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The Man Behind The Super Bowl Bringing The Show To Tampa
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Published: July 6, 2008
Updated: 07/06/2008 01:11 am
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TAMPA - Reid Sigmon and his two brothers have a running joke.
Sigmon is the executive director of the 2009 Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee.
One brother is a minister; the other is training to become a minister.
The joke: "We all work on Sundays."
But Sigmon is really focused on only one Sunday, and it's 210 days away.
Sigmon is a journeyman sporting-event planner whom local leaders hired for a two-year job to ensure the Tampa Bay area is ready to host Super Bowl XLIII.
Sigmon was hired in April 2007 to coordinate hotels, transportation and security for the big game and the events leading to it. He must organize numerous special events, find sponsors, raise $8 million in private donations and ensure everything runs seamlessly until kickoff, the moment the National Football League takes over.
Super Bowl XLIII is the fourth time the Tampa Bay area has hosted the game, but it is the first time Sigmon has led the effort to prepare a community.
If things go poorly, the blame falls to Sigmon. But if the Bay area shines, Sigmon deserves much of the credit.
"He fully understands the issues and the challenges," said Dick Beard, chairman of the Tampa Bay host committee.
Work consumes Sigmon's life. He occupies an office on the ground floor of Raymond James Stadium filled with souvenirs and mementos from events he has attended or organized. He lives in a condominium in Hyde Park that's a little more than 1,000 square feet. For exercise, he walks four miles on Bayshore Boulevard every morning.
Sigmon is known for his methodical work habits, incredible recollection of details and steady temperament. He is affable, but never flippant.
"He's probably the smartest person I've ever met," said Michael Kelly, who hired Sigmon to help organize several large sporting events, including the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa. "He has a deep knowledge, an incredible memory and he's the kind of guy that people like to work for."
Sigmon first worked in the Bay area in 1999.
Local leaders selected Kelly to organize the Men's Final Four basketball tournament. He brought Sigmon in to help with logistics.
When Kelly led the 2001 Super Bowl preparations, he hired Sigmon to coordinate transportation, security and practice facilities.
Sigmon went to Jacksonville to become vice president of operations for the 2005 Super Bowl, which is perhaps best remembered for the five cruise ships brought in to serve as hotels. Community leaders came up with the ship plan when they won the rights to host the game, but Sigmon was in charge of working out the details.
When Bay area leaders began to look for a person to lead the organization for the Super Bowl, the NFL recommended Sigmon, Beard said, to the host committee.
Sigmon's all-business work persona makes it easy to forget that he was once a college athlete who had a memorable finish to his football career at Wake Forest University.
He served as the backup kicker for three years. In the last game of his career, he started.
Wake Forest scored a touchdown in the first quarter against North Carolina State University. Sigmon kicked the extra point.
It was the only chance he got to kick that day. N.C. State crushed Wake Forest.
Sigmon ended his career 1-for-1.
He has a picture of the kick hanging in his office.
What's the best football game you've ever been to?
From the event standpoint, just the entire experience, it's probably Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. The game itself was unbelievable. The New England Patriots won, and they weren't expected to, and they won on a last-second field goal. It was just the whole experience of the event. It was the first game after 9/11, and then there was U2's halftime performance. It was the first big event after 9/11, so there was new security. You didn't know what was going to happen. You really left that game with a feeling - I don't know if uplifting is the word - but it was a tremendous experience.
The cost of hosting the Super Bowl increases every year, with cities trying to outbid each other for the game. Do you think there will ever come a time in which an area the size of Tampa Bay can't afford to compete for the event?
We'll have to see. The Tampa Bay community is a great destination for events. We've had the ACC men's basketball, the SEC men's basketball, the Women's Final Four, the Frozen Four in 2012. People want to come here. Certainly, the cost of events is increasing, the Super Bowl especially. But this is a great destination that the NFL will always want to return to. It will continue to be challenging, but I think it's something this community will want to do. It's tough to predict what funding mechanisms will be available and what resources are available. You have to examine it each time.
With the price of Super Bowl tickets edging toward $1,000 per seat, do you think we are close to reaching a ceiling on what fans will pay?
The NFL makes those decisions. I am not sure of their plans, but the tickets have gone up considerably. I do think it's a recognition of the fact that the true value of the ticket is significantly higher than what they've been charging.
The NFL has prided itself on being inclusive, particularly of the black community. What does it say to the NFL when the Sons of the Confederate Veterans decides to fly the Confederate flag in a Super Bowl host community? Are you concerned about it?
Our board hasn't taken a position on it. It is an issue that we've discussed. We continue to have discussions and will work with local community organizations to come up with the best response.
