Regional collaboration and partnerships helped ensure the 2025 NFL Draft was a success that shined a bright, positive light on the entire Green Bay area.
That’s the message Ashwaubenon, Brown County, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and the region’s tourism marketing agency Discover Green Bay shared on April 28 as the community recovers from the massive, three-day event that drew an estimated attendance of 600,000.
Discover Green Bay CEO Brad Toll had to pause for a moment as he talked about how the draft served as a three-day-long commercial for the region, one that operational planning for traffic and public safety helped ensure left a positive impression on visitors. Toll said he knew the event exceeded expectations when entry was temporarily halted on the first night of the draft because the theater had reached capacity.
“We were so relieved to see that because you dream about being able to do this for your community,” Toll said. “To have it come off the way it did was just unbelievable.”
Here are six takeaways from the post-draft press conference and statements.
There were a lot of unsung heroes behind the scenes
Ashwaubenon Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said that for all the plaudits the Packers, Green Bay and NFL got during the draft, a lot more agencies “played a very critical role in the success of this NFL draft.”
“Successful partnerships and incredible teamwork” were keys to making sure everything went according to plans and Gregozeski said all village employees stepped up to take on nontraditional roles for the draft. Even Village Board President Mary Kardoskee mentioned going on port-a-potty detail during the three-day event.
“I could not be prouder for all of our teammates here at the village for their dedication, flexibility and collaborative teamwork … throughout the week,” Gregozeski said.
We’ll have to wait to find out if the draft beat economic impact projections
The draft was projected to inject $20 million into the local economy and $94 million state. And while Toll said the overall response to the Green Bay area’s job as hosts has been positive, he doesn’t yet have actual economic impact information.
Toll said Discover Green Bay hired a firm to conduct a thorough economic impact analysis of the draft. The firm had staff at the draft to interview visitors to help provide more detail for the follow-up report.
He said the final report is expected in June.
Were there arrests outside the draft venue?
Green Bay police reported only one person was arrested at the NFL draft over three days, much calmer than a typical Green Bay Packers home game. But how many arrests did Ashwaubenon Public Safety make in the Stadium District, where the party continued after the draft grounds closed?
Ashwaubenon Interim Public Safety Chief Tom Rolling said the department tripled its typical staffing for a Packers home game weekend and had six officers in the Holmgren Way area during the draft.
Over the three-day period, Rolling said officers arrested two people and issued several citations in the Stadium District area. Overall, he said that was well below the volume of activity during a home game weekend.
The traffic plan worked
Rollins said the community “would have been in deep trouble” without the traffic management plan the community’s public safety agencies collaboratively developed and implemented with a lot of help from Brown County Highway Department, public works agencies, the state DOT and Wisconsin State Patrol.
“There were a lot of contingency plans we didn’t need,” Brown County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy said.
The State Patrol provided 55 troopers and inspectors to help out with directing and managing traffic.
Josh Falk, with the DOT’s northeast region, said no major vehicle crashes were reported on major highways near the draft. He added that they deployed 35 signal and message boards to direct vehicles into parking zones.
Downtown to Titletown estimated 12,000 rides
Another key to traffic flowing well during the draft were the free Downtown to Titletown free bus service Green Bay Metro Transit offered April 24-26 and the Brown County Tavern League’s Safe Ride shuttles.
Metro Transit Director Patty Kiewicz on April 28 said Metro buses provide about 8,000 trips on a typical Thursday-Friday-Saturday. During the three-day draft, she said Metro Transit provided about 20,000 trips, or 12,000 more than a typical three-day run.
That’s a 150% increase over a normal three-day period.
Mayor Genrich praises city, cooperation
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich in an April 28 statement said he feels immense gratitude for residents, employees, the city’s business improvement districts, the village of Ashwaubenon, Brown County and the Green Bay Packers for “making the 2025 draft something special for everyone.”
“I also want to recognize Packers President Mark Murphy specifically for his vision of bringing the NFL draft to Green Bay and ignoring the naysayers. As the league’s smallest city, we heard all the skeptics, but we didn’t let them distract us,” Genrich said in the statement. “This has always been ‘the little city that could’ and this last week we showed the world who we are and what we are capable of, and we all proved Mark right.”
Genrich said he’s not sure where the community goes from here, but said the draft showed hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of viewers what many locals already know: Green Bay is an exceptional city, capable of greatness.
“What’s next is yet to be determined, but this much we know: This community owns the Green Bay Packers, and this community owns our future, too. It is yet to be made, but it is brighter than we can even imagine,” Genrich said.
Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: How did the Green Bay area do hosting the NFL draft? 6 takeaways
Regional collaboration and partnerships helped ensure the 2025 NFL Draft was a success that shined a bright, positive light on the entire Green Bay area.
That’s the message Ashwaubenon, Brown County, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and the region’s tourism marketing agency Discover Green Bay shared on April 28 as the community recovers from the massive, three-day event that drew an estimated attendance of 600,000.
Discover Green Bay CEO Brad Toll had to pause for a moment as he talked about how the draft served as a three-day-long commercial for the region, one that operational planning for traffic and public safety helped ensure left a positive impression on visitors. Toll said he knew the event exceeded expectations when entry was temporarily halted on the first night of the draft because the theater had reached capacity.
“We were so relieved to see that because you dream about being able to do this for your community,” Toll said. “To have it come off the way it did was just unbelievable.”
Here are six takeaways from the post-draft press conference and statements.
There were a lot of unsung heroes behind the scenes
Ashwaubenon Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said that for all the plaudits the Packers, Green Bay and NFL got during the draft, a lot more agencies “played a very critical role in the success of this NFL draft.”
“Successful partnerships and incredible teamwork” were keys to making sure everything went according to plans and Gregozeski said all village employees stepped up to take on nontraditional roles for the draft. Even Village Board President Mary Kardoskee mentioned going on port-a-potty detail during the three-day event.
“I could not be prouder for all of our teammates here at the village for their dedication, flexibility and collaborative teamwork … throughout the week,” Gregozeski said.
We’ll have to wait to find out if the draft beat economic impact projections
The draft was projected to inject $20 million into the local economy and $94 million state. And while Toll said the overall response to the Green Bay area’s job as hosts has been positive, he doesn’t yet have actual economic impact information.
Toll said Discover Green Bay hired a firm to conduct a thorough economic impact analysis of the draft. The firm had staff at the draft to interview visitors to help provide more detail for the follow-up report.
He said the final report is expected in June.
Were there arrests outside the draft venue?
Green Bay police reported only one person was arrested at the NFL draft over three days, much calmer than a typical Green Bay Packers home game. But how many arrests did Ashwaubenon Public Safety make in the Stadium District, where the party continued after the draft grounds closed?
Ashwaubenon Interim Public Safety Chief Tom Rolling said the department tripled its typical staffing for a Packers home game weekend and had six officers in the Holmgren Way area during the draft.
Over the three-day period, Rolling said officers arrested two people and issued several citations in the Stadium District area. Overall, he said that was well below the volume of activity during a home game weekend.
The traffic plan worked
Rollins said the community “would have been in deep trouble” without the traffic management plan the community’s public safety agencies collaboratively developed and implemented with a lot of help from Brown County Highway Department, public works agencies, the state DOT and Wisconsin State Patrol.
“There were a lot of contingency plans we didn’t need,” Brown County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy said.
The State Patrol provided 55 troopers and inspectors to help out with directing and managing traffic.
Josh Falk, with the DOT’s northeast region, said no major vehicle crashes were reported on major highways near the draft. He added that they deployed 35 signal and message boards to direct vehicles into parking zones.
Downtown to Titletown estimated 12,000 rides
Another key to traffic flowing well during the draft were the free Downtown to Titletown free bus service Green Bay Metro Transit offered April 24-26 and the Brown County Tavern League’s Safe Ride shuttles.
Metro Transit Director Patty Kiewicz on April 28 said Metro buses provide about 8,000 trips on a typical Thursday-Friday-Saturday. During the three-day draft, she said Metro Transit provided about 20,000 trips, or 12,000 more than a typical three-day run.
That’s a 150% increase over a normal three-day period.
Mayor Genrich praises city, cooperation
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich in an April 28 statement said he feels immense gratitude for residents, employees, the city’s business improvement districts, the village of Ashwaubenon, Brown County and the Green Bay Packers for “making the 2025 draft something special for everyone.”
“I also want to recognize Packers President Mark Murphy specifically for his vision of bringing the NFL draft to Green Bay and ignoring the naysayers. As the league’s smallest city, we heard all the skeptics, but we didn’t let them distract us,” Genrich said in the statement. “This has always been ‘the little city that could’ and this last week we showed the world who we are and what we are capable of, and we all proved Mark right.”
Genrich said he’s not sure where the community goes from here, but said the draft showed hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of viewers what many locals already know: Green Bay is an exceptional city, capable of greatness.
“What’s next is yet to be determined, but this much we know: This community owns the Green Bay Packers, and this community owns our future, too. It is yet to be made, but it is brighter than we can even imagine,” Genrich said.
Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: How did the Green Bay area do hosting the NFL draft? 6 takeaways
