Good evening, everyone that would like to call the special commission on health opportunity, prosperity, and educationalness for Monday in the eleventh role.

Chairman 14.

Just for us to also call attention, but also know and find out what's going to take place for the FIFA World Cup coming to Providence in about a month.

So it's already here.

As I saw as I walked down Waterplace Park.

So with that said, Madam Clerk, would you like to uh read the first item?

First item of discussion relative to the FIFA World Cup preparations.

The following have been invited.

Allie Bar Barry, Ryan Riley, Alexis Goryen.

Courtney Wilkins and Lieutenant Potter.

Welcome to everyone here.

Excellent.

And also we have final comment if there's anybody also that would like to uh make any comments.

I'd also like to recognize uh councilwoman Jill Davison.

So joining us.

And uh obviously our team uh thank you.

Uh so uh why don't we start off with uh who would like to start?

Courtney.

Uh I see that also I also see Joe Wilson who's the director of ACT.

Make sure that he's on the record that uh he is present with us.

So no doubt.

Um so Courtney ACT team can start and then um we can back up and speak.

Okay, there we go.

You're up uh in the front, please.

Okay, we're gonna actually think we have the lawyer uh law department, please.

Yes, let me just thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, the plan.

Thank you, Allie.

Uh the record, whatever you're ready.

Thank you so much to the committee for allowing us to uh present today, uh tonight, on um uh our plans for what is the largest sporting event on the planet, uh, and that is FIFA World Cup.

Again, my name is Joe Wilson Jr.

I am the director of the Department of Art, Culture and Tourism in my department, along with the Province Tourism Council working together to produce what will be as we are titling this one city every match.

Uh we are producing an officially sanctioned FIFA fan zone uh starting June 11th and going until July 19th in Station Park.

Again, Station Park, as you all know, is the park that's adjacent to both uh it's a uh it's right on Water Place Park and is surrounded by the Province Place Mall, uh the state capital and the train station.

What I would say to start is that to be a host city uh and being able to uh get the um FIFA designation to be able to uh produce this event is a big deal.

Uh we are one of a few cities that are not actual host cities uh being given uh this FIFA fan designation.

Um this is gonna be a 39-day watch party uh that will include, of course, the star of the show is the giant jumbotron, which will sit uh at the corner of Gaspi and Exchange.

And Francis, sorry.

Um, and so that uh screen will be playing every day.

Um we are uh tiering the games, what games we show based upon looking at local interests.

Uh we also have many teams uh that have a particular interest in this region, whether it be uh team Ghana, who is being hosted here in Providence, uh whether that be the House of Portugal, uh uh which is uh gonna be in Water Place Park, the skyline um uh building.

Uh but in addition, there are other fan bases that will be present in Providence, including the Charton Army, which is a group of about 7,000 uh folk who are both local and from Scotland will be here in the city of Providence.

Um and once we were granted this designation by FIFA, uh we have been reached out by several delegations, including Canada and Germany about being present uh and included on the fan zone.

Not only this fan zone be a place to watch the games, but there will be um a beverage service, both non-alcoholic alcoholic drinks on the footprint.

We are lucky that we are being sponsored all by FIFA sponsors in this beverage area.

This this footprint will also include a gamification activities for fans to be able to not only watch the games but to kick a ball around.

This fan zone will also include some activation in terms of local talent on the stage, because this is not only a screen, it'll be a stage as well.

And this footprint will include a marketplace.com.

And on that fan zone, we put out a call for vendors, we put out a call for uh folks who wanted to be involved in the marketplace.

We put out a call for uh those who want to work with us as far as employment over the course of uh these 39 days, and we're also collaborating with uh United Way of Rhode Island to help mobilize volunteers, um, and that'll be soon added to our website so folks can sign up and be a volunteer uh for uh the fan zone.

So this will be the center of fan uh activity outside of uh what's happening at Gillette Stadium.

The most important thing that we'll be doing, apart from watching the games and feeding people and getting people a refreshing beverage and providing gamification, is that there will be player activations as well at House of Fortunat per week.

Uh they'll be bringing in um Portuguese Federation stars in that in that activation.

But one of the most important things I learned recently about uh what we're doing is that we'll be one of the few places between here and Gillette Stadium that you're actually able to purchase FIFA sanctioned jerseys from all the teams who are participating in the World Cup.

Uh we'll have several activations of the footprint that will allow for those kinds of sales, and so it really is going to be a destination.

Um, not to mention we are obviously this is a busy busy time of year in the City of Providence.

Um we'll be playing host to three signature festivals during that time.

Four, really.