In KC, We Are On A Big Roll

This year’s AFC Championship brings the world back to our house once again for a record fifth-straight year at Arrowhead Stadium.?

The Chiefs aren’t the only ones breaking records. In KC, we’re winning big and expecting more. Our strategic investments, made from taking calculated risks not so long ago, are paying big dividends now.?

A few highlights:

This spring, long held opinions of KC as a business expansion and relocation destination, are going to be radically reset to the good. In just a few weeks, the doors of KC’s highly anticipated, new $1.5B single terminal at Kansas City International Airport, swing open and offer a new first impression to #KCHeartland featuring? many upgrades including:

• State-of-the-art? facilities with an emphasis on efficiency and accessibility — making someone’s first experience in KC a positive one??
• Local food and retail vendors — giving travelers a real sense and taste of what the rest of KC is all about??
• The most glass jet bridges of any airport in the nation — letting 216 days of annual sunshine in while we queue

And, it’s happening just in time for KC’s next big event on the world stage… the 2023 NFL Draft. This April, we’re rolling out the red carpet as the next generation of NFL franchise players are selected.?

• Players, coaches and hundreds of thousands of NFL fans from everywhere are hyper-focused on multi-day activities in KC
• The NFL version of Mardi Gras will transform the area around Union Station and the Crossroads district into one big football-loving party
• The event will further solidify KC’s reputation as a major sports hub, with fans that show up and show out?

We’ll invite you back in 2024 to check out KC’s latest sports venue—the world’s first stadium purpose-built for women’s sports. The facility is writing history by:?

• Housing KC Current, our NWSL team that is resetting the standard for how women’s sports franchises are operated?
• Anchoring blossoming multi-use development in the Berkley Riverfront Park, an evolution that will have lasting impact on the region for years?
• Forever branding KC as an innovator and leader in growing women’s sports

All of these generational achievements lead us to Kansas City’s opportunity to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The eyes of the world will be squarely on KC in just 3 ? years. Some of what they will see and experience:

• Fan fests at some of KC’s most iconic landmarks like Union Station, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art plus fan experiences across the region?
• Exciting + lasting development upgrades to Arrowhead stadium and an expanded streetcar line, and momentum is building for a new downtown ballpark for the Royals.?
• Millions of global sports fans experiencing the KC region for the first time ever —?putting KC top of mind for those who weren’t in the know before?

KCADC and our many partners across the region are in the middle of making it happen.?

It’s what we all are doing today, with an eye on tomorrow, we believe matters most.?

I can’t wait for Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Welcome to all our fellow?Midwesterners from the Queen City. I love how the competitive structure of the NFL allows for two emerging markets like ours to dominate. Enjoy your time in KC and may the better team win and #ReptheMidwest in the Super Bowl. GO CHIEFS!!!!!

Want to get involved in our efforts to growing the KC economy and amplify our #KCHeartland brand? Email or hit me in the comments below.?