The Minnesota team on stage was made up of Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, Host Committee co-chairs Marilyn Carlson, Doug Baker and Richard Davis along with Host Committee CEO Maureen Bausch.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted the wide smiles of relief on the faces of Houston’s host committee team members who were on the stage. Their host committee chair, Ric Campo, acknowledged their sleep-deprived states, particularly in the two weeks leading up to the game and the fact that a period of rest and decompression was in order for them.

The very well regarded and enthusiastic mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, used his podium time to thank all of the Houston team for a job well done, and also to ask the Commissioner for another opportunity to host a Super Bowl while he is still in office. The host committee members who flanked him looked at each other, smiled and gulped, all at the same time. I’m sure they’d love to host their fourth big game but would also like to take a breather first.

Now that Minnesota is officially on the clock for hosting the next Super Bowl, all of our speculation, scenario planning and projections must now be put into actual practice. This looming reality is precisely why several members of the Meet Minneapolis team and a delegation from the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee were in Houston. Each of us focused on different aspects of planning and the visitor experience in order to be able to adapt and enhance what we collectively learned from the Houston host team.

As a native Texan who spent a number of years in Houston, I was predisposed to be proud of the way that city executed the Super Bowl related events. But most of those that I spoke to also agreed with that positive assessment. Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “I hope that everybody felt the sense of pride that I did in this (Houston) community.”

And Houston did adapt its vastness and often overwhelming scale of everything in it to present a great event. From transportation and wayfinding to special event venues, volunteer deployment, and the stadium, Houston has a lot to be proud of. But so does Minnesota, and now we have the chance to show it off.

Public, private and civic interests have been working here for years to establish the foundation that allows the Minneapolis area to be among the very few places capable of hosting a Super Bowl. And NFL Commissioner Goodell is well aware of the significant amount of work the host committee and the community has done so far in getting ready. In fact, he commented that we are a “well-organized, well-oiled machine, and I know they’re going to do a fantastic job for us and even raise that bar higher next year.”

So now it’s our turn over the next 52 weeks to get ready to welcome the world to Minnesota. Let’s get ready for some football… and a whole lot more.

The Minnesota team on stage was made up of Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, Host Committee co-chairs Marilyn Carlson, Doug Baker and Richard Davis along with Host Committee CEO Maureen Bausch.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted the wide smiles of relief on the faces of Houston’s host committee team members who were on the stage. Their host committee chair, Ric Campo, acknowledged their sleep-deprived states, particularly in the two weeks leading up to the game and the fact that a period of rest and decompression was in order for them.

The very well regarded and enthusiastic mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, used his podium time to thank all of the Houston team for a job well done, and also to ask the Commissioner for another opportunity to host a Super Bowl while he is still in office. The host committee members who flanked him looked at each other, smiled and gulped, all at the same time. I’m sure they’d love to host their fourth big game but would also like to take a breather first.

Now that Minnesota is officially on the clock for hosting the next Super Bowl, all of our speculation, scenario planning and projections must now be put into actual practice. This looming reality is precisely why several members of the Meet Minneapolis team and a delegation from the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee were in Houston. Each of us focused on different aspects of planning and the visitor experience in order to be able to adapt and enhance what we collectively learned from the Houston host team.

As a native Texan who spent a number of years in Houston, I was predisposed to be proud of the way that city executed the Super Bowl related events. But most of those that I spoke to also agreed with that positive assessment. Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “I hope that everybody felt the sense of pride that I did in this (Houston) community.”

And Houston did adapt its vastness and often overwhelming scale of everything in it to present a great event. From transportation and wayfinding to special event venues, volunteer deployment, and the stadium, Houston has a lot to be proud of. But so does Minnesota, and now we have the chance to show it off.

Public, private and civic interests have been working here for years to establish the foundation that allows the Minneapolis area to be among the very few places capable of hosting a Super Bowl. And NFL Commissioner Goodell is well aware of the significant amount of work the host committee and the community has done so far in getting ready. In fact, he commented that we are a “well-organized, well-oiled machine, and I know they’re going to do a fantastic job for us and even raise that bar higher next year.”

So now it’s our turn over the next 52 weeks to get ready to welcome the world to Minnesota. Let’s get ready for some football… and a whole lot more.