{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-hosts-inaugural-world-cup-community-conversation-announces-launch", "Davids Hosts Inaugural World Cup Community Conversation, Announces Launch of Congressional World Cup Caucus", "2024-06-07", "2024", "2024-06", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "KANSAS CITY, KS - Today, Representative Sharice Davids hosted her first World Cup Community Conversation, bringing together dozens of local, state, regional, and federal government officials, trade professionals, and business experts. Today's conversation focused on transportation needs, and Davids will convene stakeholders for future discussions addressing small business needs, public safety, and more. The goal of this series is to ensure the Kansas City region is adequately prepared to take advantage of the economic boom brought by the 2026 World Cup, which is expected to reach around $620 million.\n\n\"People from across the KC region came together saying \u2018We want the World Cup,\u2019 and I'm thrilled we succeeded in bringing it here. But we must ensure we're prepared,\u201d said Davids. \u201cMy community conversation series aims to prepare our community for the influx of tourists, players, and others in 2026. I'm looking forward to continuing to gather folks from across the region for these important discussions, so we can meet our community\u2019s needs, seize future economic opportunities, and showcase the best of our region to the world.\"\n\n\u201cKansas City is a dynamic destination, and delivering a robust transportation plan is essential to providing a seamless experience for residents and visitors alike,\u201d says Julie Lorenz, Senior Advisor for Transportation, KC2026. \u201cI look forward to leveraging my experience in both the private and public sectors on this historic project, the largest sporting event in this region\u2019s history.\u201d\n\nIt is estimated that 6.8 million tourists visited World Cup host cities in 2018. To ensure these soccer fans, players, coaches, and workers can efficiently and safely travel between hotels, restaurants, small businesses, and stadiums, today\u2019s discussion focused solely on transportation needs of the region. Participants of the conversation included:\n\nCity of Kansas City, MO\n\nCity of Olathe, KS\n\nCity of Overland Park, KS\n\nDentsu\n\nU.S. Federal Aviation Administration\n\nGreater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce\n\nJohnson County Airport Commission\n\nJohnson County Commission\n\nJohnson County Transit\n\nKansas City Area Transportation Authority\n\nKansas City Aviation Department\n\nKansas City Chiefs\n\nKansas City, MO Police Department\n\nKansas City Royals\n\nKansas City Sports Commission\n\nKansas Department of Transportation\n\nKansas Tourism\n\nKC Streetcar Authority\n\nKC2026\n\nLeague of Kansas Municipalities\n\nMid-America Regional Council\n\nMissouri Department of Transportation\n\nMissouri Division of Tourism\n\nOffice of Congressman Sam Graves\n\nOffice of the Jackson County Executive\n\nOffice of the Mayor of Kansas City, MO\n\nU.S. Department of Transportation\n\nU.S. Federal Transit Authority\n\nUnified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City\n\n\u201cWe thank U.S. Congresswoman Sharice Davids for her leadership and continued commitment to supporting positive things in KCK,\u201d said Mayor Tyrone A. Garner, Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. \u201cAs many know, Kansas City Kansas is proud to be the home of the Sporting KC professional soccer team. As the Mayor of Kansas City Kansas, I want the world to know we are World Cup-ready as the heart of Soccer in the USA. Wyandotte County is looking forward to FIFA fans embracing the fact that the Dotte is THE spot for Soccer!\u201d\n\n\u201cToday, our KC Streetcar team is working diligently to prepare our system to serve as the backbone of our region's transportation system for KC2026 and beyond,\u201d said Tom Gerend, Executive Director, KC Streetcar Authority. \u201cOffering free public transit from Berkley Riverfront to the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, the KC Streetcar will serve an essential role connecting visitors to fan fest sites, hotels, and Kansas City's most notable destinations. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Representative Sharice Davids for bringing our region together and supporting our collective efforts to make this event a success for all of Kansas City.\"\n\n\u201cThe 2026 World Cup will be the largest sporting event in the history of the world, and the best opportunity our region has ever had to be in the international spotlight,\u201d said Mike Kelly, Chairman, Johnson County Board of Commissioners. \u201cDiligent work is underway to make sure the tournament creates sustained, long-term impact for our community. I appreciate Congresswoman Davids bringing this group together to keep stakeholders appraised of progress.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the regional transportation authority, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is expected to provide leadership in planning and implementation of mobility options related to the 2026 World Cup being hosted by Kansas City,\u201d said Frank White III, President and CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). \u201cKCATA brings a great deal of event experience to the table and is in the favorable position to leverage local, regional and national resources to provide a successful transportation solution for visitors from across the planet.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:11:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-hosts-inaugural-world-cup-community-conversation-announces-launch"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7704530619084835, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}