Atlanta

Host committee gives new insight into city's plans for Super Bowl 53

ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta has less than nine months to prepare for Super Bowl 53.

Channel 2's Justin Wilfon got inside an important meeting Wednesday night and learned what still has to be done to get ready.

“We’re here tonight to really start sharing the news and explain what’s going on with all the planning in and around Super Bowl 53,” said Brett Daniels, chief operating officer of the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee.

[READ: Atlanta to host Super Bowl in 2019]

It’s a juggling act that Super Bowl planners said involves partners in every corner of the city.

At the meeting, a Delta Air Lines representative revealed the airline is better training employees to spot human trafficking, which is often a problem surrounding the Super Bowl.

Grady Memorial Hospital is busy preparing for the worst, with hospital officials looking at increasing staffing levels on the weekend of the game.

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“You really need to be able to provide medical support if there’s, God forbid, a disaster or something like that,” Dr. Hany Atallah, the chief medical officer at Grady Health System, said.

With the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium now less than nine months away, leaders said the hospitality industry must prepare now to host the expected hundreds of thousands of visitors.

[READ: Atlanta Super Bowl LIII Host Committee holds NFL handoff ceremony]

“The huge impact that we’ll see locally here will be on the businesses in the downtown core -- the hotels, the motels, the restaurants,” Daniels said.

Atlanta leaders said there’s still a long way to go before the juggling act is over.

The city also needs 10,000 Super Bowl volunteersClick here to apply to be a volunteer.