May 24, 2023

By Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY – Green Bay will host the 2025 National Football League draft, but in all respects, it will be an NFL event.

"This is really the NFL's business," Gabrielle Dow, Packers vice president of marketing and fan engagement, said during a press conference Wednesday at Lambeau Field. "The NFL benefits from this and keeps all ancillary revenue. And their sponsors are tied to this as well."

That means the league will decide all of the details, including where the main stage is, one of the questions frequently asked. Like everyone else, the Packers would like to know, too. They suggested it be inside Lambeau Field. The stage has been about 100 yards wide, so that limits the number of places it could go, Dow said.

NFL representatives will come to Green Bay in June for a site visit, the first of many over the next two years.

The main stage, NFL Experience, green room, media center, red carpet and fan areas will all take place on the Lambeau Field campus, which for the purpose of the draft will include Lambeau, the Titletown District, Resch Center and Resch Expo.

After chasing their goal for seven years, the Packers learned on May 9 that the draft would come to Lambeau Field, but they had to wait three more weeks before it would be approved by league owners.

"Mark (Murphy) called me on May 9 to say we've got it, but we have to wait for the ownership to vote, and my life flashed before my eyes," said Dow, who led the effort to secure the NFL's premier non-football event for northeastern Wisconsin.

The draft is projected to generate overall attendance of 240,000 over three days, $20 million in local economic impact and $94 million in statewide impact.

"We are building an experience that is bigger than ourselves," said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. "It is an incredible, once-in-a-generation opportunity that will create a lasting legacy for Wisconsin. It will be exciting. It's an awful lot of work. We have less than two years, but we're ready to get started."

When will the draft be held?

The NFL held the draft the final weekend in April the last several years, but Dow said three dates are under consideration, including the first weekend in May. This year it was held April 27-29 in Kansas City.

What is different about this draft than previous ones?

The Packers are the first NFL team to take the lead in hosting a draft. In other cities, local tourism bureaus or community committees were the leaders.

"Cleveland, Nashville, Kansas City, all those organizations like ours have $20 million budgets and about 60 people on staff," Toll said. "We have 14 (staffers)."

That made the Packers' involvement essential, and was the one area where Green Bay being the NFL's smallest market was a deterrent. Otherwise, Murphy and Dow said the NFL was not concerned about Green Bay's size.

May 23, 2023

By Megan Marshall, Spectrum News 1

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — After the news broke about the NFL draft coming to Green Bay, many nearby communities started preparing for the influx of people coming to the entire state of Wisconsin.

What You Need To Know

• • The city of Green Bay expects over 240,000 visitors during the draft week with an approximate $94 million dollar statewide economic impact
  • Sheboygan is just an hour away from Green Bay and it is expected to be a hot spot to be when hundreds of thousands make their way to Wisconsin
  • The Blue Harbor Resort said it already signed up to be a host location with the NFL

In fact, communities like Sheboygan, which is just an hour away from Green Bay, expect to bring in many visitors in 2025.

Parker John’s BBQ and Pizza in Sheboygan said it’s looking forward to the Draft coming to Wisconsin. Parker John’s is known as the official caterer for the Green Bay Packers, and has many locations throughout the Fox Citifies.

The Sheboygan location knows it will also see a boom in business.

“I thought it was super cool,” Parker John’s general manager, Tim Bartz, said. “I thought it took too long for the draft to come to Green Bay.”

Bartz said the team is looking forward to the overflow of visitors to stay in their city for the Draft — as they have done for huge events like the PGA Championship.

“It’s exciting to know we are going to get some spillover,” Bartz said. “There’s a lot of big things that have happened in the past 10 years in this area, and we have been more than ready to handle the challenge.”

All of those potential tourists will need somewhere to stay, especially with the relatively small amount of hotel rooms located in the Green Bay area.

The Blue Harbor Resort said it has already signed up to be a host location with the NFL.

“We are looking forward to it,” Blue Harbor Resort group sales manager, Delaine Reichert, said. “We are going to see a great tapestry of people that get to see Sheboygan and Wisconsin in a different light and hopefully return and enjoy everything we have to offer here.”

