Super Bowl 2012 News Roundup

A Super hideaway for VIPs
The NFL is working on plans to transform a portion of Union Station into an ultra-exclusive hangout for corporate sponsors, team owners and former players. The league is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build the ski-lodge themed NFL House, the first time it has put together such a venue. More

Super Bowl advertising lineup takes shape
TV ads during the NBC broadcast of the big game are going for as much as $3.5 million for a 30-second spot. Of course, the usual suspects Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Coca-Cola, General Motors and Doritos will be well represented. Spots also are expected from Century 21, Best Buy, Cars.com and GoDaddy.com. More

Game time for food-truck owners
Indianapolis food truck owners are gearing up to serve football fans during the Super Bowl week. Among the top attractions are Mable on the Move, Edward's Dashboard Diner and West Coast Tacos. Fun fact: Americans consume more food on Super Bowl Sunday than every other day except Thanksgiving. More 

Colts honor Marvin Harrison
The Colts won't be playing in the Super Bowl Feb. 5, but one of the team's legends soon will have a permanent place in the host stadium. The team plans to add Harrison to the Lucas Oil Stadium Ring of Honor during halftime of the Carolina Panthers game Nov. 27. He'll be only the eighth member of a group that includes Robert Irsay, Jim Harbaugh and Tony Dungy. More

Super Bowl 2012 for Indianapolis Locals: Get Involved

The Super Bowl 2012 Host Committee is offering several ways for Indianapolis residents to get involved in February's big game even if they can't afford tickets. Among the highlights: 

Knit a Super Bowl 2012 Scarf
Hundreds of volunteers have been knitting blue and white scarves to be worn by 2012 Super Bowl volunteers. The goal was to distribute 8,000 scarves with the official Super Bowl XLVI patch, but volunteers already have knitted about 10,000. The last day to submit a scarf is Nov. 30. More info

Plant one of (more than) 2,012 trees
The Host Committee has partnered with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the John H. Boner Community Center to plant trees on the Near Eastside as part of the 2012 Super Bowl legacy initiatives. The groups already have planted more than 2,400 trees. More info

Have your child write a welcome letter
Thousands of guests in Indianapolis hotel rooms will receive a personalized welcome card from a child in one of the state’s 92 counties. The Host Committee hopes to collect 18,000 of the cards by Dec. 31. Children should illustrate their favorite things about Indiana. More info


Take a free Super Service training class
Hospitality workers and Super Bowl volunteers are taking a free online course to help the city roll out the red carpet for Super Bowl visitors. The course is focused on general principals of hospitality, Indiana history and specific plans for the big game. More info

Indianapolis Bars, Bowling Alleys and Hotels Could Go Smoke-Free Before 2012 Super Bowl

Indianapolis bars, bowling alleys and hotel rooms could go smoke-free before Super Bowl festivities begin early next year. The Republican president of the City-County Council has proposed extending an existing smoking ban to the now-excluded establishments. The ban still would exempt cigar and hookah bars, retail tobacco stores and nonprofit fraternal clubs. Mayor Greg Ballard has told reporters he supports the proposal.

Democrats, set to take control of the Council on Jan. 1, had been planning their own expansion of the Marion County smoking ban. They're expected to push for a tougher ban. A group of more than 1,000 Indianapolis-area bar owners also is supporting a tougher ban, in large measure so competitors don't gain an upper hand by allowing smoking.

Council President Ryan Vaughn said the measure needs to be passed by late December so it can be advertised in time to take effect before 2012 Super Bowl festivities begin.

Indianapolis is on schedule for 2012 Super Bowl

A top NFL official has said Indy's Super Bowl planning efforts are going well, and are shifting from big picture plans to nailing down the details. Those include traffic issues and where to host A-list Hollywood parties and major corporate events. Senior Vice President Frank Supovitz told the Indianapolis Star he's impressed with how the community has embraced the game. "The fact that you have an enormous number of voluneers already committed to work on an event a year and a half in front of us is an incredible achievement," he said. The Star story is available here.

Super Bowl 2012 Tickets: Expensive and Rare

Ready to buy tickets? Call 800-840-9227 to speak with a Vivid Seats representative.

 

Lucas Oil Stadium will hold roughly 63,000 spectators for the Super Bowl in 2012. The host-city Indianapolis Colts will receive about 5 percent of the available tickets, or about 3,600, the Associated Press has reported.

The teams that make it to the Super Bowl each will receive about 17 percent of the tickets. The NFL takes 25 percent, and the rest hit the open market.

The face value on the seats is expected to be about $1,000 apiece, though seats already are selling for much more on the secondary market through various ticket brokers and sports travel outfits.

Prices on the secondary market range between about $2,400 per seat for the most remote tickets, all the way up to more than $12,000 for prime seats with a great view of the action. At this point, the tickets fall within specified zones since the NFL has not yet released actual seat locations.

The 2012 Super Bowl is scheduled to kick off at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

IBJ: City Hopes to Host Super Bowl Again After 2012 Game

IBJ's Anthony Schoettle has an interview with the CEO of Indy's Super Bowl host committee. She's hoping the game helps convince NFL owners of the city's ability to host the big game again in the future. The full story and video is here.

Tickets to 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis Could Cost More Than $1,000

Ready to buy tickets? Call 800-840-9227 to speak with a Vivid Seats representative.

Tickets for last year's Super Bowl in Tampa cost $1,000 each at a minimum, the Associated Press reported. By 2012, when Indianapolis hosts the big game, tickets likely will be much higher.

At last year’s game, the average price of tickets on StubHub, the online resellers, was $4,300.
Ticket prices for the first Super Bowl, played at the Los Angeles Coliseum 43 years ago, were $6, $10 and $12. They went over the $100 mark in 1988 and have increased regularly since.

The face value on the seats is expected to be about $1,000 apiece, though seats already are selling for much more on the secondary market through various ticket brokers and sports travel outfits.

Prices on the secondary market range between about $2,400 per seat for the most remote tickets, all the way up to more than $12,000 for prime seats with a great view of the action.


Ready to buy tickets? Call 800-840-9227 to speak with a Vivid Seats representative.

Super Bowl News Roundup

Make sure to check here regularly for the latest news on Indy's preparation for the 2012 Super Bowl. Here's what news outlots across the country are saying:
Irsay, Dungy key to bringing Super Bowl to Indy - ESPN
Indianapolis wins bid for 2012 Super Bowl - USA Today
Indianapolis edges Arizona for Super Bowl - Arizona Republic
Houston loses out to Indy - Houston Chronicle
A cold front for Super Bowl - Baltimore Sun
Vision helped Super Tuesday become reality - Indianapolis Star