Arizona to host dozens of CEOs at Super Bowl

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Arizona is preparing to host dozens of companies for Super Bowl LVII in an effort to lure business to the state, On Your Side has learned.

“This time around we’re going to be hosting about 70 companies, so 70 CEOs plus their guests,” said Sandra Watson, the president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Ultimately, we will showcase Arizona. We’ll be talking about talent, the important opportunities to hire individuals from Arizona, and expand their operations. We’ll talk about our business climate and how competitive Arizona is in the global marketplace.”

Watson says the combination of the Super Bowl and the WM Phoenix Open is an unmatched opportunity to make an impression on business leaders. She declined to give specifics when asked which companies were invited as guests at the Super Bowl. “What I can tell you is we have a very diverse group of CEOs coming,” Watson told On Your Side. “We’re focused on the semiconductor industry, battery manufacturing, automotive industry, renewable energies and the investment community, so we’ve got a very well diversified group of CEOs joining us for the Super Bowl this year.”

The game is expected to infuse about $1 billion into the local economy, but Watson says the actual economic impact could be much greater over the long term. In 2015, the last time Arizona hosted a Super Bowl, the state hosted 60 companies. “Of those 60 companies, 20 of them actually expanded their operations here in Arizona creating 18,000 jobs, so a huge economic impact for the state of Arizona that goes well beyond the game.”

The group of CEOs is expected to arrive Thursday and will meet with Gov. Katie Hobbs. A spokesperson for ACA said the total cost of hosting the companies will not be known until Super Bowl weekend wraps up, but noted the CEO visits are part of the agency’s standard marketing and events budget.

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