by Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
While a few small business owners in Las Vegas grumbled about lost revenue from inconveniences created by November’s Formula One Grand Prix, the NFL ostensibly appears to be sharing the wealth of Super Bowl LVIII with local exhibit and tradeshow companies.
Super Bowl host cities are estimated to see an economic impact of more than $1 billion. Last year’s game in Phoenix brought in $1.3 billion, and experts predict at least $1.1 billion for Las Vegas.
Fresh Wata, a Las Vegas-based event production and design firm, was contracted for dozens of installations and events across the city for the Big Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs being played Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium.
Super Bowl productions and activations by Fresh Wata can be found at all major Strip properties, including MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, Wynn and Aria. They’re also at the Sphere and Signature’s LAS Executive Airport.
“We are very excited to be a part of Super Bowl 2024 here in Las Vegas, finally on our home turf,” says Lyndsey Baladad, operations director for Fresh Wata. “For the past 20 years, we have been traveling across the country to support our clients at the previous Super Bowls, and we’re so happy to have them here to experience this in our backyard, just two blocks away from the stadium.”
Tricia Costell, owner and CEO, and Melissa Desrameaux, marketing and business development, started planning the work in summer 2023, employing more than 100 producers, project managers, designers and fabricators to work on projects leading up to the Super Bowl.
Installations are happening daily, taking anywhere from two to 14 hours, and teams are staggered for productions that last up to seven days.
Fresh Wata pitched its business to many repeat clients, as well as new referrals from current and former agencies. Some presentations were more intense than others, Costell notes, with several rounds of estimates submitted.
“We are a proud supplier with NFL Business Connect and have been growing and nurturing our business clientele and brand over the last 25 years in the industry,” Costell says. “With headquarters in Las Vegas, we also received calls from new clients coming into the city.”
Total Show Technology is providing audio-visual equipment for two Super Bowl watch parties for Tao Group and FNOM Worldwide. Tao Nightclub’s event inside The Venetian consists of more than 40 television monitors with proper video distribution. The FNOM event at Drai’s After Hours at The Cromwell calls for a large LED video wall.
“We have been working with both groups for many years and have developed a strong partnership with them for many events,” says Rich Cornish, director of sales for TST. “Most of our business comes from word of mouth. Thankfully, our service and work speak for itself.”
About 20 technicians from TST will be working on the events, Cornish adds, installing and operating the equipment and removing it after the game. It takes five to six hours to install the equipment.
