The NFL events in Tampa began long before Sunday's kick off with the organization's annual NFL Experience, Tailgate, and On Location events taking over the grounds of Raymond James Stadium nearly two weeks ago.
Originally opening the weekend of January 24 to 25, the Experience closed during the workweek to reopened January 29 through February 1, though only ticket holders were allowed on game day. The 18th annual event produced by the NFL offered football fans a variety of interactive games and exhibitions including agility tests, passing games, kids football clinics, strength and endurance trials, and more.
Event sponsors including Under Armour, Pepsi, Gatorade, Home Depot, and State Farm set up branded areas throughout the makeshift football village with their own brand-specific activities. Over at the Under Armour space, guests could compare their vertical jump, speed, and passing skills to that of the brands spokesmen while Wilson created personalized and Super Bowl XLIII-branded footballs for purchase in its football factory.
With so many activity options keeping guests onsite for hours at a time, concession stands punctuated the perimeter of the Experience with football favorites like hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes, and a variety of drinks from Pepsi-who held its own Pepsi Smash concert event on Thursday night.
In addition to the big game, the stadium also hosted the NFL Tailgate Party on Sunday coordinated by Party Planners West and the fourth annual NFL On Location-a Super Bowl hospitality program that offers various packaged trips with hotel, air travel, game tickets, and more for corporate groups. Produced by M Group Scenic, On Location's three hospitality areas covered 70,000 square feet around the stadium-open before and after the game-and were beach-themed with boardwalk-style flooring, deck chairs, sand, and abundant tropical foliage. Pre- and post-game entertainment included live musicians, silk aerialists from Circus Sarasota, X-Box gaming stations, and a Catch the Moment photo station that superimposed guests' pictures via green screen with an image of the Lombardi trophy.
For individual ticket holders, M Group Scenic also created the Touchdown Club with a mini football field at its center complete with Cardinals and Steelers cutouts in the end zones, multiple bars, live entertainment from the Doug Flutie band, suspended projection screens running sports news, and catering from Mise En Place. Set in a 40,000-square-foot tent, the club also hosted the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee on Sunday.