KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cleveland was the epicenter of the NFL universe on Thursday with the 2021 NFL Draft, but Kansas City will get its turn in the spotlight two years from now.
The Kansas City Sports Commission lured the NFL’s second-biggest jewel — the 2023 NFL Draft — to town thanks, in part, to the construction of a new single-terminal Kansas City International Airport and the addition of luxury hotel capacity downtown.
But the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted some of the KC Sports Commission’s planning for the event.
“We’ve sort of been on a pause when it comes to planning, mostly because the NFL has had to pivot,” Katherine Fox, the director of sales and marketing for KC Sports Commission, said.
The 2020 NFL Draft was forced to go all virtual, while the 2021 NFL Draft is being held in-person with precautions in place.
According to the league, attendance for the three-day event will be limited with mask-wearing and social distancing enforced. Certain areas, like the draft room, will require proof of vaccination.
Fox, KCMO City Manager Brian Platt, Visit KC National Accounts Manager Becky Harsch, Union Station President and CEO George Guastello, and Kansas City Chiefs Director of Events Jeremy Slavins are spending the weekend in Cleveland.
“I think that’s going to be a component on site is learning what they did require Cleveland to account for with respect to COVID," Fox said. "We haven’t necessarily been privy to that quite yet. Having boots on the ground will be really helpful to understand what we might need to consider for 2023.”
KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas believes 2023 will look like a “normal NFL Draft.”
“I’m much happier to be in the Kansas City position, where we don’t have to worry about some of the stuff they’re worried about right now,” Lucas said.
According to the city’s bid, the draft will take place in the area between Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
“I’m looking for Kansas City in 2023 to really be the story of how we can do it right, how we can do it best and how we can do something that we’re proud of for generations after,” Lucas said.
