Host With The Most: Hospitality Village Set For Super Bowl

Jacksonville Secures Hospitality Space Near Stadium

The NFL has inked a deal with The Jacksonville Expo Center at the Fairgrounds to “use the site as the Corporate Hospitality Village” for Super Bowl XXXIX, according to Jordan Rodack of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fairgrounds Chair Guy Bond said, “It probably wasn’t the best deal we could have gotten, but it was a fair deal in light of the needs of the city and the NFL.” Bond received offers on the fairgrounds from “several private companies looking for party space,” some as high as $500,000. Bond: “In the best overall interest of the city, once we felt like we were fairly compensated, then we certainly wanted to be good citizens and work with the city and the NFL to make the Super Bowl as good as it can possibly be.” As required by a prior agreement, the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee will pay to rent the property, not the NFL. The fairgrounds was the host committee's “first choice because of its size and proximity to Alltel Stadium” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 10/7).