverse communities, rich history and spirit of innovation. Visit Detroit is the catalyst for bringing business travel, connections, trade shows, events, and leisure travelers to our region. For more information, visit www.visitdetroit.com.
*ABOUT THE DETROIT SPORTS COMMISSION*
The mission of the Detroit Sports Commission (DSC) is to market and sell metro Detroit as a premier destination for regional, national and international amateur sporting events. The DSC is a not-for-profit charitable organization, IRS 501 (C) (3), and a subsidiary of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB). For more information, visit www.detroitsports.org.
*MEDIA CONTACTS:*
Kurt Kosmowski
The Kosmowski Group, for the Detroit Sports Commission and Visit Detroit
248-345-4360
kurt@thekosmowskigroup.com
Lauren Pulte
Lambert by LLYC, for the Detroit Sports Commission and Visit Detroit
248-885-2607
lpulte@lambert.com