Gayle Benson closed her speech at the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club luncheon reminding the audience of how many days were left.

No, she didn't just tell them there are less than two weeks before the Saints kick off their season.

She also reminded them that there are about two months before the Pelicans start theirs.

It was just another reminder that Benson isn't treating the Pelicans as some stepchild to the Saints.

That was the case around here for years, especially when you took a glance at the Pelicans' organizational chart before wholesale changes were made over the past few months.

"It is a particularly exciting time for our teams and our cities," Benson said before talking just as much about her NBA franchise as she did her NFL one.

There's plenty to be thrilled about.

The Saints are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl and the Pelicans have been the talk of the NBA offseason, thanks in part to the anticipation of Zion Williamson's rookie season.

Benson once again emphasized her plans to make sure Saints and Pelicans fans enjoy the ride. She boasted about the Pelicans' ticket sales and the benefits of that.

"We hope (it) will give us the same kind home court advantage we enjoy with the Saints," Benson said.

While the plans for renovations for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome were announced two weeks ago, the arena across the street isn't being forgotten about.

Doug Thornton, the executive vice president of SMG, which manages the Mercedes Benz Superdome and the Smoothie King Center, spoke Tuesday about the importance of both.

"We are already talking about what we can do at the Smoothie King Center," Thornton said. "We have to compete in the NBA and the NFL. This is the real world. Whether we like it or not, we have to have great facilities."

And they also need to have great game day atmospheres, which is why Benson said she and her staff have been busy this offseason working to ensure the Smoothie King Center is rocking during Pelicans' games the same way the Dome does Sundays.

"To help create that kind of environment, out staff is working on re-imaging the entire Pelicans' game presentation," Benson said. "We are working with groups like Disney and others to innovate the way our fans experience the game. While we can't promise we will win every game, we believe we can promise our fans will have an exceptional and memorable experience every time they visit the Smoothie King Center."

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She's been in talks to study the potential to renovate the arena.

"It's our job to make sure those building are managed at the highest quality operation standards," Benson said.

The Superdome renovations will begin as soon as the Saints' season ends. It will be done in four phases and will be completed right before New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl in 2024. The most notable changes will be the removal of the ramps which currently occupy 80,000 square feet of space in the Dome. The renovations will make much better use of that space and also will help with the flow of fans getting to and from their seats.

Benson also said Tuesday the team will be adding to the Ring of Honor in the Dome. There are currently five people (her late husband Tom Benson, Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson, Willie Roaf and Morten Andersen) in the Ring of Honor. The sixth name will be revealed at a later date. Best guess here is it will be the Saints' Super Bowl team from 10 years ago or Steve Gleason. Benson was the most recent one to be included in the Ring of Honor, inducted last season during an emotional ceremony.

The atmosphere was electric that night in the Saints' season opener.

Benson is hoping to have that same energy in the building across the way.

Thornton vows to do his part to make sure that happens.

"If we are going to support the teams, we are going to have to step up and do what we can to make that happen," Thornton said. "That's our job. We're looking ahead."