Latest news with #VisitPITTSBURGH
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How will Pittsburgh accommodate the 2026 NFL Draft?
PITTSBURGH (WBOY) — With the 2025 NFL Draft behind us and last week's announcement that the 2027 draft will be in Washington, D.C., eyes are now turned to the 2026 host city: Pittsburgh. But how will the Steel City accommodate an event that seems to grow bigger every year? In the NFL's announcement that Pittsburgh would be the host city in 2026, the league explained that the draft plans to incorporate parts of Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park, two of the most open spaces in the central area of the city. Exact details on how the NFL plans to utilize the two locations have yet to be revealed to the public, but Emily Hatfield, Vice President, Marketing & Communications for VisitPITTSBURGH told 12 News that the North Shore will serve as the focal point for the event. Hatfield added that the host committee is evaluating the best practices from previous host cities and that the NFL is largely interested in incorporating Point State Park and 'other key neighborhoods' with supporting events. The 2025 draft in Green Bay featured several of these events, including an autograph stage, lawn games and an area to view trophies and rings won by the Green Bay Packers. Steelers to unveil new throwback uniform, helmet this season Hatfield said that the draft is expected to attract up to 700,000 fans from across the world over the course of the three-day event. She added that previous host cities have reported economic impacts ranging from $120-213 million, and the host committee expects Pittsburgh to fall 'well within that range.' As the event grows closer, physical elements for the draft have already begun to appear, including the official countdown clock which was installed on the North Shore earlier this week in collaboration with two Pittsburgh-based companies: Actual Size and Carpenter Connection. While this might be the first time that Pittsburgh has hosted the draft since the league moved it out of New York City in 2015, this isn't the first time in history. In 1936, Pittsburgh became the first-ever city to host the NFL Draft when the league debuted the event. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Steelers unveil 2026 NFL Draft Countdown Clock in Pittsburgh
VisitPITTSBURGH, Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and the Steelers recently unveiled the 2026 NFL Draft Countdown Clock — and it looks immaculate. The two-sided digital clock was erected on the North Shore Great Lawn and was described by VisitPITTSBURGH CEO Jerad Bechar as "a symbol of the hard work ahead as [Pittsburgh] prepares to welcome the NFL, prospects, and fans from around the world." Advertisement Via the Steelers' official website, Art Rooney II described what's to come as more than just a draft — and what the clock represents to the Steel City: "It's not just going to be for one weekend. It's going to be talking about how much fun it is to live here; how much fun it is to visit here. So, we have a whole year now to talk about this. And this clock that we're going to unveil is going to remind us about that every day." The city of Pittsburgh will host the NFL Draft from Thursday, April 23 to Saturday, April 25 — where the Steelers could potentially select their QB of the future in a class loaded with talented signal-callers. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers revealed 2026 NFL Draft countdown clock in Pittsburgh
CBS News
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
NFL Draft looking to help small businesses in Pittsburgh benefit from the large-scale event
While there is still more than a year before the NFL Draft comes to town, planning to put on an event that big takes a small army of people. For small businesses, there is a chance to cash in on this economic opportunity. According to the NFL, the idea is to get these small businesses in on the NFL draft so that once the draft weekend is done, they can reap the benefits, hopefully for years to come. The NFL Draft Source program opened up its application process Tuesday for small businesses in a 10-county region, including Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Indiana, and Greene. "All voices are at the table to make this the best event Pittsburgh has ever hosted and the world has ever watched," VisitPITTSBURGH president and CEO Jerad Bachar said. To support crowds estimated to be anywhere from 500,000-750,000 people, there's a wide range of jobs needed. The NFL is looking for businesses in food service, event promotion, consulting, construction, and security, among other areas. "It is a wide range of needs we have. Just how large-scale this event is," NFL senior director of diversity and inclusion Belynda Gardner said. While the NFL says all small businesses should apply, they are encouraging businesses that meet the following criteria to apply. Be a certified diverse business, provide a service or product requested in the draft, and have been operating since April of 2023. "We're really hoping to get them in early. To know who they are and find out how we can work with them to find out how we can help them grow," NFL draft source lead Myisha Boyce said. Applications are open until May 7th. Businesses should find out if they got the job in June. Detroit leaders previously told KDKA that dozens of businesses were selected when they hosted the 2024 draft. "Upwards of 60 businesses here locally to get involved with the NFL and the NFL draft," Detroit sports commission executive director Marty Dobek said. If you're a small business and you want to get interested in looking at the guidelines and submitting a bid, here is more information .
CBS News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Point State Park could host NFL Draft Experience Zone
In a little more than a year, future NFL players will have their dreams come true right in the Pittsburgh area. As the date nears, more details are coming out about just how the city could be utilized in the event. When it was announced the draft would be coming to Pittsburgh next year, it was known that the North Shore and Point State Park would be used . It includes using the parking lots outside the stadium for the NFL Draft stage. But nothing is set in stone as the NFL continues to talk with local leaders. The idea is to have the stage right outside the stadium and to utilize more of the assets of Downtown and the North Shore. Point State Park has been tossed around as the Draft Experience Zone. According to a venue letter of commitment with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the park would come rent-free to the NFL and all utilities costs would be waived for the event. When it was announced the city was getting the draft in May of last year, Gov. Josh Shapiro promised state help with getting everything together. The letter said the DCNR is committed to working with the draft and city on the event. "The commonwealth will make the investments we need to make there. We're prepared to make this an awesome experience for everybody," Shapiro said in 2024. These are still preliminary ideas for the use of space. According to VisitPITTSBURGH, nothing is finalized. The draft is expected to bring hundreds to thousands to the area , prioritizing the Golden Triangle region. VisitPITTSBURGH said in a statement the event will provide fans an opportunity to take part in immersive exhibits and games as part of the fan experience. Once we know more of how the NFL Draft will utilize these assets, we'll let you know.
