where U.S. Bank Stadium is headquartered,” Tennant said. “The old Metrodome was on that site, and during the political process, there downtown. I believe the correct decision was made to ultimately take down the Metrodome and rebuild on that site, mainly because of the - cally two light rail lines.” The stadium is three blocks away from the Mississippi River, an
idyllic view not lost on Tennant. “There are some beautiful shots I have seen on networks coming across the river and seeing the stadium in the background,” he said. Indeed, the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area is a 72-mile-long river park covering 54,000 acres from Dayton to Hast- ings, passing right through the heart of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area is a special sort of national park, called a “partnership park,” which works with local, regional and state partners who own and manage land along the river, joining forces to protect and preserve the great river’s wealth of natu- ral, recreational, historic and cultural resources. “The Super Bowl was the backdrop for us to show that we are a vibrant, active city all year round,” Tennant added. “If you just think about the fact that the NFL selected us for their premier event right during the coldest time of the year … that gave us an opportunity to show how well we do winter.”
On Target Target Center opened in 1990 with the anchor tenants the NBA Min- nesota Timberwolves and WNBA Minnesota Lynx, in addition to sev- eral other events that add up to some 120 event days and more than one million guests each year. The arena’s major $150 million renova- tion took place over the course of 2015 and 2016, culminating with a
grand re-opening in October 2017. “Technological advances have been astronomical since we opened in 1990,” said General Manager David Schmid. “Easy access to tech- nology is expected by today’s guests. This includes customers coming to events, but also our show promoters and clients. Fans are also look- ing for new and unique food and beverage experiences when coming to the arena – but the hot dog still remains the No. 1 seller – so we try to make event the simple things better.” Making the simple better is what enables most any venue to enjoy
success. Customer service comes to mind, and it does as well at Target Center. “We hire great people,” Schmid said in addressing how the venue
provides excellent customer service. “We also work along side our part- ners (Timberwolves/Lynx, AEG Merchandise, Levy) to implement our guest services program that we have branded simply ‘1.’ We are one team working together to provide the best possible guest service possible. We have a collective goal to be the friendliest arena in the world.”
Opened in 2010 as the home of the MLB Minnesota Twins, Target Field hosted the All-Star Game in 2014, an event that Senior Direc- tor of Ballpark Operations Dave Horsman called a “dry run” for the Super Bowl.
around the All-Star Game really laid the groundwork for citywide co- operation, especially in the hospitality and security spaces,” Horsman said. “I was heavily involved in the security coordination, and our local entities really made the most of the All-Star Game as a testing ground for coordination of what would eventually become the Super Bowl security plan.” capital improvements in the facility every year since it opened, includ-
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