(WXYZ) — As the countdown to the NFL Draft continues, here is a big question that still hasn’t been answered: where will the draft stage be in 2024? And how will the city pull off such an influx of people to downtown Detroit for arguably the biggest event since the Super Bowl?
To get those answers, we spoke with one of the driving forces behind bringing the draft here and organizing it: the president and CEO of Visit Detroit, Claude Molinari.
"We're expecting nearly half a million people potentially to be here," said Molinari.
The NFL Draft is a monumental event for any city receiving the honor to host it. And a year from now, it's Detroit's turn.
But where in the city will the spectacle be?
"We're still trying to determine that. We're negotiating with the NFL on what they think is the best spot and what we think is maybe the best spot. And they're very close to, you know, coming together on that. But it's still being determined. But I can guarantee that it's going to be somewhere in this Campus Martius, Monroe Street area," said Molinari.
He added, "this whole area is going to be built up for that, and we're going to have delayed speakers and screens everywhere. So even if you're not exactly within sight distance of the stage, you'll have a great view of the draft."
As far as the topography of the city goes, everything has to be considered.
"Like just behind you, there's a giant statue that would block the view of the people. So, you know, I think it's it's much more about how difficult it's going to be to set it up logistically, how much traffic problem it's going to create during the build out. Because, again, it's not something that shows up in one day. You know, unfortunately, there's going to be some inconvenience, you know, for probably a good three weeks before the event and maybe a week after to dismantle it. So the install, dismantle is going to be massive. We'll probably have cranes out here and it'll be similar to like the the construction project that's going on behind me with the Hudson site," said Molinari.
But a year out, the excitement is already building.
"It's going to be a huge party and it's going to shine a spotlight on Detroit and Southeast Michigan, like maybe no other event," he said.
Molinari tells us that Detroit has had bi-weekly meetings with the league, and the NFL has actually told the city that the planning is far ahead of what any other city has done at this point.
