00:00Talk about the preparations here. Are we ready? I mean, I'm talking about for the influx of people, for the
00:05security measures that are needed. Are we ready? Yes, we're more than ready. I mean, one of the great things
00:09about our region is there's nothing that we haven't seen. And so we're always prepared for, you know, people coming
00:14here, right, where this is the capital of the world. So tourism and everything is always here. I think what
00:19we're really excited about are kind of the four pillars that drive the host committee. So security, transportation, fan engagement
00:25and economic impact. And we spend every day making sure that we're able to deliver
00:29on those four points. I know we still have, you know, four months, five months or whatever before we get
00:34there. But there has to be some concern about attendance, whether it's, you know, the government shutting down and disrupting
00:40TSA, whether it's the conflict in the Middle East and whether people are going to feel safe traveling, immigration issues
00:46as well. How are you sort of approaching that to make sure that, A, we actually do get the fan
00:51levels that a lot of people are expecting, but if those people do come, that they do feel welcome and
00:55safe?
00:55Yeah, our job and what we want to spend every day on is making sure that we're ready to welcome
01:01the millions of people who are planning to come to New York, New Jersey for the World Cup.
01:06And what we want to make sure is that for a vast majority of the people who won't be actually
01:10going inside MetLife Stadium, how are we providing affordable and accessible experiences so that they can participate in the games
01:17while also making sure that people from all over New York and New Jersey are also able to benefit.
01:22And so we've got major fan activations at the U.S. Tennis Center, Rock Center, you know, the governor of
01:28New Jersey just announced this new EDA program where there will be funding for watch parties all across New Jersey.
01:34And the governor of New York has also announced a number of fans fan activations across New York state.
01:39So this is going to be something where we are activating the entire region and really showing it off as
01:44the capital for sports and entertainment.
01:46Well, soccer, of course, is a global sport, more popular internationally than it is in the U.S.
01:52I think that's fair to say. So I'm curious, what sense do you have of the breakdown between of, you
01:57know, international visitors, fans coming to MetLife, coming to the United States versus domestic fans?
02:03Well, it's been 30 years since we've had a World Cup in the U.S., so there's not a lot
02:08of, I think, things to compare to.
02:10And what this World Cup is is going to be different than any other World Cup.
02:13We've got an expanded field and the final is going to be in in the capital of, you know, sports
02:19and entertainment and media.
02:20I think what we are expecting, though, is a very heavy international contingent coming here to participate and not just
02:27for the teams and the fans of teams who are playing here.
02:30We're also expecting fans from people whose teams aren't playing here, and that's why we want to provide those watch
02:35party experiences so that they're able to come here, have a home base and spend their money here in New
02:40York to drive that economic impact.
02:42Well, Alex, as we mentioned, 100 days out. What are the next 100 days look like for you versus the
02:48past 100 days, for example?
02:50Yeah, so I think we've really had two big pivot points.
02:52The draw where it kind of went from an abstraction to a reality, right, knowing the exact teams that are
02:56going to be here and the times that the games are going to be.
02:59Now 100 days out where over the next two to three weeks we'll really be announcing, you know, the mobility
03:04plan, our security plan, all of our major fan activations across the region, and then moving really into execution mode.
03:12Right. So, you know, our hope is that we can over the next 100 days, you know, really come out
03:17with these major plans that we have and major announcements and then really move into execution mode because this thing
03:23is going to be here before we know it.
03:24I do want to just go back to the difference between international fans because we did kind of get a
03:28test of this last summer when we had the FIFA championship here.
03:33And the idea that, you know, those stands were packed with folks who were, you know, if not citizens, certainly
03:41Americans, but they were primarily foreigners to a certain extent, foreign born.
03:45We also had this big cricket championship in New York that I think, you know, for those folks who aren't,
03:49you know, in that cricket community, we're a little surprised to see just how popular it was.
03:53So here in New York, which has always been a big melting pot of different cultures, I would think that's
03:57going to play a lot better here, even if you don't get a huge influx of international fans.
04:02It seems like there's enough people already here who are going to gravitate to MetLife and Stadium and whatever other
04:07exhibits you have.
04:08I mean, look, the stadium, all of our activations are going to be full.
04:12But I think what really is going to make this World Cup unique and what's really going to drive the
04:16economic impact is going to be the international audience that comes here.
Comments