By Jodi Schwan

The crowd at Tuesday’s annual meeting of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce included plenty of Minnesota Vikings fans – and one man hoping to convince them to splurge on Super Bowl tickets.

Herb May works in sales for On Location Experiences, a New York-based company that is the official hospitality arm of the NFL.

The business sells Super Bowl tickets combined with elite experiences, including pre-game parties, concerts and access to special areas and events.

This season’s game is Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis.

While initial interest from Minnesota-based Vikings season ticket holders was strong, sales from other major markets were leveling out a bit, May said.

That prompted him to make a visit this week to Sioux Falls.

“I dove more into South Dakota and North Dakota because I know there are tons of Vikings fans here and they’re more than likely not season ticket holders,” he said. “And it turns out there’s a lot of interest coming from South Dakota in regards to being at the game because it’s (not a long) drive.”

The packages also are designed to combat fraud on the secondary market, he said. On Location Experiences started with 10,000 Super Bowl tickets – about 4,000 are left – and can verify they are authentic.

“For Super Bowl XLIX, 3,000 people showed up to Arizona with a fake or fraudulent ticket, and it was a huge problem,” May said.

On Location is a premium experience, he acknowledged. There are six packages at nine prices, starting at $6,299.

“We’ll sell tickets in two and four, and the companies in the Midwest have had a tremendous response for doing client entertainment, employee sales incentives, and some of the C-level guys want to go because the last time it was in this area was in 1992.”

The top tier, starting at $14,499, includes field-level club seats; access to the Delta Sky360 Club throughout the game; all-inclusive hospitality before, during and after the game; and the chance to go on the field at the end.

There aren’t many of those left, though, May said.

His company also offers entertainment at venues around the stadium and helps find hotels and transportation.

His experience in Sioux Falls was positive, he said.

“I think showing my face and creating relationships will get things done. I’ve got tons of people to follow up with, so it’s off to a great start.”