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Fort Lauderdale had a game plan for hosting Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV events and participants and early returns indicate that all goals were met. Preliminary statistics show an increase in hotel occupancies and revenues along with a spike in consumer interest in the destination while anecdotal evidence suggests that more than 3,000 media from around the world gave Greater Fort Lauderdale high marks.
“The Super Bowl has come to South Florida a record ten times, but this year, with the Pro Bowl also being played here, we were determined to make our investment as hosts work for us,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Preliminary numbers indicate that we scored big, compared to the same period last year and compared to 2007 when we hosted Super Bowl XLI. And, we are delighted to receive so many highly complimentary comments from media who stayed with us and found Greater Fort Lauderdale to be a convenient, easy, and enjoyable place to do a fast-paced, hectic job.”
February occupancy numbers show that the winter season in Greater Fort Lauderdale had a strong jump-start with Super Bowl and visitation continues to grow. Year over year figures for the weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLIV show a nearly 20 percent increase in overall hotel occupancies (91%), and a significant jump in average daily rate to $230 (63% increase). The NFL set up their base of operations along Fort Lauderdale Beach where the 32’ high XLIV Roman numerals were located– including the NFL headquarters hotel at the new Westin Beach Resort, the NFL Media Center at the Broward County Convention Center with more than 3,000 media housed throughout Broward County hotels, the Indianapolis Colts at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and the Super Saturday night free concert on Fort Lauderdale beach with O.A.R. In addition, the Taste of the NFL, the party with a purpose featured the Barenaked Ladies, and the NFL Sponsorship Party starring the Pointer Sisters were both hosted at the Broward County Convention Center. The heightened activity resulted in 93% Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel occupancies (up 20%), and an average daily hotel rate of $348 (a 91% increase). In addition, coverage of Fort Lauderdale in the media resulted in more than 2,000 print articles, 900 radio, television and broadcast clips, as well as nearly 19,000 online stories.
The CVB also reported a record number of visits to the official sunny.org website for the period January 30-February 8, totaling 79,417, an 8% increase over last year at the same period, and pageviews totaling 233,094 for a 15% increase. In the week leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, there were more than 1,600 downloads of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s new iVisitLauderdale phone app and 4,400 entries to the CVB’s online Pro Bowl contest.
About Greater Fort Lauderdale
The new Greater Fort Lauderdale is a vibrant, “beach chic” destination offering more than 33,000 lodging accommodations at a variety of hotels, resorts, and Superior Small Lodgings, plus new high-end, luxury resorts and more to come. Nearly 11 million annual visitors enjoy Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 23 miles of Blue Wave Beaches and eight charming beach communities, 300 miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal to the Everglades, more than 4,000 restaurants, top shopping, and a thriving arts and culture scene. For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau can also be followed on Twitter @visitlauderdale and on Facebook.
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