NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Saints, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and WWE® are proud to announce that New Orleans will host WrestleMania XXX on Sunday, April 6, 2014.
Mayor Landrieu, New Orleans Saints Owner and Vice Chairman Rita Benson LeBlanc, President of New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau Stephen Perry, CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Jay Cicero, General Manager of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and New Orleans Arena Alan Freeman and General Manager of the New Orleans Morial Convention Center Bob Johnson joined WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, WWE Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon and WWE Senior Vice President of Special Events John P. Saboor at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in making the announcement. WWE Superstars Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson, John Cena®, Alberto Del Rio®, Big Show®, Mark Henry®, Brodus Clay™, The Great Khali® and WWE Divas Layla®, Cameron™ and Naomi™ also made special guest appearances.
“On behalf of our great city, we thank WWE for bringing their largest annual celebration to New Orleans in 2014,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. "We are proud to have played host to some of the greatest sports and entertainment events in the world over the past two years, and hosting WrestleMania is a great way to continue this unprecedented streak. We look forward to hosting WWE and its global fan base as they celebrate this historic milestone at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome."
“WWE thanks the city of New Orleans and the Saints for welcoming our biggest celebration of the year for the first time to The Big Easy,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. “We can’t think of a better city or a more legendary venue than the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to host the 30th annual WrestleMania. Let the good times roll.”
WrestleMania is more than just a one day event, it’s a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania XXX, other activities will include: WrestleMania Axxess – WWE’s four-day interactive fan festival at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center; the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; Monday Night Raw®; WrestleMania Reading Challenge Finals; Be a STAR™ anti-bullying rallies; hospital visits and other pro-social activities designed to give back to the host community. The pay-per-view event will be televised to more than 100 countries. Last year, WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami generated more than $100 million in economic impact for Miami and Miami-Dade County, a new record for WrestleMania. This year, WrestleMania XXIX takes place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, April 7.
About WWE:
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
About the Mercedes-Benz Superdome:
For decades, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome has defined the New Orleans skyline. With its iconic design, the venue has become one of the most recognizable landmarks in America. Home of the World Champion New Orleans Saints, the Superdome has also been the site of 7 NFL Super Bowls, 4 Men’s Final Four Championships, the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, Essence Music Festival and countless other major events. The Superdome has made incredible history throughout its existence, a history that continues to be written in a place where the performance never ends.
About the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation:
Organized in August 1988, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (GNOSF) is a non-profit 501(c) (4) organization whose mission is to attract and manage sporting events that have a positive economic impact on the Greater New Orleans area. Since 1988, the GNOSF has turned a $50 million investment, from public and private sources, into a $1.5 billion economic impact.
About the New Orleans CVB:
The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. We help create $5 billion in new capital each year-more than any other business sector-by attracting millions of visitors, special events and conventions. The CVB and its members persuade thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Phoenix and four countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB will celebrate its 53rd anniversary in 2013. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com/.
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Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE Network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.