While the Draft is still two years away, excitement is brewing and preparations are already underway in the hospitality industry.

“I’ve watched it every single year,” Bartz said. “To know that is going to be a week of awesome things coming to Wisconsin.

Green Bay expects over 240,000 visitors during the draft week with an approximate $94 million dollar statewide economic impact.

April 29, 2024

By Jenna Wells, CBS 58

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit shattered attendance records which could bode well for Green Bay next year. The draft could impact the entire state, including Milwaukee.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the 2024 Draft brought in more than 700,000 fans, and VISIT Milwaukee's sports division expects Wisconsin will see similar numbers next year when Green Bay hosts the draft April 24-26, 2025.

VISIT Milwaukee has been working alongside Discover Green Bay, Travel Wisconsin, and the Green Bay Packers to prepare for next year's draft.

Marissa Werner, the director of Sports Milwaukee, says Milwaukee will likely help out with food and beverage vendors and transportation.

She expects a lot of fans to use Milwaukee's airport or drive in from Chicago.

As the largest city near Green Bay, fans are likely to stay in Milwaukee hotels and VISIT Milwaukee is preparing for that.

"Being that most of the hotels are already spoken for in regards to the NFL and corporate partners throughout the Appleton, Fox City and Green Bay areas, we really are more focused and believe it will be more of that fan base that is going to be utilizing our hotels and our accommodations," said Werner.

Werner had a chance to go to the draft in Detroit, she said it almost feels like a festival and she expects Packers fans to really show in Titletown next year.

May 23, 2023

By Emmett Prosser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It's likely the most anticipated event to take place in Green Bay since the 1967 Ice Bowl.

Let's hope the weather will be slightly more comfortable.

The NFL has announced that the Packers and Titletown USA will host the 2025 NFL draft. And since it's never too early to talk about who the team will be looking to add to its roster two years from now in these parts, here's also a few way too early items about what to know about the event itself:

When is the 2025 NFL draft?

The dates have yet to be announced, but it typically has been held the last full week in April. The 2024 event at Ford Field in Detroit is April 25-27.

How many days does the NFL draft last?

The NFL draft has become a three-day event. The first round takes place on a Thursday evening, the second and third rounds are Friday night and the remaining four rounds of the draft begin Saturday afternoon.

How many rounds are in the NFL draft?

Each team is automatically awarded one pick over seven rounds of the draft.

Are tickets going to be available to attend the NFL draft in Green Bay and how much do they cost?

Shockingly, the NFL draft is still free. For the draft in Kansas City, fans wishing to attend the draft had to register through the NFL's website.

How many people are expected to attend the draft at Lambeau Field?

More than 312,000 people attended the 2023 draft in Kansas City. Over 2.2 million NFL fans have gone to the draft since 2014 when the NFL started awarding the draft to various cities throughout the league.

Where can NFL fans attending the 2025 NFL draft stay?

According to Discover Green Bay, the area has 4,653 hotel rooms, so it will likely be a longer commute to the draft than normal for Bears and other out-of-town NFL fans.

Detroit reported $213 million in economic impact, record attendance and no arrests for 2024 NFL Draft.

July 12, 2024

By Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette

The 2024 NFL Draft was worth $213.6 million to Detroit, although the benefits of hosting one of the league's premier events continue.

"My dreams were exceeded by our reality," said Claude Molinari, CEO of Visit Detroit, even before the final report on the Detroit draft's economic impact was released Thursday. "This event paid for itself 10-fold in so many ways. A friend said, 'You guys just got a three-day lovefest for Detroit on national TV. In a million years you could not buy that type of advertising for your destination.'"

Green Bay will host the 2025 NFL draft from April 24 to 26. Organizers expect a $94 million economic impact statewide and $20 million locally. They anticipate attendance of 240,000, which would be less than Detroit's opening day, reflecting the difference in market sizes, but three times the turnout for a typical Packers game. For the three days of the event in 2024, Detroit had attendance of 775,000.

(A note on how attendance is counted: Every time an individual enters the official NFL draft grounds, they are counted. One person could be counted several times during a day, or over the three days).

