Sam Joffray: Preparing for Las Vegas’ First Super Bowl

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Sam Joffray is no stranger to the Super Bowl. He has been to every big game since 1997 in some capacity. Whether it was leading a bid for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation or as a consultant or vendor, Joffray has a wealth of experience when it comes to the NFL’s crown jewel. So when Las Vegas welcomed the Raiders to the city and built world-class Allegiant Stadium four years ago, they needed someone to run point on a Super Bowl bid. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hired Joffray to be the president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee. Following a successful bid, Sin City will host its first Super Bowl on February 11. Joffray and his team have been hard at work to make sure the event is a success, and are hopeful that Las Vegas can get into the regular rotation of Super Bowl host venues is the coming years.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why he came to Las Vegas to help with the Super Bowl bid (1:54)
• What the anticipation has been like within Las Vegas (4:05)
• Estimated economic impact (5:25)
• Coordination between the NFL and the local casinos and hotels (7:09)
• Importance of making this Super Bowl a success and getting Las Vegas into the host rotation (8:35)
• Planning in Las Vegas compared to New Orleans (10:10)
• What his experiences in New Orleans taught him about planning a Super Bowl (12:03)
• Best practices he’s learned over the years (13:57)
• Experiences from his time at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (15:56)
• Planning a Super Bowl compared to other large events (19:01)
• Super Bowl volunteer response from the Las Vegas community (20:35)
• Preparing the Las Vegas Committee members for their first Super Bowl (23:35)
• His favorite Super Bowl to have attended (24:55)