By Eric B. Larson
Downtown Detroit Partnership, CEO
The NFL Draft in Detroit is quite possibly one of the most successful events in the city’s history, and from the moment it was announced that Detroit was the 2024 host city, more than two years ago, it has been the ultimate team effort.
The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) has been part of the organizing committee alongside the NFL, Detroit Lions, City of Detroit, Visit Detroit, Detroit Sports Commission, Bedrock, and many others in the local community and business sectors. What an honor it was to watch the years of planning and visioning come to life. At the start of it all, we determined the top three key objectives for the Draft in Detroit:
- It had to be safe.
- It had to positively impact the community.
- It had to showcase our great city.
Everyone stepped up. This piece is a snapshot of how we worked together to deliver a safe, welcoming, inclusive, impactful, fan- and business-friendly event with incredible entertainment value that positioned Detroit in the very best light. All the while never losing sight of how the community could benefit. We never imagined that the Detroit Lions would also have their best season in more than 30 years, along with the University of Michigan winning the National Championship. Suffice it to say, all of this created a ripe environment for the NFL Draft to touch down in Detroit.
Draft by the Numbers
The NFL Draft welcomed over 775,000 attendees over three days, shattering Nashville’s total of 600,000. While droves of fans saw the city firsthand, television coverage of Round 1 surpassed 2023’s total, with an average audience of 12.1 million viewers across ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, and digital/streaming channels. We estimate more than 34 million viewers saw Detroit at its finest. The impact is further accelerated by the 1,800+ media outlets who had teams on the ground for on-site coverage, putting our world-class city into countless print articles, radio and television broadcasts, blogs, and more.
While the total economic impact of the Draft will be calculated over the next few weeks and months, there is speculation that we broke the mold there, too. Without a doubt, this historic and record-breaking event helped the nation to realize what we’ve always known – Detroit’s grit is unrivaled.
Successful large-scale events require collaboration among civic, corporate, community, and public safety agencies. Safety measures and technology for this event, including support from other regional departments, helped to keep this event moving smoothly and safely.
Bringing it home
Many worried that the Draft would not benefit the local community, and I’m proud to say we disproved that sentiment. From the onset, organizers decided to donate $1 million to community initiatives to support youth groups throughout the city.
NFL Draft planners contracted with over 60 local businesses to build the campus, staging, gaming, fencing, and run the operations, the theater, and more. That alone amounts to millions of dollars of direct local economic impact.
The DDP had a direct role in this effort. At DDP’s Draft Day in the D events in Capitol Park, Beacon Park, Paradise Valley Beatrice Buck Park, Grand Circus Park, and a closed-off portion of Woodward Avenue, we deployed 90 food trucks, and featured 135 small businesses, most of which were Detroit-owned. Another 37 musicians, artists, and performers were engaged. I would be remiss if I didn’t share that this is an aim for all DDP parks events and activations year-round. The Downtown Detroit Business Improvement Zone Ambassadors, 99 percent of whom are Detroiters, and an additional 260 volunteer shifts, were out in full force inside the Draft and the areas outside the Draft footprint to ensure the city remained clean, safe, and welcoming.
Several members of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance earned contracts with the NFL Draft and the DDP, and other organizers made it a priority to highlight Black-owned businesses.
We saw, first-hand, several local businesses and vendors experiencing an overflow of customers along with invaluable brand awareness and connections over the Draft weekend.
For three days, the NFL Draft also hosted Play Football Field at Corner Ballpark presented by StatusPRO. This offered youth a chance to participate in football clinics, drills, obstacle courses, and watch and learn sessions with NFL players and USA Football coaches, as well as enjoy face painting, food trucks, and more.
There are countless examples from the NFL Draft in Detroit that show what can happen when we intentionally work together to be thoughtful, inclusive, and focused on our community and its residents.
There’s plenty more in store, visit DowntownDetroit.org to stay updated with the latest info.
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