Hosts Indianapolis gearing up

INDIANAPOLIS, host city for the Super Bowl, will open a social media command centre the week of the game.

A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms from a 2,800-square-foot office.

The station will open on Monday and run through Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 directing the 150,000 fans in search of parking to Indianapolis’s best attractions and provide info in case of a disaster.

“Social media is just how people interact now,” said Taulbee Jackson, CEO of Raidious, the digital marketing agency in charge of the Super Bowl’s promotion.

“We felt it was critical to have some horsepower behind that aspect of the Super Bowl here, as against other Super Bowls.”

Advanced search tools and analytics will help Jackson and his team identify who need help. A fan won’t need to tweet “where can I find parking?” to get help; the social media centre will pick up on a general phrase such as “parking sucks” to offer assistance.