The 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, which had attendance of 312,000, reported $164 million in total economic impact.

A significant amount of attendance at the draft was generated by Detroit's metro population of 4.4 million. The report determined that 30.2% of attendees traveled more than 100 miles. The Detroit draft drew from 50 states and more than 20 countries, according to the report.

The Green Bay metro area has a population of 320,000. Sites 100 miles from Green Bay include Port Washington, Beaver Dam, Wautoma, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau, Crandon and Ellison Bay. It is likely a higher percentage of 2025 attendees will come from 100 miles or more.

Highlights from the report include:

• $161.3 million of the $213.6 million overall amount in gross economic impact represents new spending within the Detroit region created by the presence of the 2024 NFL Draft.
• $106.4 million of the $161.3 million in gross economic impact is retained long-term within the Detroit region as new income for households, business proprietors, and tax revenues.
• The $106.4 million represents gross impact on local income, accounting for any money leakages shortly after new money enters the local economy. The overall fiscal/tax impact stemming from visitor spending is $12.3 million.
• The NFL’s total spending on local minority-owned businesses was $12.1 million. The Michigan Black Business Alliance (MBBA), Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission helped Black-owned businesses secure 34 contracts to work directly with the NFL, totaling nearly 40% of local contracts. "The NFL was extremely positive and deliberate with us in identifying minority businesses," Molinari said.
• MBBA members hired more than 500 staff members to meet work demand, resulting in approximately $1.2 million in staff income during draft week.
• The Detroit Sports Commission’s Living Legacy Initiative helped distribute $1.5 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations.
• Hotel occupancy in the city of Detroit during the draft: Wednesday, April 24, was 84%; Thursday, April 25, was 92%; Friday, April 26, was 85%; and Saturday, April 27, was 74%.

Hotel occupancy in Brown County will be closer to 100% because the NFL already has claimed most of the 4,800 available hotel rooms for its use. As was the case with the Ryder Cup, and with the EAA AirVenture fly-in, attendees are expected to stay in hotels, short-term rentals and campsites from Door County to Milwaukee and Madison.

The draft is a family-friendly event. Draft observers from Green Bay have commented on how surprised they were with how many children were in attendance at drafts in Cleveland, Kansas City and Detroit. Molinari said Kansas City had one draft-related arrest and Detroit had none.

"There were no issues, no safety concerns. Both locals and out-of-towners were super well-behaved," he said. "There are fans, this is like a pilgrimage to them. I've been to every draft since Cleveland (2021). There are people that I recognized (at Detroit's draft)."

June 13, 2023

By Ben Krumholz, FOX 11 News

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- The Green Bay Police Department is looking to become more mobile in crowded spaces.

Even before last month's announcement of Green Bay hosting the 2025 NFL Draft, the city's police department was already looking to buy bikes.

“We see this as some capability that we need to develop fairly deliberately," said GBPD Chief Chris Davis. "And the Draft will be here in less than two years, so we want to be prepared for that."

Davis says adding 27 bikes, for what will be called a Mobile Response Team, will give the department public order policing capability. It's something he says the department currently doesn't have.

“You can't drive a motor vehicle usually through a crowd with any kind of speed at all, and if you're on foot, you're limited by how fast you can walk or run,” said Davis.

Davis says bikes also create quick barricades, which comes in handy for parades and marches.

The proposal is to use state grant money to buy the 27 bikes from Broken Spoke Bike Studio for $33,480.

The city’s finance committee signed off on the spending plan Tuesday evening, and the city council is expected to do the same at its June 27 meeting.

June 2, 2023

By Anthony Dabruzzi, Spectrum News 1

MADISON, Wis. — Lawmakers on the Wisconsin Legislature’s budget-writing committee have approved spending state money to help host the NFL Draft when it comes to Green Bay in 2025.

Two Republican lawmakers from the Green Bay area got exactly what they wanted. State Sen. Robert Cowles and State Rep. David Steffen asked for $2 million in funding to help put on the major three-day event, which the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce estimates could bring in $94 million in economic impact for Wisconsin.

