Produced by 160over90, the brand’s activation also included the Marriott Bonvoy House presented by Visa, where co-branded card members could redeem points to access a watch party.Photo: Courtesy of 160/90
This year’s event set the three-day attendance record, with 775,000 making their way to Motor City to take part in the weeklong festivities, breaking the record of 600,000 set by Nashville in 2019.
The economic impact of the draft should be between $150 million and $175 million, and might even exceed those figures, according to The Detroit News, but that’s still being calculated.
During the draft, fans and guests from organizations like The Trevor Project, Special Olympics, American Heart Association, and the USA Wheelchair Football League announced selections live at the event. Also, in recognition of the sport’s growing popularity around the globe, 20 picks were announced remotely from eight international markets. Fans and guests from Germany, Mexico, Spain, and Nigeria joined in to announce the selections.
In addition to a series of community events throughout Detroit during the week, the NFL also partnered with the city and local organizations through NFL Green, the league's environmental program that works to mitigate the environmental impact of the league's major events, including the draft. This year’s events included bringing tree equity to lower-income neighborhoods and developing a community garden with Michigan State University and Keep Growing Detroit.
Turf, fencing, set pieces, and other materials used for the draft are also being donated to local nonprofits, including Detroit Dog Rescue to help build the group's spay and neuter clinic.
And for the first time, the league installed prayer halls at one of its major tentpole events in an effort to provide an inclusive experience for fans of all faiths. The prayer halls were designed and constructed by The Led Lion, a local Arab American-owned business.
At the NFL Draft Experience presented by Rocket Mortgage, fans were able to participate in interactive games, take photos with The Vince Lombardi Trophy, attend player autograph sessions and appearances, and more. As usual, brands like Courtyard by Marriott and P&G were on site engaging fans with creative activations and experiences.
Keep scrolling to see more from the 2024 NFL Draft...
Pooja Van Dyke, the Bears' director of digital media, told Sports Business Journal that the team held Zoom calls for past draft watch parties. But for this budding new era, with a potential franchise-changing combo of QB and WR, the team wanted to match excitement with what she called a “big swing” on the meet-and-greet experience.
