Ingram's June 2022

TAKE IT UP TO 10,000’ In 2002 I was asked by the city’s largest and most prestigious business breakfast club to prepare and present the “Next Big Thing” for the KC and bi-state region. Michelle was proud of me working feverishly at the home office, but she had no clue about the scope of the project I was designing. On my virtual drawing board was a plan for the state of Missouri and its good corporate citizens to host the Summer Olympics. The plan was bold: Olympic Village would be adjacent to Mizzou. The state would develop a high speed heavy rail system to link to venues in St. Louis and Kansas City and develop key light rail connections to facilitate movement within the cities. The state would create a research triangle of sorts by tying Springfield into the mix through the I-44 and 1-49 corridors, a triangle twenty times the size of the celebrated one in North Carolina. So here comes another mega-concept developed just semi-sober hours after the announcement of KC’s being chosen as a host city for the 2026 World Cup. I ask only one question. WHAT IF? With all the talk of KC building a Downtown baseball stadium for the Kansas City Royals, what if we accelerate the process and make it happen before the World Cup arrives in 2026? What if Downtown KCMO becomes the actual site of a new stadium. Why should Jackson County care if the existing lease is replaced with a new one? If the state of Kansas were serious about making a pitch to recruit the Royals, why not issue the RFP this year and consider serious offers quali fied by strict requirements. Kansas could buy out the remainder of the unused lease when and if the Royals vacate the K. What if we build a new Downtown stadium in the underdeveloped area from 10th Street to 12th Street and from Cherry to Charlotte or Hwy 71. Other areas sur rounding Downtown could work and would enhance economically-challenged neighborhoods, but ask yourself, why was

VANCOUVER population: 2.46 million

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NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY population: 20.1 million

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RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS Kansas City has always punched well above its weight. It emerged as the smallest but arguably the fiercest dog in the fight to host the World Cup in 2026. Other larger cities bid to host the event, and many fell by the wayside. For KC to earn a spot as a host city was a major accomplishment. Rankings for the 16 host cities by MSA population are noted in the map—Kansas City is clearly the smallest city by popula tion to host the World Cup. The Kansas City area has invested $600 million in soccer facilities over the last 15 years and has earned recognition as the Soccer Capital of America. KC’s champi onship-winning teams have hosted several international competitions, and the soccer community and investors have strategically aligned to develop a growing collection of world-class soccer facilities and venues. Sporting Kansas City is the big dog in our soccersphere but there are other emerging franchises, including the KC Current with a new training facility open this year and a Downtown stadium that will open in 2024. Clark Hunt follows his father Lamar Hunt’s passion to attract world class sporting events, and KC’s Truman Sports Complex and Arrowhead Stadium will serve as the epicenter of the month-long 2026 World Cup.

City principal owner Cliff Illig—was led by KC2026 Bid Director Katherine Holland with the support of an Executive Committee comprised of a group of sports executives, government officials and civic representatives from across the region. Together, the bi-state effort delivered a strategic vision for securing the largest event in Kansas City history in col laboration with many key stakeholders, including proposed training sites, hotel partners and Fan Fest locations. It’s been nearly a decade of antici pation for the big announcement that rocked Kansas City Live at the Power & Light District the blazing hot afternoon of June 16. There were 44 North American candidate cities that bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 16 remained stand ing in the end, including 11 US cities as well as three from Mexico and two from Canada. Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a boon for Kansas City. The Economic Impact for a host city for the World Cup could be around $700 million. In 2018, a combined 3.572 billion viewers watched the World Cup and an estimated 6.8 million tourists visited host cities. The 2026 World Cup expanded to include 48 nations, after previously taking place with 32. Eighty matches will be played to crown the world champion.

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Kansas City’s Business Media

June 2022