Gridiron Pitch ‘pitch’ for community benefits

Article posted by Coliseum, May 15^th, 2023

Image: Allegiant Stadium

The Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada (US) kicked off the third annual Gridiron Pitch in partnership with the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee, the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL team Las Vegas Raiders which concluded on May 11^th.

‘Allegiant Stadium’ stated that over the last three years, the Allegiant Stadium has provided over 130 small businesses with exciting new opportunities for growth, partnerships and mentorship through the Gridiron Pitch event.

The Diverse Supplier Engagement Series is part of Allegiant Stadium’s community engagement initiatives. The series is specifically designed and curated to provide an opportunity for the venue and its partners (procurement professionals and contractors) to engage with local, small and diverse vendors for future business opportunities and/or mentorship.

The 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium located in Paradise, Nevada (US). It is the home stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels college football team, the Las Vegas Bowl, and the Vegas Kickoff Classic.

The ‘Gridiron’ is a term that is used to refer to the playing field in North American football. The word occasionally is used in the name of the game as well, because some people – mostly outside of North America – refer to the sport as gridiron football or simply ‘gridiron’ to differentiate it from other types of football, such as soccer.

The Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee is a nonprofit 501 (c)(6), comprising volunteer local community, municipal and business leaders overseeing a full-time staff that serve as direct liaisons between the National Football League and the local community between now and 2024. The Host Committee aims to deliver an experience that will position Las Vegas as a favorite and repeat destination for the NFL’s marquee event, create a lasting legacy through its community initiatives, and showcase the City as the premier destination for major sporting events to visiting fans, media, sponsors, vendors, industry professionals, and the global broadcast audience.

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area (US). The Raiders compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference West division and their home venue is the Allegiant Stadium.

The Las Vegas Bowl is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada in 2021.

The Vegas Kickoff Classic is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Paradise at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Rebels.

‘Allegiant Stadium’ further stated that this year’s event was unique, as all participating businesses were specifically nominated by the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee and NFL’s Super Bowl LVIII Business Connect program to participate. Forty-five companies were selected to pitch their products and services directly to procurement professionals. The companies are positioned to compete for long-term business, contracts, or mentorship opportunities within Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas community to drive economic growth.

Noted Neumiia Duncan-Reed, Vice President of Human Resources & Community Affairs at Allegiant Stadium, “The Gridiron Pitch is Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Raiders response to the voices of small, local and diverse business in Las Vegas. Our goal is to create and sustain impactful programs that will produce years of partnership opportunities with access, resources and viable opportunities.”

A wide variety of industries are represented, including food and beverage, maintenance services, electrical, mechanical, marketing, and more.

Explained Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of Las Vegas Raiders, “This partnership between the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium/ASM Global, the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee, and the NFL simply made sense. It stemmed from a shared vision, to work together whenever and wherever possible to create access to opportunities for local business owners. The Gridiron Pitch is a collaboration of all our networks, resources and relationships coming together for the better of our community.”

The ASM Global is a venue and event management company based in Los Angeles (US) specializing in managing stadiums, convention centers, theaters, and unique venues.

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