How to Pick A Super Bowl Party - Zennie Abraham's Criteria For Selecting A Super Bowl Party

With every Super Bowl Game in a "host city" comes Super Bowl Parties. From Maxim to Playboy to Leigh Steinberg, there are at times too many parties. There were over 1,000 in Miami, the host city for Super Bowl XLI. How does one determine which parties to go to? Read on for help from a Super Bowl verteran. Me: Zennie Abraham, CEO of Sports Business Simulations , has attended five Super Bowls, and counting.

I also headed the effort to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland. (Oakland lost to Jacksonville on the third ballot vote of NFL owners.)

I felt compelled to write this after my great Miami Super Bowl experience, where I went to six parties, and didn't pay a dime. That's what maintaining good relationships gets you. But I digress, here's my guide. (Which can also apply to the NBA All Star game, by the way.)

Things You'll Need

Here's what you need to know about a Super Bowl Party. First, location. Where's it at. Second, how much does it cost to attend? Third, has it been done before. Beyond that, here's a step by step plan.

Instructions

STEP 1: Is PDiddy or another celebrity's name on it? If so, don't go to the party. Why? Because celebs who's names are part of the party name sometimes don't show up. Meanwhile, you're dealing with a lot of people in a crowded place waiting for that person to show. Save your money. I made this mistake in Detroit in 2006, when PDiddy himself failed to come to a Super Bowl Party with his name on it. But the place -- the Elylisium Lounge -- was so packed, the fire marshal threatened to shut the party down three times.

STEP 2: Does the party have free food? The best Super Bowl parties all have free food; the PDiddy party had no food at all. If you have to pay for food, don't go. There's no excuse other than poor planning for a lack of free food. If you have to pay for the party, you should expect that the caterer has been secured and paid. Plus, eating is a great way to cut down the impact of any cocktail you may consume. Which brings me to this point...

STEP 3: Are the drinks free? Again, if you're paying a lot to go to a party, the drinks should be free. That's a basic Super Bowl Party rule. If you go to the Playboy, Maxim, or Leigh Steinberg parties, the drinks are free. Don't even think of going to a Super Bowl party where you have to pay for drinks, unless the party itself is free of charge.

STEP 4: Is the party in a central location? Where is the party located? If it's in a downtown location, well served by cabs, and all of the other criteria for a Super Bowl Party are met, then go to the party. But if it's located way out in some suburban location where the cabs call once every 20 years, forget it. The best Super Bowl parties are the easiest to get to. Now, I'll place a word in for some very exclusive parties that are way out in a suburban location. I've been to a few of them, and given the celebs in attendance, I can understand. This was true for a party I attended at the Doral Country Club. But then cabs do serve at places like the Doral, so my basic rule applies -- it must be a place cabs call to.

STEP 5: Is there one party price? What's the price of the party? Is there one price or a level of prices? If there's a level of prices, avoid the party. It means that someone there will play favorites and as the result, what people paid for the party will be all over the place. If you paid for a ticket at $600 and find that someone else just paid $100 and for the same service, you will feel cheated and rightly so. Don't bother. One price should fit all.

Overall Tips & Warnings

If all of the criteria I listed above are met, it's obvously a party worth attending. But here are some more tips. First, don't drink and drive. Remember, you're more than likely from out of town and the last problem you need is to come back to the Super Bowl host city just to defend a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge. Forget it. If you're going to drink -- and most people do -- take a cab or a limo. They're plentiful for Super Bowls.

Here's a major warning: If you're going to buy a Super Bowl Party ticket do it where the purchase is either directly from the party producer or the transaction is insured. Some people posing as ticket brokers may sell you a fradulent ticket. I'm serious. The Super Bowl is also a magnet for dishonest business people. If you're going to buy a ticket, go to our site http://www.sbstickets.com"> , where your ticket transactions are secured as we're part of the StubHub network.

Super Bowl Party - ESPN Party At The Miami Design Center

This video is of the great Friday, February 2nd party thrown by ESPN / NEXT and held at the Miami Design Center. In perfect ESPN fashion, the entire block was taken over as well as all of one building.

It was a total blast, and as you can see, I tried to capture as much of it as I possibly could. The only thing I didn't like was the VIP building got too hot after it filled with people. Also, the food wasn't as plentiful or as good as it was at the ESPN Party in Detroit. But it was a great effort overall.