Sometimes the most memorable part of a Super Bowl is the halftime show, whether it's Prince's recent performance or Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction. Do you have any role in planning the halftime show or other entertainment during the game?
No. Ultimately, the game is the responsibility of the National Football League. We work with all the agencies in the planning leading up to the game. But on game day, it's the NFL's show.
What are the biggest challenges in planning the Super Bowl? Traffic and hotels are issues that always get a lot of attention, but what are some things that people don't know about?
One of the challenges is that our budget is about 21/2 times what it was in 2001. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it's gotten much more competitive among cities hosting Super Bowls, and they've really raised the bar. We have to raise about twice as much in corporate sponsorships - $8 million - as we did in 2001. So we've focused on that.
What are some difficulties you face in fundraising?
From a marketing standpoint, our partners can't compete with the NFL partners. That forces you to be creative. Gerdau Ameristeel with corporate headquarters in Tampa and a new committee sponsor is a great example. They are a category the NFL doesn't have a national partner with. So we look for partners that the NFL maybe doesn't have.
The Super Bowl is a big draw for celebrities, athletes and the wealthy. Who is the most interesting or famous person you've met as a Super Bowl organizer?
I've met the last two commissioners of the NFL. That was great. One of the great things about Super Bowls is all of the people you see. I don't go say hello, and I don't go ask for a picture. But you see them two rows in front of you. Or you ride with them in an elevator. Or you see them in a hotel lobby. That is one of the great things about the Super Bowl.
For many people, the Super Bowl is as much about the exclusive and extravagant parties as it is about the game. Can you get into any party or event you want during Super Bowl week?
No. The host committee has two or three events, and we focus on those. But as for the premier, private parties, we don't have access to those parties, either. Our job is to make sure things go smoothly, not to go to all those parties.
Barry Lorge, a sports columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune, called the Super Bowl the nation's "secular holiday," celebrated by those who adore football and those who don't care who wins. What does the Super Bowl mean to you?
It's tough to define. It's so all-encompassing. In addition to the media coverage: 3,500 credentialed media and 400 international media. The television viewership numbers of 148 million, and worldwide a billion. I think of all the different things that go on in the community, the volunteer aspect, the emerging business program. It's all the different community outreach events, the environmental program, programs like Taste of the NFL. It absolutely has become a holiday, both in the United States and internationally. People look forward to the Super Bowl. They have certain rituals that they do every year.
During Super Bowl week, what would you recommend to someone who is not a football fan? Short of buying a ticket to the game, where would you send them to get a sense of what makes the Super Bowl special?
The NFL Experience. It offers the best location in that it's right outside the stadium. It's at the core of all the activity. There's a Hall of Fame display, all the interactive games, and one of the largest card and collectible shows in the country. It gives you the broadest sense of all the activities, and it really appeals to the whole family.
Some sports have had a slump in attendance and viewership. What must the NFL do to maintain or expand its appeal?
They've added the NFL Network. They've had an international focus and tried to play one regular season game overseas. I think that will continue. They continue to get into schools and get kids excited about football, but not only football, fitness in general, and really grow the game of football. Internationally, they've made a big push in trying to get into Hispanic communities and into Mexico and into different places to grow the game. Ultimately, the NFL focuses on what they do best. They want to improve how the game is seen on television, but also the game experience in the stadium. Here, the Glazer family and the Buccaneers do an unbelievable job with the entire game-day experience. Everything's very much tied in from the player introductions, to the flags, to the actual product they put on the field.
What's the most interesting or surprising thing you've learned about as executive director of the host committee?
We've been extremely pleased with how the volunteer recruiting has gone. We knew the volunteer spirit was very strong in this community. We expected a great response, but we did not anticipate the response we got. We are closing in on 4,900 volunteers out of 6,000 needed. We are very much ahead of the pace of where we expected to be at.
What's next for you? Where do you see yourself in five years?
The interesting thing about this job is that it does have an end date. But ultimately my focus, and the focus of the entire staff, and on the host committee, is on what happens over the next 210 days. It's been a great experience to this point, and as we get into next spring, it's something I'll look into. Five years from now, I'd very much like to stay in the sports and events industry. Where that will exactly be, I am not sure.
Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668 or bhelgeson@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( DarthMandingo ) on July 6, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
The Super Bowl coming here is another opportunity for Tampa to shine...During the season, people may come for a day or two, but they'll probably be here for a week during Super Bowl...as for the event (I didn't live in FL during the last Super Bowl) when are the events announced? I would love to go to the Gospel experience that was shown a few monts ago on the Gospel channel
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