GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Just days after the NFL Draft, the three-day celebration of football’s future is receiving high praise from City of Green Bay leaders after more than 600,000 fans were reported to attend the event.
“Just total gratitude for everyone who played the smallest to the largest role in making it a safe and successful event,” Mayor Eric Genrich said. “As I’ve said before Green Bay is the smallest NFL city with the biggest heart, and I think that was on full display over the last few days.”
Leaders shook hands and smiled, taking turns at the podium, as if they were teammates celebrating coming off the field. The top priority was safety and security; the result: mission accomplished.
“Over 9,600 people received safe ride transportation with the Brown County Tavern League,” Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain said.
Law enforcement said it was a “less than average week” despite the increased crowd in the city, and there were only four DUIs during the draft, which they credit, in part, to the shuttles and Green Bay Metro’s efforts.
One of the downsides of the week was the loss of revenue for hotels, which Discover Green Bay Vice President of Sales & Service Beth Ulatowski revealed that the NFL booked 85% of area hotel rooms at a reduced rate.
“The hotels in Green Bay really, we say, laid down the sword for all of us because not only did they give up the majority of hotel rooms to the NFL for the room locks, they gave them up at a reduced price,” she said.
But with largely strong reviews of the draft by both league and local officials, when might the Packers begin formulating their next bid for the draft? Sit tight, Director of Public Affairs Aaron Popkey tells me.
“We had a successful event and down the road, I think we’ll reflect well on this and see where things go,” he said.
