NFL Draft in Kansas City ‘exceeded our expectations,’ says KC Sports Commission president

Kansas City had never held a sports-related event that attracted as many as 100,000 spectators, much less one that would average that figure over a three-day period.

Now it has, and the city from an operations standpoint feels good about its performance during the NFL Draft.

“These past few days certainly exceeded our expectations,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and VisitKC.

The three-day attendance figure was estimated at 312,000. The television audience was huge; a total of 54 million viewers watched part of the draft coverage on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes or the NFL Network.

Thursday’s first-night audience on ESPN of 11.29 million marked a 13% increase over the previous year.

The NFL also liked what it saw and experienced, said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy in a statement:

“The sights and smells of the Kansas City Draft will forever be remembered by the fans in attendance, but also by those of us in the league office who are so thankful to the members of the local community for their hard work and hospitality.

“The success of the 2023 Draft was a testament to the collaboration and cooperation of thousands of people, led by the Chiefs, Kathy Nelson and the Kansas City Sports Commission, sponsors and local law enforcement officials and organizers. Kansas City took advantage of what has become one of the most-anticipated events of the year and the most-watched sporting event of the week and showcased not only its planning capabilities, but its people and passion.”

Weather was a concern in the days leading up to the event at Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial with Friday seen a day that could disrupt the activities.

“If there were thunderstorms, lightning, how do we evacuate the site?” Nelson said.

But the only time weather came into play was Saturday. Moments after the final player was selected, high winds blew through Kansas City and delayed the start of the Thundercat concert.

Nelson also wondered about how crowds would be handled. Did the city provide enough space around the North lawn for foot traffic? Capacity of the fenced-in area was about 65,000.

“There was a concern that on Thursday we’d have to shut down the draft footprint, so how do you message thousands of people that we want you here but we don’t want you here right now,” Nelson said.

Turned out, gates at the North lawn, site of the NFL Experience activities, closed around 6 p.m. But the South lawn gates, where people could watch the draft, never closed.

Nelson said there were no arrests at the site on Thursday, although police arrested two men at Kansas City International Airport They were charged with stealing jerseys the NFL hands to prospects after they’re selected.

Kansas City will brace for another huge sports-related event in 2026, when the FIFA World Cup arrives. FIFA officials attended the draft on Friday to view the fan setup.

“They wanted to see this space activated,” Nelson said.

The draft discussion will continue among city and regional officials as the breakdown of Union Station and WWI Museum and Memorial continues.

“We (have) a lot to learn after this, regrouping with the city and (Union Station, WW1 Museum), on what worked and what didn’t,” Nelson said. “And is this even feasible to do something like this again in this footprint?”