NFL Draft

[langosta]

Daily Attendance Break Down:

Thursday: 125,000
Friday: 84,000
Saturday: 103,000

My thoughts:

The event was run better than anyone could have expected. I think the hype scared locals away from downtown and from the event. If we hosted this again you’d see greater turnout given how easy the whole process was.

NFL’s closing of the north lawn at times did limit the total attendance. I think if you’d dynamically adjust open/closed attendance would have been higher. Power and Light was packed and P&L + Loop Cap park could host 10-20,000 as a remote watch site next time. I would not be surprised if we host the NFL draft again this decade. Draft + World Cup in 2026 would be crazy but maybe too close together to pull off.

Kansas City is really well designed to host these large scale and festival type events. Impacts to downtown were honestly not that big. Grand didn’t even close! We might be one of the better designed cities to host these large events. I think this event solidified my support for a downtown NFL stadium that can host Super Bowl , concerts, and Final Four, a baseball stadium that can host 80 games a year, etc.

[beautyfromashes]

^^
Just superbly run by the local group! They did great getting the event and building it out. Just having Main open to downtown and to the south would have made a big difference. I did hear some suburbanite friends who said it was difficult getting downtown, so agree with your assessment on that. Having streetcar running up and down Main from the Plaza would open up ease of entrance too. This was a great trial run for the World Cup.

[Highlander]

Daily Attendance Break Down:

Thursday: 125,000
Friday: 84,000
Saturday: 103,000

My thoughts:

The event was run better than anyone could have expected. I think the hype scared locals away from downtown and from the event. If we hosted this again you’d see greater turnout given how easy the whole process was.

NFL’s closing of the north lawn at times did limit the total attendance. I think if you’d dynamically adjust open/closed attendance would have been higher. Power and Light was packed and P&L + Loop Cap park could host 10-20,000 as a remote watch site next time. I would not be surprised if we host the NFL draft again this decade. Draft + World Cup in 2026 would be crazy but maybe too close together to pull off.

Kansas City is really well designed to host these large scale and festival type events. Impacts to downtown were honestly not that big. Grand didn’t even close! We might be one of the better designed cities to host these large events. I think this event solidified my support for a downtown NFL stadium that can host Super Bowl , concerts, and Final Four, a baseball stadium that can host 80 games a year, etc.

The Union Station/Liberty Memorial combo makes a wonderful venue. Having looked at the past venues for the draft, it was clearly the best venue.

So where would you put a downtown football stadium? I think a baseball stadium should be in a more integrated central location but a football stadium kind of needs to be more peripheral (just given the difference in the amount of time they are in use)

[langosta]

Kansas City is really well designed to host these large scale and festival type events. Impacts to downtown were honestly not that big. Grand didn’t even close! We might be one of the better designed cities to host these large events. I think this event solidified my support for a downtown NFL stadium that can host Super Bowl , concerts, and Final Four, a baseball stadium that can host 80 games a year, etc.

The Union Station/Liberty Memorial combo makes a wonderful venue. Having looked at the past venues for the draft, it was clearly the best venue.

So where would you put a downtown football stadium? I think a baseball stadium should be in a more integrated central location but a football stadium kind of needs to be more peripheral (just given the difference in the amount of time they are in use)

You put an NFL in a peripheral neighborhood that is close enough for a quick transit or walk from existing hotels and garages.

Used to think West Bottoms but WB is too isolated to support an urban Football Stadium. It would end up being surrounded by an island of parking - maybe killing the rebirth of that neighborhood.

I 100% think the Chiefs should go to Paseo West. Walking distance to Power & Light, Royals Village, and 18th Vine. We are already gonna build stadium-sized infrastructure next door may as well give it even more use. It would also help support more hotel/retail development around Royals Stadium and maybe 18th Vine. Good proximity to downtown to Host Final 4 and Super Bowl. I think it would become a go to stop for stadium tours.

10 Home Games + 7 Concerts = 1.36 million guests.
+ a few conventions and smaller events.

Lucas Oil Stadium hosts 200+ events per year ranging from concerts and conventions to business meetings and weddings.

[FlippantCitizen]

Altogether unsurprising that a the vast majority of the spending went towards the hotels, a select number of drinking establishments, and vendors inside the zone. And yes anecdotally I went to Alma Mader for a couple of beers and it seemed quite busy but specifically avoided venturing further up the BLVD into DT.

[langosta]

Altogether unsurprising that a the vast majority of the spending went towards the hotels, a select number of drinking establishments, and vendors inside the zone. And yes anecdotally I went to Alma Mader for a couple of beers and it seemed quite busy but specifically avoided venturing further up the BLVD into DT.

this is a potential negative impact of downtown stadiums. Locals get scared away on game day. I suspect minimizing surface parking/tail gaiting will reduce this effect.