Note the ever present Cadillac cars as they were a major sponsor. But also note the demographics of the people. It must be noted that this is a private party, so the marketers have a captive audience. It's a great lesson in sports marketing.

At the end of the video, we get to see a concert by LL Cool J and it can be said that he did bring the house down!

21st Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party In Miami - Video

(Leigh Steinberg -- in suit -- with my friend Randy Gordon.)

I had the honor and pleasure of attending Leigh Steinberg's 21st Super Bowl Party in Miami and held at the Westin St. Francis Grand Floridian Yacht which is docked just off Ocean Avenue. This, my fourth of Leigh's parties I've attended, was the best. And this was due to the intimacy provided by the combination of the yacht and the grounds below. As a result, there was a lot of interaction rather than people sticking in their own groups and clicks.

The video -- as a result -- reflects how people did relate to each other there. It was a lot of fun. Stars? Well, I'm not the best at recognizing people, but I did talk a while with with Julian Jenkins of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Jack Del Rio, Heach Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars (not in video) and ESPN's Woody Paige (in the video) and Tony Rially (not in the video as well as Actor Billy Baldwin (Not in the video).

(As a note, Baldwin said that he's lanching an extreme sports tour later in the year.)

Finally, much of the video focuses on Al Samuels and Steve Fleming of NBC's "Sports Action Team" and their segment filmed with Leigh Steinberg, and Bruce Perlmutter, the GM of the Tribeca / ESPN Sports Film Festival.

The 2007 Playboy Super Bowl Party, Miami, At American Airlines Arena - Video

The problem with living life and recording the life you live is that the act causes a delay in uploading the videos. Thus, I'm just getting the videos uploaded and embeded in the appropriate blog posts. Here's an example: last Saturday's Playboy Party at American Airlines Arena.

This was my first Playboy party out of the five Super Bowls I've attended and I'm glad I did because now I can say I've been to one and show you too. For all of the build-up it's really got the same things as other parties I've attended: music and free food and drink -- Super Bowl Party requirements. What other parties don't have is a dress code requirement for women that reads "Lingerie or Less." I'm not kidding. There was a lot of women who did comply with the dress code, as the video will show.

My complaint is there are too many guys, and almost no one dancing. The reason for the dance problem is the way the music is played: they only play part of a song for about 30 seconds, then switch to another tune, so you really can't get into a rhythm that allows you to grove and move.

There were a lot of celebrites, too. Rapper Too Short, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Franco Harris (whos' a nice person), Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Jerry Porter (who seemed a little paranoid that one would recognize him as Jerry Porter), to name some of the people I recognized when my eyes weren't drawn elsewhere. Writing on that, there's a lot of people just standing and looking around, mostly guys in groups. The female count needs to be upped considerably.

Before I get to the video, here's another idea: have a dress code for men calling for pajamas in honor of Hugh Hefner.

Here's the video:

LL Cool J - ESPN NEXT Super Bowl Party Miami Concert In Miami Design Center

On Friday night, I was invited to the ESPN NEXT Super Bowl Party held at Miami Design Center. The party's producers -- ESPN, NEXT, and Sony Playstation -- took over the entire main block and one building of the district and produced one of the best Super Bowl parties I've attended. I'll have more videos on this party, but for now I'm presenting you with the best part of the evening, a private concert by none other than LL Cool J. He rocked the house!

What was so interesting to me is the contrast in the crowd. The people close to the stage were young, of diverse backgrounds, and mostly female; as one moved away from the stage, the audience turned to one mostly white, older, and male. It wasn't a random group, as one had to have a pass to get into the party. By the time LL Cool J started, it was midnight and about 1,000 people remained for the concert. There were probably 5,000 people for the party as a whole.

Here it is:

Super Bowl Party - Bauer's Pure Rush Miami A Success

Thursday night in Miami before Super Bowl XLI -- that's 41 -- featured a number of parties held under a clear sky and a full moon. One of them was Bauer's Pure Rush Miami Super Bowl Party.

Ok,you know about the party if you're a regular reader of this blog. But I'm here to tell you it was a blast! The buffet and cigar bar at The Havana Club was a total load of luxurious fun and drew stars like Fox Sports' Chris Myers, who annouced to a couple of beautiful women that he would do anything for a drink.

A free drink.

After 10 PM, the party moved over to Brick's Nightclub, where the parade of stars continued without interruption. I arrived a bit later, so I missed a face to face with stars, but I'm told that many of the people slated to come did make it. I did see and talked to Warren Moon, the former NFL Quarterback, and client of Leigh Steinberg. Willie McGinest, the famed New England Patriots Linebacker / Defensive End, was one of the party's sponsors and was appropriately dressed in white.

