Mr Steve Dimopoulos MP – travel report – United States of America, 4 to 12 February 2025

*The above costs are not final and complete

Purpose of travel

The main purpose of travel to the United States of America (USA) was to meet with executives from the National Football League (NFL) and to make the official global announcement that Melbourne will host an NFL match in 2026. It also provided the opportunity to strengthen relationships with key event partners and participants, as well as to promote Melbourne and Victoria as a major events destination to significant international event partners and rights holders.

Priority engagements included:

• A joint Victorian Government and NFL announcement that Melbourne will host a regular season NFL game starting in 2026, as part of a multi-year deal.
• Participating in multiple meetings with NFL executives to learn about the expectations and opportunities around hosting NFL games.
• Meeting with leaders in event operations to discuss how to create a festive environment and make best use of Melbourne’s sporting and cultural assets for the NFL games.

Benefits of travel to the State of Victoria

United States of America

By value, the United States (US) is Victoria’s second largest two-way merchandise trading partner (A$18.7 billion) and second largest goods export market (A$5.2 billion) in FY2023-24. The US is also the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment for Victoria (A$3.3 billion in FY2023-24).

For the year ending 31 December 2024, the USA was Victoria’s fourth largest international market by visitor volume, contributing 7.3% of total international visitors to Victoria. Victoria received 198,200 visitors from the USA, who stayed 2.3 million nights and spent $332 million in tourism expenditure while in the state.

The particulars of my travel to the US included:

New Orleans

• In conjunction with the NFL Executive Vice President of Club Business and League Events, I announced that Melbourne will host a 2026 NFL regular game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), as part of a long-term partnership between the NFL and the State of Victoria, at a press conference with around 200 international media. The NFL Melbourne Game Week is expected to deliver the following benefits for Victoria:
  • Generate economic impact in the tens of millions of dollars to the state.
  • Deliver a powerful broadcast and digital media platform into key global markets including the US and Europe, to drive trade, investment and visitor economy outcomes, potentially viewed by 370 million global TV viewers and reaching a social media audience of 1.1 billion.
  • Provide access to international trade and diplomatic opportunities.
• In addition to the press conference, I attended NFL’s Radio Row and conducted interviews with Australian and international media outlets including: 3AW, Channel 9, Channel 7, Channel 10, SEN, DAZN and 7plus.
• I met with the NFL Vice President and Head of Event Operations to gain insights and understanding of the scope of an NFL Game Week, including venue requirements and to gather insight into how the NFL plan and deliver marquee events. This information will inform Victoria’s efforts for not just the NFL but for other major events.
• I met with the NFL Commissioner and discussed the exciting opportunities ahead and the expectations from both sides of the partnership.
• I met with senior leaders from the Chicago Bears and discussed their strategy for activating their home city to provide the most inclusive experience for visitors, particularly those who may not be attending a game as well as exploring potential partnerships.
• I held many other sideline conversations, including with the NFL Chief Financial Officer who explained the mutual economic benefits of NFL International to both the NFL and to the host city.
• I undertook an operations focused tour of Caesars Superdome, the home of Super Bowl LIX, to better understand the operational overlay required for an NFL game and to gain insights to share with the MCG Trust, Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and the Australian Football League (AFL), who will be working collaboratively with the NFL to manage the transition from AFL Finals to NFL and back to AFL Finals. It also provided the opportunity to review the stadium and recent enhancements for consideration for various venue redevelopment proposals for stadia in Victoria.
• I met with the Senior Director, Live Event Operations, who shared priorities and expectations around the delivery of a live NFL event. These expectations will inform our planning and operational discussions given the complexity of managing the turnaround for the MCG in a short timeframe.
• I held discussions with representatives of Kroenke Signature Properties (owner of NFL, NBA and other professional sporting clubs), who can create significant opportunities for international collaborations with major sporting codes. Their sporting networks can be used to drive value for Melbourne’s sporting alumni and create opportunities for innovative fan experiences and commercial partnerships. They were also able to share insights into best practice in major events tourism and travel packaging and to discuss potential collaboration for NFL Melbourne games and other Victorian major events.
• I met regularly with the senior NFL management team, including International Strategy, Global Market Development and NFL Global Market Development executives, who lead NFL’s international strategy to build relationships, by attending briefings at NFL House with key NFL decision-makers, commercial partners and international delegates. These provided the opportunity to discuss the NFL’s international strategy, what that means for Victoria and other international partners, and how an NFL match can adapt to the host city.
• I represented the Victorian Government at a stakeholder dinner attended by Australian journalists, sponsors and tourists where I spoke about the importance of the event economy to Victoria, how events like the NFL Game Week will help Victoria’s major events reputation and the importance of trusted relationships with licence holders.
• I met with the Vice President of Partnerships for the LA Rams to discuss the early stages of planning for the 2026 event, including discussions about how the Rams can assist to activate the event.
• I attended networking events including the NFL International Welcome Reception and NFL Commissioners Function, which welcome the league’s key stakeholders and international delegates to New Orleans. The events provided the opportunity to network with key NFL decision-makers, commercial partners and international delegates representing host cities.
• I met with the Irish Minister for Sport to share knowledge around the process to host a regular season NFL game and how they intend to see the benefits for Irish tourism and the wider economy when they start hosting a regular season game starting 2025. I also shared with him how Melbourne leverages its hosting of major sporting and cultural events into broader benefits to the economy.
• I attended the NFL Super Bowl Host City Parade and Super Bowl Experience. Part of the agreement with the NFL includes host city obligations to provide suitable venues and spaces and to support the creation of an NFL Experience during NFL Melbourne Game Week. The tour of the Super Bowl NFL Experience was useful in helping to finalise venue selection and planning for NFL Melbourne Game Week 2026.
• I attended Super Bowl LIX at the invitation of the NFL for the purpose of experiencing an NFL premium event to assist in understanding the operational requirements to deliver an NFL event of scale. I also viewed the tail gate and watch party offerings to consider how the NFL experiences may translate to the Melbourne context to support planning and development of Melbourne NFL Game Week 2026.
• I also met with the Senior Vice President of Sales for the New Orleans Pelicans, who is involved in discussion with Victoria to bring the NBA team to Melbourne in 2025. This meeting and tour of the Pelicans’ training facility was an important step during the negotiations between the club and Victoria and helped solidify the relationship.
• I met with the World Trade Center of New Orleans to position Victoria as a key APAC gateway for New Orleans-based businesses looking to expand into the Asia- Pacific region and to discuss potential avenues for Victorian businesses to engage with the Greater New Orleans business community. The meeting also provided the opportunity to discuss a World Trade Center New Orleans trade mission to Australia from 31 March to 4 April 2025 and to explore opportunities for engagement in Victoria.
• I met with the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music and toured their educational facility to learn how a similar centre or model may benefit Victoria’s creative industries and tourism ecosystems.

Next steps/Follow up

• Work with Visit Victoria to maintain and enhance the relationship with the NFL through identifying further hosting and engagement opportunities.
• Establishment of an organising committee to guide planning and maximise the opportunities that come with the NFL Melbourne Game Week. This should consist of experts in the fields of:
  • Visitation, including dispersal into Regional Victoria
  • Branding of Melbourne and Victoria
  • Business to business links
  • Event operations
  • Festivalisation in Melbourne and Victoria.

• Continue to work with the NFL on the planning for NFL Game Week in Melbourne, including consideration of further collaboration opportunities with the AFL, other professional sporting leagues in Australia and community sport to capitalise on the opportunities and visitation benefits.
• Continue to discuss commercial and community partnership approaches to drive visitation and tourism towards Melbourne and Victoria through engagement with international sports management and tour companies.
• Undertake follow up discussions with the LA Rams and other potential opponents on how to best leverage their presence in Melbourne to both grow the NFL fan base here in Australia and provide a full experience for both teams and support staff.
• Continue negotiations with the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team with a view to finalising and announcing their participation in an NBL All Star match later in 2025.
• Investigate and provide opportunities for the World Trade Center New Orleans to meet with and engage with other portfolios of government during their trade mission in March and April 2025.