Given how well the NFL draft went, I think we can host downtown sports or events with minimized impacts if they are located right. I came in from the suburbs with no traffic or other issues any of the times. Leaving the event traffic was not as bad as I experienced for the Celebration at the Station, etc.

[GRID]

Altogether unsurprising that a the vast majority of the spending went towards the hotels, a select number of drinking establishments, and vendors inside the zone. And yes anecdotally I went to Alma Mader for a couple of beers and it seemed quite busy but specifically avoided venturing further up the BLVD into DT.

this is a potential negative impact of downtown stadiums. Locals get scared away on game day. I suspect minimizing surface parking/tail gaiting will reduce this effect.

Given how well the NFL draft went, I think we can host downtown sports or events with minimized impacts if they are located right. I came in from the suburbs with no traffic or other issues any of the times. Leaving the event traffic was not as bad as I experienced for the Celebration at the Station, etc.

I have said this for years. It's why retail will never work near the Truman sports complex. I mean, they opened that giant sporting goods store across the interstate from it (it's now a carpenters school) and it closed very quickly after opening because people avoided it like the plague during any events at the stadiums which is a lot of days of the year and during none games, it was not a draw because suburban Jackson county already has stores like that. They though they would be slammed by sports fans and the exact opposite happened.

They have the same problem with the speedway. The Legends slowest days are race weekends when locals avoid the area unless attending a race. They don't really get that many race fans shopping there. The Legends has enough going on to sustain retail though and KCK is under-retailed. The TSC is not going to draw in people from suburban Jackson county where there is already tons of retail.

Considering I take in many games a year at DC and Baltimore going back now over 13 years and my son and his wife have now lived in the Navy Yard of DC blocks from the stadium for four years, I am in the area all the time. Sometimes I'll go to a game, sometimes not, sometimes there is no game when I'm in the area etc. I have a really good feel for the area.

It used to be like KC was during this event. Totally empty during games. Places were slammed before games, but most of the rest of the day, they were slow. But this back when most of the area was still parking lots. Now there is enough people living there that places are busy all the time no matter what. They don't have to depend on people coming in from other neighborhoods of the city anymore.

So my point is that the stadiums need to be away from downtown far enough to not impact downtown negatively on game days, but close enough to walk to. And the areas between the stadiums and the core of downtown needs to be densely developed.

I almost wonder if EV is too close and Kauffman should be in Paseo West for this reason. Then you can actually develop EV into something.

If both stadiums go downtown, then the NFL should go in paseo west and the MLB should go in vine district or far east crossroads.

[beautyfromashes]

... stadiums need to be away from downtown far enough to not impact downtown negatively on game days, but close enough to walk to. And the areas between the stadiums and the core of downtown needs to be densely developed.

I almost wonder if EV is too close and Kauffman should be in Paseo West for this reason. Then you can actually develop EV into something.

If both stadiums go downtown, then the NFL should go in paseo west and the MLB should go in vine district or far east crossroads.

I think this is why I would put the stadium in Harlem. It's an unused area so you could still build the parking and infrastructure needed for an NFL stadium but you still could walk or take the streetcar from a separated downtown. If you put a stadium in Paseo West, you create a huge blockage to neighborhoods further east from connecting to downtown. A stadium north of the river also allows you to add Northland counties to the taxing district and further goals of rail transportation north, eventually to the airport. It doesn't destroy a neighborhood but gets all the benefits of being in direct proximity to downtown amenities.

[GRID]

... stadiums need to be away from downtown far enough to not impact downtown negatively on game days, but close enough to walk to. And the areas between the stadiums and the core of downtown needs to be densely developed.

I almost wonder if EV is too close and Kauffman should be in Paseo West for this reason. Then you can actually develop EV into something.

If both stadiums go downtown, then the NFL should go in paseo west and the MLB should go in vine district or far east crossroads.

I think this is why I would put the stadium in Harlem. It's an unused area so you could still build the parking and infrastructure needed for an NFL stadium but you still could walk or take the streetcar from a separated downtown. If you put a stadium in Paseo West, you create a huge blockage to neighborhoods further east from connecting to downtown. A stadium north of the river also allows you to add Northland counties to the taxing district and further goals of rail transportation north, eventually to the airport. It doesn't destroy a neighborhood but gets all the benefits of being in direct proximity to downtown amenities.

Would have to acquire and clean up a lot of property but that would be the perfect spot for either stadium. Then you have a reason to repurpose the old Broadway Bridge into a pedestrian bridge and extend the streetcar across the river as well. Also, could have a skyline facing view as well as river and bridges. I mean Atlanta's new stadium faces south I believe.

