by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Though still approximately 500 days away from the 2005 Super Bowl, representatives from the Super Bowl Host Committee have scheduled a December familiarization tour for many of the event’s key sponsors. Nearly 50 corporate event planners are expected to attend.
Typically FAM tours take place during the spring before the Super Bowl, but according to Pat Duncan, Host Committee director of lodging and accommodations, the NFL wanted to push the date up as a precaution.
“This is a new Super Bowl market and they wanted all of the sponsors to feel as comfortable as possible when making arrangements here,” said Duncan, adding the tour is still in the planning stages.
Heather Surface, Host Committee director of communications, said the tour can best be described as an “opportunity.”
“It’s a way for us to introduce Jacksonville and the surrounding regions to those sponsors, all of whom will be hosting events in Jacksonville during Super Bowl week” said Surface.
Surface said the overall goal of the tour — a standard procedure for every host committee — would be to help corporate sponsors, including Pepsi, Coors and Fox Broadcasting, prepare events in conjunction with the various facilities and vendors throughout the community.
“And it won’t just be downtown,” said Surface. “They’re looking all over from Fernandina to Ponte Vedra Beach.”
Tour participants will be invited to a welcoming reception Dec. 6. The following day, the Host Committee will host a tailgate party before the Jacksonville Jaguar’s game against the Houston Texans. After the game, the sponsors will attend a “downtown dining experience” on the river.
“It will be a great way for them to see downtown lit up at night and the beautiful St. Johns River,” said Duncan, adding a similar beaches dining event will likely be planned and a comprehensive tour of St. Augustine is also on the agenda.
“This really is a regional event and we want to show as much of the region as we can,” said Duncan, “but these companies are sending top professionals. After a little while, they won’t need us holding their hands while they’re looking at venues. As they get more comfortable with us, they’ll be able to see all that we have to offer.”