NFL kicks off Super Bowl week in Las Vegas with welcome press conference

By Jackson Tolliver, WEBN Correspondent

After 26 months of careful planning, Super Bowl XVIII week has arrived in Las Vegas. To get started, the NFL hosted a welcome press conference to discuss the festivities, the significance, and the future of sports in Sin City.

“We are looking forward to showing the world what we can do,” said Steve Hill, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

It will begin Monday with the Opening Night. Around 20,000 fans will pile into the Allegiant Stadium to watch the players and coaches from both teams make their first appearances. Throughout the rest of the week, events like the NFL Honors and the Super Bowl Experience theme park will keep fans engaged leading up to the big game.

“This is a jam-packed week with fan-accessible activities,” said Peter O’Reilly, an NFL Executive Vice President. “For fans who may not be able to be in Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, this week is packed.”

In addition to previewing the rest of the week, the Governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo, presented an official declaration to the NFL officially proclaiming the next few days as Super Bowl Week in the state. His next guest was a surprise that was well-received by the crowd: Wayne Newton, the self-proclaimed Mr. Las Vegas.

“I’m excited for the people who have never been here,” he said. “We have incredible shopping, incredible entertainment, incredible restaurants, good people, who could ask for more?”

The vision for Las Vegas is clear. The local authorities and decision-makers want this to be a hub for the biggest stages. They want more sports teams. They want to grow their local community. Hosting television’s most-watched event isn’t such a bad place to start.

Opening Night kicks off at 8 pm.