Someone called my bluff. They wanted me to find out how many Super Bowl tickets Windsor received for our $345,000 contribution, errrr Francis relationship building payment, errrrrrr Sponsorship payment errrr "lock-in involvement" payment that Council approved just before Christmas in December, 2004. I assumed those details were hammered out when the Mayor went to Jacksonville, Florida in the middle of winter to promote Windsor at last year's game. I saw that tickets cost US$6-700 each and were probably sold out so I figured that it would not be too difficult to find out the answer.
I started doing some digging and prayed that Mayor Kilpatrick had not cancelled Windsor's role after Mayor Eddie might help cost him his re-election by arguing against what he wanted to do with the Bridge Company.
I understand that we had to make a contribution to ensure our involvement. I wondered if Toronto paid any money since "organizers of the Feb. 5, 2006, game said they've been booking hotel rooms as far away as the GTA." But then they do not get "a flag football championships for 13 and 14 year olds, an interactive theme park, a charity dinner and fantasy pool draft, an international VIP party and a tailgate party on game day" as the Star reported.
In my research, I saw a Windsor Star story in November, 2004 that said "The city's new transit terminal, which will be shared by Transit Windsor and Greyhound Canada, is expected to be open in time for fans to be shuttled to Super Bowl XV at Detroit's Ford Field in February 2006." Has the deal even been signed yet so construction can start?
I was going to ask Gordon Orr of the Convention and Visitors Bureau but I thought he might be too busy going to the movies with the Mayor's wife for their CKLW movie review show so I did not call him.
I looked on the Super Bowl website (SBXL.org) and saw this:
- 8. Will Windsor, Ontario be involved in Super Bowl XL planning?
The Host Committee receives many questions related to this topic. The City of Windsor has become involved in a variety of ways including:
Establishing their own Windsor Super Bowl XL Planning Committee, whose members include Windsor ’s mayor, Eddie Francis and Gordon Orr, Managing Director of the Windsor Convention Visitors Bureau. The Planning Committee is exploring a downtown Windsor festival.
Windsor hotels are part of the NFL room block
NFL Canada, one of three international NFL affiliates, will promote Windsor as a destination for Canadian NFL football fans to celebrate and enjoy the game.
Windsor venues are under consideration for Host Committee and NFL events during Super Bowl Week.
The Host Committee works with the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Windsor, Essex County and Pelee Island
I looked at the Sponsor page since Mayor Eddie said "we are a major partner in this event," at least with respect to snow plowing, but surprisingly that did not help. Windsor's name was not shown as a "Sponsor." I guess we are NOT a Sponsor even though the Mayor described Windsor's role in his State of the City speech as a "full participant." [UPDATE: I was told that Windsor is shown as a member of the Host Committee and there was a "Windsor" logo on the right of the Host Committee page. When I clicked on it, I was sent to the NFLCANADA.com website]
I checked the Detroit Free Press website where a number of the A-List parties were identified and their locations. I know Windsor made a presentation to "150 corporate clients in Detroit extolling Windsor's virtues as a location for parties and receptions." I saw parties in Detroit, Troy and Novi as examples but unless "Location not known" really is the code-word for Windsor, I saw no big party here.
The media would surely know. Windsor is supposed to be doing something with the media I thought although most of the Super Bowl media will be staying in Detroit and Livonia. Perhaps someone can tell the Detroit News about that since it ran a big story on how the Host Committee was courting the media. Windsor's name was not mentioned.
Finally, it dawned on me. I decided I had better call Ward One's Mr. Budget to find out the true answer. I knew what the Mayor was doing when I saw that a suite for the All-Star baseball game in Detroit was going for $30,000 on E-Bay and a ticket for around $2,000. Obviously, a Super Bowl ticket would go for much more.
Clearly, the Mayor had arranged, while in Jacksonville, that the City could sell all of our Super Bowl tickets. Thus, he would single-handedly solve Windsor's budgetary woes for 2006! The "cooling centres" trial run in the summer. A Fiasco, hardly. Oh ye of little faith. It was the dry-run for renting out the centres for visitor accommodation to give us a budgetary surplus! If an Amherstburg home is listed for $8,000 US a week during Super Bowl, think how much we could get by renting out the South Windsor arena.
How clever, but then again the Mayor had been "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" hadn't he.
I'll let you know the answer when I find out.
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