LIFTOFF!

The Emerging Business Program’s first workshop is just days away

By Steve Pate

October 19, 2009

The Emerging Business Program’s first Super Bowl XLV workshop does have the feel of a space launch — with a ship and crew exploring new horizons.

“It’s very exciting,” said Robbie Douglas, who heads up the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee’s program for minority- and women-owned businesses. “Our public launch is for any local entrepreneurs and small business owners — particularly minority and women business owners.”

And when Douglas emphasizes that all are invited to participate, no matter how large or small the business, she does mean any and all. This is a very large ship.

The first workshop, dubbed “The Game Plan”, will be held Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2-5 p.m. at the Round-Up Inn Ballroom of the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall in Fort Worth’s Will Rogers Memorial Center.

A second workshop is planned for Cowboys Stadium in February. The final workshop, in Dallas next April, will be exclusive to those businesses already registered online at northtexassuperbowl.com (Scroll down and click the Emerging Business Program headline on this website’s main page).

“The workshops are designed to be progressive,” Douglas said, “so that you can certainly attend all three. However, if you only attend one, you will get enough information to equip your business or company through the process.”

Douglas has devoted the last 12 months preparing for this lift-off of three workshops that will educate and enroll business owners wishing to participate in Super Bowl XLV in any of a large number of ways. She traveled to South Florida earlier this year for research purposes and was completely blown away by one of their Emerging Business workshops.

“It was incredibly eye-opening,” Douglas recalled. “I had no idea that it was such a big event and that so many businesses would come. I was very impressed with the kind of information that was shared. It was a little bit like attending a conference in terms of the content delivered by the speakers.”

The Miami area this season is hosting its 10th Super Bowl. North Texas’ first ever follows the next NFL season. Hence, the North Texas workshops will cover more comprehensive how-to information.

“We certainly want to match the enthusiasm of the local entrepreneurs seeking NFL contracts,” Douglas said. “But there is also a huge thirst for general information about the Super Bowl since this is our first.

“We know we will have this unbridled enthusiasm by local entrepreneurs and business owners, so we want to give them a lot of information related to the Super Bowl and how to get things done and what opportunities look like. We’re not going to assume that anyone has ever participated in a Super Bowl before.”

That’s what is bringing so much energy and excitement to the Host Committee.

“This first one is an informational workshop,” Douglas said. “Those in attendance will get to hear from the NFL, from NFL contractors and from an Emerging Business owner who has secured a contract from past Super Bowls.

“The workshop will be a chance to understand the certification process. We will include a panel of acknowledged certifying agency representatives so that every business that is not certified will understand what that process is before they leave.” 

Although the Emerging Business Program is intended for women and minority business owners, Douglas said, “Any and all are invited to the first few workshops. You may have folks in the audience who are contemplating starting their own business, and we want them to use this informational workshop to understand the procurement process.”

When using sports as a backdrop, there cannot be a finer business partner than the NFL. The league has a great reputation for plowing into such endeavors.

“You look at other major sporting events,” Douglas said, “the World Series, the NBA All-Star Game, the Olympics. Most other major sporting events do not have a program as comprehensive as the Emerging Business Program. The NBA All-Star Game might be the one exception.

“I’m very impressed with how well the NFL has equipped me with the resources and flexibility to customize the program for North Texas. I’ve worked very closely with Tisha Ford, my NFL counterpart, to take an off-the-shelf program — the Emerging Business Program — and adapt it to North Texas. It really educates and provides information for local entrepreneurs for minorities and women to shore up their businesses beyond the game. It’s not just preparing them for the Super Bowl. Everything that we will impart to them will help grow their business beyond the Super Bowl, and that’s what I’m really excited about.”

North Texas, lift off is approaching.