What You Need To Know

• Two Green Bay area lawmakers requested using $2 million of the upcoming state budget to help offset the costs of hosting the 2025 NFL Draft

• Lawmakers on the budget-writing committee approved the spending Thursday as part of the tourism budget

• The overall budget bill still needs to be approved by the full Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted Thursday evening to increase funding for tourism marketing by $20 million.

“I’m happy that we are giving the Department of Tourism the flexibility, with a continuing appropriation, to spend this onetime money over whatever period of time it takes for them to invest as wisely as possible,” State Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said ahead of Thursday vote.

A new $10 million fund to help attract major events to the Badger State was also approved.

“Whether it’s the NFL Draft, whether it’s the RNC, or things that are beyond what we even know are available right now, so that’s why I’m so thankful that we are moving forward,” State Sen. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, said.

The vote came along party lines, with all Republicans in favor of the tourism funding package. Though Democrats voted against the GOP plan, it wasn’t because they were opposed to the spending. Their plan also included a $2 million investment to support the NFL Draft.

“Those dollars can be used to ensure that when the 2025 NFL Draft comes to Lambeau in Green Bay that there are dollars to put in a state share to ensure that is a successful event, [that] when we’re on a national stage we are promoting Wisconsin appropriately,” State Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, said of the motion.

To achieve that, Democrats wanted to put more of the surplus dollars toward tourism.

“If Wisconsin is going to be seen as the premiere state that it is, we are going to have to put our money where our mouth is,” State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, explained. “We are going to have to showcase what the state has to offer, and what better way to do that than to add additional dollars.”

The estimated cost to host the draft is $7.5 million, with the Packers pledging $1 million. Another $4.5 million will come from local funding, which lawmakers said likely will be in the form of corporate sponsors and community partners donations, as well as money from stadium district. The remaining gap would be filled in by the $2 million contribution from the state.

November 6, 2023

By Jonathan Gneiser, NBC 26 Northeast Wisconsin

GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The countdown to the 2025 NFL Draft has officially begun.

The NFL and the Green Bay Packers have announced the dates of the 2025 NFL Draft will be April 24-26.

Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and NFL Senior Director/Events Business Strategy Alex Brooke are speaking at the announcement in Lambeau Field’s Atrium. Community leaders, donors and partners from around the area are also in attendance to help build excitement and officially begin the countdown to the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 2025 NFL Draft will bring together fans from across the nation, as well as several foreign countries, to celebrate football and the selection of college players by NFL teams, according to a Packers press release.

The festivities will include several days of activities throughout Green Bay and will feature the NFL Draft Experience – a massive free football festival – near Lambeau Field to allow fans of all teams to participate and test their football skills, enjoy interactive exhibits and autograph sessions, and take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Draft Experience will be open all three days of the event.

While details of the 2025 NFL Draft are still being finalized, the main portion of the event is expected to take place on the Lambeau Field and Titletown campus, with a variety of venues to be utilized within close proximity, according to the Packers.

The NFL Draft has become one of the biggest and most-anticipated sporting events of the year. The 2023 Draft in Kansas City in April welcomed more than 312,000 fans and had more than 54 million viewers during the course of the three-day event.

May 22, 2023

By Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY – The National Football League draft is coming to Green Bay.

The league awarded Green Bay the 2025 draft during the league meeting Monday in Minneapolis. It's the culmination of seven years effort by the Green Bay Packers and Discover Green Bay, the local tourism bureau.

The Packers estimate 240,000 people will attend the draft in Green Bay, generating a $94 million economic impact statewide and $20 million locally. Kansas City reported 320,000 visitors for the 2023 draft held in April.

"The Packers have a rich and proud history that goes back to the early days of the NFL and are the only community-owned team," Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said in a written statement. "That connection to our league's heritage combined with the great passion Packers fans will bring will make the draft a memorable event for those in attendance and NFL fans watching around the world."

In other cities, local organizing groups take the lead in hosting the draft. Because Green Bay is the smallest market in the NFL, by a lot, the Packers will be more involved than other NFL teams normally are.