How Louisiana will sell itself during Super Bowl
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Louisiana economic development officials are hosting what they say is a first-of-its-kind effort to use the Super Bowl to attract new business to the state.
Why it matters: Officials hope to connect with about 60 key people who could bring new business to the state this week, as the state puts on a full-court press to rewrite a narrative around doing business in Louisiana.
What they're saying: "While we all know entertainers and sports figures come to Super Bowl, it's really a corporate America function, in many respects," Louisiana Economic Development secretary Susan Bourgeois tells Axios New Orleans. "The CEOs of major companies from around the country and around the world come to Super Bowl no matter where it is."
- "It's an incredible opportunity to use that audience who would come anyway and draw them in … using it as an opportunity to recruit potential projects, businesses and audiences to Louisiana."
Zoom in: As Super Bowl fans head between the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the French Quarter this week, they'll see a massive tent in the Hilton Riverside parking lot that welcomes visitors to the Louisiana NOW Pavilion.
- Inside, life-size videos of Saints owner Gayle Benson and Gov. Jeff Landry greet visitors, as does a 15-foot replica of a NASA rocket, evoking the Michoud facility just down I-10.
- Additional video panels highlight state business, and a stage at the back will host Shreveport film studio owner and rapper 50 Cent on Friday.
What we're watching: Bourgeois' team has two goals this week, she said.
- Give people a positive impression around "Louisiana and Louisiana opportunity." "The 'changing the narrative' piece is harder to measure," Bourgeois says, "but we'll feel it."
- Connect with as many people as possible on a list of about 60 invited targets, some of whom may consider business in the state for the first time, and some of whom are close to closing new deals. "Every person we're bringing in has an objective attached," Bourgeois says.
Between the lines: Bourgeois believes Louisiana needs a reputation boost, too. Too often, she says, the national business community fails to associate innovation with the state.
- But "the Meta announcement doesn't hurt," she said of the new data center being built in the northern part of the state.