In The Anthropocene Reviewed, author John Green writes that in the years since he had been a book reviewer, everyone has become a reviewer (thank you Amazon, Yelp!, and Google), and that “the five-star scale [is] applied not just to books and films but to public restrooms and wedding photographers…. A scene in the movie edition of my book The Fault in Our Stars was filmed on a bench in Amsterdam; that bench now has hundreds of Google reviews.” His favorite: “a three-star review, reads in its entirety: ‘It is a bench.'”
So today, as an event cleaning company, we’re going to review our experience having Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles from the point of view of having serviced several affiliated events.
Last year, PopUP CleanUP applied for, and was accepted into, the NFL Business Connect program which we wrote about in a previous blog post. The program was started in 2016 as a way for the NFL to create networking and work opportunities for minority-owned small businesses in the communities hosting the Super Bowl. With 73% of the NFL comprised of non-white players, those athletes wanted the NFL to invest further in their businesses and communities and the program was intended to do just that.
For PopUP, that program has largely been a success. While some of our Super Bowl related events (we serviced at least six related or affiliated events over the week running up to the big game) came to us through previous clients and partners, we did earn quite a few contracts for high school football clinics (one hosted by Nike) and private parties as a result of this program.
Being a part of the program does not guarantee work, but it does put your business in front of vendors and allow you the opportunity to create RFPs (request for proposals) to earn business. Certainly, not every business will choose you and you are competing against others for the tailgating parties the NFL holds on their lot, for exclusive agency parties (some of which offer amazing perks like grooming stations and penthouse pools with citywide views), or for clinics and branding events the sponsors stage to promote their new products.
However, it does help connect you to other businesses related to the event business from caterers to florists to printers for banners to lighting technicians that you can form partnerships for for referrals. The program also puts you in front of major agencies and brands for whom events are major parts of their marketing budgets.
The program has a number of networking parties. The last one we went to served beet-infused humus in lettuce cups, vegan soba noodle sea lettuce salad, and mini avocado toasts (yes, this is LA), and offered up prizes including a raffle for two tickets to Super Bowl LVI. (Sadly, we didn’t win.)
Not only that, but the LA Connect offices intend to remain open and are hoping to extend the program to take advantage of all the major sporting events that are going to be held in Los Angeles over the next decade: the 2022 MLB All-star Game at Dodger Stadium, the 2023 NCAA Football Championship at SoFi Stadium, the 2023 US Open at the North Course at the Los Angeles Country Club, the 2026 Word Cup (again at SoFi), and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
So we give it five stars.
PopUP CleanUP is an event and commercial cleaning business in Los Angeles. We have serviced the Los Angeles marathon, NFL related events, high school football clinics, and other sporting events. If you would like to book our services, click here to get started.
