Fox Valley ready for extra business expected from Green Bay hosting NFL Draft
FOX VALLEY, Wis. (WLUK) -- Excitement for Green Bay's hosting of the NFL Draft in 2025 is reaching further than just Titletown.
Businesses in the Fox Valley are already looking forward to the extra tourism -- and spending -- that the three-day event will bring to Northeast Wisconsin.
From restaurants to hotels and the Appleton International Airport, the Fox Valley is more than ready for the extra business come 2025.
While the draft will bring more business than a typical Green Bay Packers game, those gamedays are making most businesses feel equipped for the NFL's largest off-season event.
The Fox Cities have managed to successfully host hundreds of thousands of visitors each year for Appleton's Mile of Music and EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
But that doesn't mean preparations aren't in order.
"It impacts everything," said Hilton Paper Valley Hotel Reservations Manager Chrystie Buettner. "You get more people, more food, more gas, more hotel rooms are sold. It's great, and it's awesome to see all the fans not only from Green Bay but everywhere."
"We're banking on the fact that people that are staying here in the fox cities are gonna be able to fly into Appleton versus another airport in the area," Appleton International Airport Air Services and Business Development Manager Jesse Funk said. "We're looking at that business definitely being an uptick for us. To what extent we don't know. We know it'll be good we just don't know to what extent."
The Packers have said Wisconsin could expect to see an economic impact of $90 million -- roughly six times as much as a typical game-day weekend. Green Bay alone is expected to see $50 million from hosting the NFL Draft.