[beautyfromashes]

Would have to acquire and clean up a lot of property but that would be the perfect spot for either stadium. Then you have a reason to repurpose the old Broadway Bridge into a pedestrian bridge and extend the streetcar across the river as well. Also, could have a skyline facing view as well as river and bridges. I mean Atlanta's new stadium faces south I believe.

I’d still prefer EV for the Royals. I think with many more dates than NFL you could use it to benefit a neighborhood instead of being a millstone. As long as they can try to maintain the street grid, cut down on parking around it and keep its size a proper proportion, it could help bring some synergy to rebuilding that area. This wouldn’t work for the NFL though. It needs much more space.

[langosta]

... stadiums need to be away from downtown far enough to not impact downtown negatively on game days, but close enough to walk to. And the areas between the stadiums and the core of downtown needs to be densely developed.

I almost wonder if EV is too close and Kauffman should be in Paseo West for this reason. Then you can actually develop EV into something.

If both stadiums go downtown, then the NFL should go in paseo west and the MLB should go in vine district or far east crossroads.

I think this is why I would put the stadium in Harlem. It's an unused area so you could still build the parking and infrastructure needed for an NFL stadium but you still could walk or take the streetcar from a separated downtown. If you put a stadium in Paseo West, you create a huge blockage to neighborhoods further east from connecting to downtown. A stadium north of the river also allows you to add Northland counties to the taxing district and further goals of rail transportation north, eventually to the airport. It doesn't destroy a neighborhood but gets all the benefits of being in direct proximity to downtown amenities.

Would have to acquire and clean up a lot of property but that would be the perfect spot for either stadium. Then you have a reason to repurpose the old Broadway Bridge into a pedestrian bridge and extend the streetcar across the river as well. Also, could have a skyline facing view as well as river and bridges. I mean Atlanta's new stadium faces south I believe.

Harlem has a worse disconnection worse issue than WB.

[beautyfromashes]

Harlem has a worse disconnection worse issue than WB.

Respectfully disagree. West Bottoms has a major issue being so far below downtown. Walking connection between WB and DT is always going to be an issue because people don’t want to climb a mountain to get between them. Harlem is in close proximity and would just be a nice walk across a bridge. This makes rail connection easier as well. It extends nicely from the current streetcar line and keeps that line moving in a direction towards other favorable neighborhoods.

[Metro]

Sounds like the draft hurt small businesses. World Cup will do the same.

[TheSmokinPun]

Sounds like the draft hurt small businesses. World Cup will do the same.

Different audience. There is going to possibly be 1 million plus internationals descending on the city for an outright party. The out of towers from this weren't the party type, this was more an event of "try out KC, then bring your family back for a trip."

I think a lot of small businesses are throwing a tantrum right now because they actually believe the known false & always silly NFL propaganda of events like this bringing in huge money for everyone.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Sounds like the draft hurt small businesses. World Cup will do the same.

If you’re going off the article I think you are, that’s a very poor representation of the overall business experience for the event or downtown.

[Midtownkid]

It was great to see so many people out walking. 20th street was packed on Saturday. I guess that was the urban street closest to the event. I'm glad it got that cleaned up a few years back. It makes an great 'urban street'.

There were a lot of people walking on Grand and Main too.

[KCtoBrooklyn]

Sounds like the draft hurt small businesses. World Cup will do the same.

Yeah, that's a terrible take. The draft may have hurt a handful nof small businesses, but it definitely helped others. I'm sure it was more of a net positive.

And the World Cup will be an entirely different animal. For one, the draft was three days, the World Cup might cover three weeks in KC. The draft was a more self-contained event. People could spend the whole day at the experience and eat and drink at the vendors there. The same won't be true for the World Cup.

The World Cup will also bring in a considerably higher number of visitors and there won't be as much congestion focused on one single point that might drive away locals worried about parking/traffic.

[Cratedigger]

The city also needs to be upfront about how these events help the city. this is how Detroit’s mayor is framing it

“Our objective is not to make the most money we can in 72 hours,” Duggan told The Detroit News. “Our objective is to introduce hundreds of thousands of people across America to what's happening in Detroit today.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sport ... 167819007/

[kboish]

I was at some of the breweries on Thursday night in the crossroads. They were dead unless they had a specific event related to the draft. That was surprising to me.

But, that is a lesson more than it is a data saying all businesses were hurt by the event.

[beautyfromashes]

I was at some of the breweries on Thursday night in the crossroads. They were dead unless they had a specific event related to the draft. That was surprising to me.

But, that is a lesson more than it is a data saying all businesses were hurt by the event.

Went to dinner at Farina on Friday night. The area was busy but, walking through the event and Main being closed, made it difficult to get there. Seemed like atypical weekend night I’m most places in the Crossroads.