Now that Baylor has dispatched much favored Gonzaga and taken the 2020 crown as NCAA Champs, all eyes now turn to New Orleans, who will host next year’s NCAA Final Four.
The freshly renovated Superdome, complete with a new name, will host the Final Four in the first week of April next year. We talked with New Orleans and Company Chief Marketing Officer Marc Romig about how many we can expect for the big dance:
“Between the locals that are supporting it and the regional drive market fans who come in from other parts of the country, you can expect anywhere from 75,000-plus people arriving in the city.”
Romig says they will be coming to spend money in the Big Easy, no doubt. Based on the last time New Orleans hosted the Final Four in 2012, “We had an estimated economic impact of $168-million dollars,” Romig says. “So this will have a huge impact on New Orleans, on small business, our hotels, our restaurants, our many attractions, and most importantly our people, the men and women who work within the industry.”
But most importantly, it’s hoped the 75-thousand expected fans can all get to see the event as one with the pandemic far behind.
“Let’s get to a point where we can beat this thing,” Romig rallies. “And show them nothing’s going to hold us down. And we certainly hope to be back to as close to normal if not normal as possible next year.”