(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)

Phoenix officials discussed security at a press event for the college football National Championships.

Downtown Phoenix will host a variety of events this weekend to coincide with the championship game in Glendale next week.

City officials hope to bring college football fans downtown by offering free concerts with big-name artists and closing off five blocks of downtown phoenix. Phoenix expects more than 300,000 visitors and a need for heightened security.

Kevin Kalkbrenner, Phoenix Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said there will be a bigger law enforcement presence this year than at last year’s Super Bowl event.

"We have a much more robust security plan this year in terms of boots-on-the-ground," Kalkbrenner said. "There will be more officers on the street and more fire department personnel in position.”

He said that’s partly because of the event space allowed for fans. Kalkbrenner also said cyber security will be a priority.

“These types of events are huge targets for crime, as well as pranks," he said. "People want to hack into somebody’s server and have fun with the scoreboard or something like that.”

Other security measures in place are bans on drones, selfie sticks and hoverboards.