How the 2023 NFL Draft Grew Bigger and Better with Fan Activations

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young posed with Carolina Panther fans after being selected as the first pick in the draft.Photo: AP Images for NFL/Tyler KaufmanKANSAS CITY—The 88th edition of the annual meeting of NFL franchises was held April 27-29 outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. This year’s outdoor NFL Draft spanned three million square feet, making it the biggest draft footprint ever.

Similar to previous years, the event centered around the interactive fan fest, known as the NFL Draft Experience presented by Panini Trading Cards, which was located at the city’s National WWI Museum and Memorial and featured skills games, exhibits, and autograph sessions throughout the weekend, as well as an elevated food and beverage exhibition that highlighted local vendors and showcased Kansas City barbecue and pitmaster cuisine. In addition to serving as the stage for the team selections, this year's NFL Draft Theater—the largest in the league’s history—also hosted free concerts as part of the NFL Draft Concert Series presented by Bud Light.

The backstage area, where the top prospects gathered, was located inside the historic Union Station. But the walk from this area to the podium where NFL commissioner Roger Goodell waited to greet each player after being drafted was notably long, with some fans tweeting about the lengthy journey.

According to the NFL, the draft garnered a U.S. audience of 54.4 million viewers for the three-day event, with a total of 312,000 fans in attendance in Kansas City.

Inside the NFL Draft Experience, the Kansas City Chiefs presented the Chiefs Kingdom Experience, the largest on-site, club-sponsored draft activation in NFL history. The space included flags that recreated the architectural look of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium as well as immersive experiences for fans throughout the weekend. Visitors even scored a custom tailgate-scented air freshener designed to evoke the smell of smoke and charcoal found in the parking lots at GEHA Field on game days.

As part of its efforts to promote subscriptions for its NFL Sunday Ticket package, YouTube hosted more than a dozen creators, with a combined reach of more than 145 million subscribers. The creators were recruited to produce behind-the-scenes content and conduct player interviews. (Last year, Google landed a seven-year deal with the league to broadcast the Sunday Ticket games, which had previously been offered through DirecTV.)

Other brands such as Courtyard by Marriott, Procter & Gamble, and more were also on-site to engage fans with creative activations and experiences.

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