The audience was packed at the Miramar Cultural Center, but they weren’t there to see a play –- they came to discuss the Super Bowl.

The presentation was the kickoff event for a series of workshops on the NFL’s Emerging Business Program. The program’s goal is to create a guide of local small, minority- and women-owned businesses that can participate in the procurement process when Super Bowl XLIV comes to Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 7.

Having a Super Bowl in town is big business –- when Miami last hosted the Super Bowl in 2007, it generated about $465 million in business for the local economy. However, with the current economic downturn, the 2009 Super Bowl brought about $300 million to Tampa. Even with the slower economy, the NFL and its affiliates will still bring opportunities to South Florida businesses.

“Small businesses really and truly are the backbone of our economy,” said Miramar Vice Mayor Yvonne Garth.

The Emerging Business Program is a way of giving back to the local community, said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee 2010. In past Super Bowls, the NFL would come in with its own contractors and not purchase any services or items from local businesses. Because Dolphin Stadium is on the border between Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Barreto said the Super Bowl would be taking advantage of hotels, convention centers and other facilities in both counties.

“It’s a huge opportunity, but we just need to connect the dots,” Barreto said.

The amenities offered by South Florida, including beaches, hotels and the climate, make it a prime choice for events like the Super Bowl, said Catherine Minnis, the host committee’s community outreach director.

“We’ve got a lot to offer,” Minnis said.

The next workshop will take place April 1 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens.

For more on this, see this Sunday's (March 29) Community News inside the Sun Sentinel.