Atlanta preparing to host 2020 NCAA Final Four, will draw on big-event experience

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The city is officially on the clock to host the 2020 NCAA Final Four.

Members of the Atlanta Basketball Host Committee were in Minneapolis this week to learn from organizers there as they hosted the 2019 event.

"Our Atlanta delegation of 35 folks on our host committee team wanted to go see how Minneapolis executed the Final Four. So we toured venues, we toured a number of events," Executive Director Carl Adkins said.  "Just so we had a good understanding of how they performed as we plan for next year." 

The event is expected to draw 100,000 to 125,000 visitors to Atlanta over five days, but organizers also want locals to enjoy the festivities.

"We want all of metro Atlanta to come downtown and experience it," Adkins said. 

The host committee members plan to use what they saw in Minneapolis, but they will also draw on their experience in hosting big events the past few years.

Since Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened, it has been the site of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and the 2019 Super Bowl. Many of the people who helped organize that event are part of the Final Four planning as well.  

"We don't have to really reinvent the wheel," Adkins said. "Our goal this year is to make a plus one on everything that we did in terms of how we succeeded with the Super Bowl. So we're just going to take it to the next level."  

The host committee has begun to recruit volunteers for the Final Four. To apply, click here: finalfouratl.com/volunteer/

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