After months of preparation, the City of Minneapolis is making final arrangements to host Super Bowl LII. The event is scheduled to bring in visitors from all over the country, promising economic benefits, jobs, investment and enthusiasm. To help navigate the ins and outs of the weekend, the city has compiled useful information about the weekend on page on their site for visitors and residents to access.
While only one city gets to host the Super Bowl each year, any city planning a big event can get some takeaways from what Minneapolis is doing right.
Here’s are a few things you can learn from Minneapolis:
In preparation and support for the big day, the city activated its Joint Information Center, which serves as a central communications hub for the event and is staffed by Public Information Officers from across agencies.
The city requires all media requests for interviews, information, statements and quotes regarding the event go through the JIC. Consolidating media requests allows comms departments who address these requests to stay organized and on top of high-profile stories.
When getting ready to host a big event in your city, prepare to send out special edition newsletters and communications for citizens. Minneapolis sent out dedicated messages on topics like getting around the city during the Super Bowl weekend, what visitors should know before they go, and how homeowners can learn about short-term rentals as fans flock the city.
In addition to communicating about anything and everything event related, Minneapolis also offered communications across channels including email, websites and text-messaging alerts. Keeping everyone informed before, during and after a big event increases your city’s transparency and reliability.
While most people will descend on Minneapolis for Super Bowl festivities, the city acknowledged that the game is only part of the fun. In addition to their Super Bowl communications, the city also distributed a newsletter with all the other events and festivals going on in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area during Super Bowl week. Communicating alternatives to the main event allows you to engage citizens and visitors who may not be interested in the big event.
Whether you’re hosting an upcoming Super Bowl, a state fair or any other event, you’ll want to be prepared. For more information on how you can easily leverage some of Minneapolis’ communications tips and how you can develop some of your own, get in touch with us here.
