We’re Going To The Super Bowl, Sort Of
We’ll always have Wing Bowl, but we’d like to reserve a bit of hometown pride for the Biggest Game of the Year. First, for helping the roman numeral system maintain some kind of relevance throughout the years. The real winners in this thing are Global Spectrum, the management firm that operates under Comcast Spectacor. The company has been hired to oversee University of Phoenix Stadium during Super Bowl XLII. So, technically, we totally run shit in AZ.
Press release after the jump.
PHILADELPHIA-BASED COMPANY PREPARING FOR FIRST SUPER BOWL
AS OPERATORS OF UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM
(Glendale, AZ – January 28, 2008) With a world-wide audience of millions watching the action on the field between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, it’ll be the efforts of Global Spectrum, operators of the University of Phoenix Stadium, who will work hand-in-hand with the National Football League, to properly ensure the 63,4000-seat stadium is ready for the NFL’s annual showdown, Super Bowl XLII, on Sunday, February 3.
Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of sports and entertainment providers Comcast-Spectacor, manages nearly 70 other arenas, stadiums and convention centers throughout North America. The company, which employs over 75 full-time workers in Glendale, AZ, site of Super Bowl XLII, is also bringing 10 full-time senior managers to the Desert to assist in operating the stadium during the big game.
“It’s quite a thrill to be hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world in only our second year of operating this great facility,” said Global Spectrum Chief Operating Officer John Page. “This will be a tremendous opportunity for our company to truly shine in the national spotlight. We will be working very closely with the NFL and the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority (AZSTA) to make this year’s event the best Super Bowl ever.”
The University of Phoenix Stadium is home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, as well as the annual Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl. Last season, in the stadium’s inaugural year, the facility hosted the first-ever BCS National Championship Game.
Several Philadelphia-based Comcast-Spectacor executives will be attending the games to assist the Glendale-based staff at University of Phoenix Stadium, including Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko, Global Spectrum Chief Operating Officer John Page, Global Spectrum Vice President of Operations Michael Ahearn, Comcast-Spectacor Vice President of Security and Services Michael Hasson, Global Spectrum Vice President of Client Services Todd Glickman and Comcast-Spectacor Vice President of Public Relations Ike Richman.
“This is the biggest event any one facility could ever host and by far the most important event in the history of our rapidly growing company,” said Luukko. “The University of Phoenix Stadium is our largest facility and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Super Bowl.”
In preparation for the game, Global Spectrum began increasing the capacity of the stadium to over 70,000 with the addition of temporary seating in the end zone and other areas of the facility. Global Spectrum has been working closely with the NFL, HOK, and the Local Organizing Committee in planning and organizing this year’s event.
“There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into planning for the Super Bowl,” said Global Spectrum’s Peter Sullivan, General Manager of University of Phoenix Stadium. “Our team has been preparing for this event for several years and more intensively over the past several months. Our staff has been working around the clock since the final whistle of the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, preparing the stadium and grounds for the Super Bowl.”
Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) is the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 70 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.
