By Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio

Minnesota’s final bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl is on its way to the NFL.

“We had a preliminary bid that was due that we put in five weeks ago, April 1, I guess. Now our final bid is prepared, and will be shipped off Federal Express this afternoon,” said Michele Kelm-Helgen, chairwoman of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.  The MSFA is supervising the construction of a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

The MSFA and Meet Minneapolis, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, along with the Olson advertising agency, Tunheim public relations and a committee appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in January have been working on the Super Bowl bid. They think it will bring more than 100,000 visitors to the Twin Cities. Dayton said he expects the game to have a $500 million impact on Minnesota’s economy, although some economists dispute that.

Minnesota hosted the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills when the championship was played in the Metrodome in 1992. The stadium’s replacement is scheduled to be finished in July 2016, to allow for two full football seasons before the intense Super Bowl spotlight potentially shines on it.

Minnesota is vying with Indianapolis, which hosted the 2012 game, and New Orleans, which hosted the 2013 Super Bowl (along with an infamous blackout). The next Super Bowl will be in the Phoenix, followed by San Francisco and Houston.

Officials from Minnesota will travel to Atlanta for the NFL’s three-day meeting in late May. Each city will give a 15-minute presentation on its bid and the owners are expected to pick a host city May 20.

The bowl bidders are scheduled to reveal more details of their campaign — including an official logo for the effort — at a press conference today.