13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Indy learns from Tampa's hosting plan

Indy learns from Tampa's hosting plan

Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Mayor Ballard and ten others from Indianapolis are in Tampa this weekend to learn about hosting the Super Bowl.

More than 100,000 people are expected in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII and the events leading up to it, including all the parties.

"I think the stuff before the game is more fun than the game itself," said Steelers fan Anne Williams.

Even though the Super Bowl attracts tens of thousands of out of town visitors, the host city also has to think about involving the local community.

"I just want to walk around and see what's open to the public," said a Tampa resident.

While they may not have tickets, police officers, cabbies, waiters and volunteers are critical to hosting a Super Bowl.

"Hey, I can be a visitor somewhere else and so I wanted to be greeted just as good as I greet them," said volunteer Linda Chapman.

If they perform well, Tampa wins big.

"It lets the world know we have the ability to take on huge events and we are a destination," said Jeff Weinthaler, manager of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tampa.

Allison Melangton, head of Indy's host committee, is in Tampa soaking it all in.

"It's so different in Indianapolis, because we have an urban setting for a Super Bowl," she said.

Unlike Tampa, where things are spread out, in Indianapolis, the game, media center, most hotels and parties will be downtown - connected by the Super Bowl village.

"We're going to have everything condensed, so I think we'll use less buses and for-hire cars," Melangton said.

But many of the security concerns are similar. It's why Indy's top public safety officials will actually work alongside their Tampa counterparts this weekend.

"Tampa police have pulled them under their wing. They'll have on-ground experience and take part in briefings with the rest of the group," Melangton added.

The Super Bowl itself may play out in less than four hours, but as Indy is learning it takes a few years to finalize the game plan.

The 2012 Host Committee has already raised $25 million in pledges to cover the cost of putting on the big game.