By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
In an attempt to be a good neighbor in Las Vegas, the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and its operator hosted their first-ever Gridiron Pitch this week, a repeat event that will be part of a “Diverse Supplier Engagement” series.
This diverse supplier series is part of Allegiant Stadium’s community engagement initiatives. The series is supposed to provide a chance for the venue and its partners like procurement professionals and contractors to talk with local, small, and diverse vendors for future business opportunities and/or mentorship.
One of Allegiant Stadium’s top priorities is exceeding the community engagement standards, as outlined in Nevada’s Community Benefits Plan — part of the agreement between the NFL team and the local public stadium board. The public board was created under state law because Southern Nevada is giving the Raiders $750 million in public dollars to help build the $2 billion stadium project on the west side of Interstate 15 across from Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. The stadium was completed in late July with little fanfare because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the Gridiron Pitch, 31 participating vendors were matched with procurement professionals at the stadium. The future procurement needs for each department were then paired to bring the most beneficial results for both presenters and spectators.
Vendors were given an opportunity to pitch their products and/or services along with showcasing samples to staff members and have dialogues about specific needs for the stadium. The domed 65,000-seat venue had its inaugural season for the Raiders in 2020, but no fans attended because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Representatives from MYS were proud to again witness, firsthand, Allegiant Stadium’s commitment and support of the Las Vegas community. The careful consideration for local, small, and diverse businesses during the planning and execution of the Gridiron Pitch event was not only generous, but moreover signals the rebirth of regional economic opportunity and fosters hope at a time that we need it most.” Myisha Williams, President and Managing Partner at MYS Film.
Future events will include but are not limited to, webinars, general information and Q&A sessions, supplier showcases, and more.
“We are excited and honored to create programs that will produce years of partnership opportunities for local, small, and diverse businesses in Las Vegas.” Neumiia Duncan-Reed, Director of Human Resources and Community Affairs at Allegiant Stadium, ASM Global.
Any businesses interested in receiving information and/or participating in future events must submit their information and be registered in Allegiant Stadium’s vendor database at this link.
For vendor inquiries, please contact vendors@allegiantstadium.com.