Aside from that, there were a gaggle of lovely women and to be frank some could not seem to keep all of their clothes on. I'm serious. There was one partier who was either pushing her shorts down, or pulling her top up, or having her shorts pushed down and having her top pulled up.

In fact, many of the party patrons where decked out that way, which is why it was subtitled "Heaven: The White Party." Brick's itself is a huge place that must have played host to about a thousand people. Much of the party was held on a roof-top space and the night was perfect.

2005 TAMPA SUPER BOWL BID PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS NFL SUPER BOWL BID RESPONSE EXAMPLE

For anyone responsible for assembling a Super Bowl Bid, this is a good example of what it should contain and how the bidding organization should respond to the NFL's requirements.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
May 3, 2005
Karen Brand, 813/342-4052

Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau planned to get a jump on the
competition by submitting the area’s bid to host Super Bowl XLIII to NFL owners a day earlier
than the official deadline. The organization shipped the 80-page “Host City Bid Specifications
with Responses for Super Bowl XLIII (2009)” to the 32 team owners and NFL staff for delivery
on Friday, April 29. The official deadline was Monday, May 2.

“It’s just one of the many tactics and strategies we have in place to set our bid apart from the
others,” explained Dick Beard, chair of the Super Bowl Task Force. “We’re doing everything we
can to call attention to Tampa’s bid and position ourselves as the best choice for hosting the
world’s most spectacular sporting event. I think we’re off to a good start.”

The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau compiled the response with support from various
community organizations including Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Tampa International
Airport, Tampa Sports Authority, and area hotels. The bid included over 50 letters of support
from business and community leaders across the region. Packaged in a customized binder for
each team, the document showcases the area’s beaches, warm weather, and leisure pursuits.
“Our goal with the bid book was to remind the owners that there’s nowhere else in the country
that they’d rather be than Tampa in February for the Super Bowl,” said Paul Catoe,
President/CEO of the Tampa Bay CVB. “We have the total package: a great stadium, a solid
hotel block, tremendous community support, and a legacy of success and innovation every time
we’ve hosted the Super Bowl. And don’t forget our award-winning airport, world-class
attractions, warm weather, championship golf, and some of the best beaches in the country.”

-more-
SUPER BOWL BID
SHOWCASES TAMPA BAY’S
BEST ATTRIBUTES

Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau
400 N. Tampa Street, Suite 2800
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 223-1111
(813) 229-6616 www.visittampabay.com

Page 2
Super Bowl Bid Showcases Area’s Best
Page 2

In response to the requirements set forth by the NFL, some of the elements of the bid include:
• Resolutions from the City and County protecting the NFL from unauthorized promotional
activities during the Super Bowl period (“ambush marketing”).
• Resolutions from the City and County confirming that there will be no charge for any
public security/safety services provided outside the Stadium, the NFL Experience, and
all other facilities used for NFL Official Events.
• The City and/or County must create a one-mile “clean zone” around the Stadium and
pertinent downtown areas where no unauthorized merchandise vending will be allowed.
• The Host Committee will provide cost-free venues for both the Friday night party and the
Saturday night parties sponsored by the NFL. Venues suggested include the Tampa
Convention Center, MacDill Air Force Base, USF Sun Dome, The Florida Aquarium, A
La Carte Event Pavilion, Busch Gardens, and The Plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.
• The Host Committee will provide three top-quality 18-hole golf courses for the NFL
Charities Golf Classic at no charge.
• Funding for the Host Committee activities will be derived from sponsorship and
corporate contributions, tourist development funds, the Florida Sports Foundation, and
hotel rebates.
If Tampa Bay’s bid is successful, it would mark the fourth time the area has played host to the
Super Bowl: Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, the Super Bowl XXV anniversary game in 1991 during
the Gulf War, and Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Super Bowl XLIII will be played on Sunday,
February 1, 2009.
Tampa is competing with Houston, Miami, and Atlanta for the 2009 Super Bowl.
Representatives from the Tampa Bay area will make a presentation on May 25 in Washington,
D.C. at the NFL Owner’s Meeting. A decision is expected following the conclusion of the
meeting.

# # #
The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit membership
organization created to attract and serve visitors to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay CVB is funded, in part, by the
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners/Tourist Development Council.
www.VisitTampaBay.com