Green Bay Takes NFL Draft Baton from Detroit, Prepares for 2025

The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers have a rivalry on the gridiron that goes back to when the franchises first clashed in 1930.

Off the field, the two sides have come together in collaboration when it comes to hosting the NFL Draft. Detroit just finished hosting the biggest draft of all time with more than 700,000 people in attendance over the course of three days, creating an electric atmosphere that reverberated throughout the league.

“One of the biggest things that we felt was the excitement around the event and then all of the people from Detroit just sharing the pride in their city,” said Nick Meisner, vice president of digital marketing and communications at Discover Green Bay. “There were a lot of local people we talked to who came from 15 or 20 minutes outside Detroit and they were all just so proud of their city and how far it’s come and there was so much positive energy.”

Meisner was part of a large contingent of Discover Green Bay and Packers employees that attended the Detroit draft to take notes and suggestions as Green Bay will host next year’s draft from April 24–26, 2025. Meisner had his 2025 draft apparel on, which featured a Packers logo, and it created some good-natured conversation with Lions fans.

“We couldn’t quite find a coffee shop and we asked one of the locals if he could help us out,” Meisner recalled. “He said, ‘It’s just a block down that way on the right. And then he saw Green Bay under our draft logo and said, ‘Actually, it’s like seven miles away.’ We all had a good laugh about that. And then he pointed us to the coffee shop.”

Aaron Popkey, director of public affairs for the Green Bay Packers, was in Detroit for his fourth NFL Draft. Popkey was impressed with the job done by Detroit, Detroit Sports Commission, and everybody involved.

“Each draft is unique and the host city utilizes its space well and magnifies the attractions of the individual city and Detroit did a fantastic job on all those fronts,” Popkey said. “It was impressive to see all the Lions fans and I appreciated the energy they brought and the happiness they were experiencing.

“I think there’s a camaraderie with all the teams there. It’s good natured in terms of the rivalry, but everyone’s together this time of year. Everybody’s looking forward with some positive mojo. And it’s a celebration of football and all that comes with it. And that’s what you see at the draft. That’s what it’s grown into.” 

Titletown on the clock

The main portion of the 2025 draft is expected to take place on the Lambeau Field and Titletown campus, with a variety of venues to be utilized within close proximity to the stadium.

“We got to chat with people from the NFL that were in Detroit and one thing they said was to not look at the draft in Detroit and say, ‘Hey, this is going to be exactly how it is in my city,’ because each one is unique,” Meisner said. “So we’ll work with the Packers and the NFL to make it a Green Bay draft.”

Popkey says seeing Detroit hit a home run has the competitive juices flowing as his city plans its own draft.

“When you are present at an event that’s done well, and you’re going to be putting on the same event, certainly the pride factor comes into play,” Popkey said. “We know this draft is going to be the largest event Green Bay has ever held and we expect a big crowd. Now, would we expect the same number to show up as in Detroit? Not necessarily. But what we saw there reminds us that this is going to be a big crowd and we just need to be flexible in our planning and our preparation.”

The planning and preparation have been ongoing for several years in Green Bay. While the city was officially awarded the 2025 draft in May 2023, the bid and ideas process has been in motion for nearly six years. The festivities will include several days of activities throughout Green Bay and will feature the NFL Draft Experience near Lambeau Field, which will include interactive exhibits, player appearances, sponsor experiences, youth-focused activities and opportunities for fans of all ages to test their football skills.

“We’re really excited about the footprint that the NFL has identified,” Popkey said. “The league sets the campus and we set the table with what’s available. Then they come in and say what they think will work best for what we’re planning. So we’ll work with the league as they further establish and define that for Green Bay. We work with them on ingress and egress and traffic, parking, satellite parking and shuttles, everything that goes into it — all the ancillary programming.”

Green Bay in the spotlight

Green Bay will be the smallest city to host an NFL Draft. The Green Bay metro area includes about 320,000 people. By comparison, the Detroit metro area has 4.3 million. But that small-town charm that Wisconsin is famous for will provide a uniqueness with the city rated the No. 1 place to live by U.S. News and World Report.

“I don’t think there’s another community like Green Bay in the NFL,” Meisner said. “We’re a medium-sized city that has hospitality to no end and plenty of things to do no matter what your vibe is. … It’s kind of like building a resume. When we can put the NFL draft on our resume, there’s not much we can’t host.”

Early economic impact estimates say Green Bay will experience a $20 million boost. Much like Detroit, Green Bay has the advantage of many NFL cities with passionate fan bases being within a drive of a few hours, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit and Indianapolis.

“You have all these communities that are on the way in and out of Green Bay,” Popkey said. “So they’re going to have the opportunity to have people stop and take in hospitality, food, other attractions. And they’re excited to maximize their opportunities.”

“Lodging is something that comes up a lot,” Meisner added. “We’ve hosted big events before and have thousands of people that come in for Packers game days. Is everyone going to be able to stay in the city of Green Bay during the draft? No. But not everyone was able to stay in the city of Detroit. We stayed in Dearborn. We are partnering with the convention and visitors’ bureaus all down the east coast of Wisconsin. We have a transportation committee that’s figuring out how we’re going to get fans to the draft footprint.”

Popkey and the Packers will use the spotlight to entertain existing or potential clients with events around the draft area throughout the week.

“The state of Wisconsin has been fortunate to host some big events,” Popkey said. “We had the Ryder Cup down in the Sheboygan area and we’ve had the U.S. Open. Milwaukee has Summerfest and they also have the RNC this summer. So I think people in the state are familiar with these types of large-scale events where people are driving in from out of state.”

For Meisner and his colleagues at Discover Green Bay, the 2025 draft is a chance to showcase everything the city has to offer outside the draft footprint.

“It’s surprising to me how many people are surprised that Green Bay has water, even though our name is Green Bay,” Meisner said. “They only see Lambeau on the TV shots. We have nightlife. We have outdoor recreation. One thing we hear all the time is we have some of the best food for the best prices. You’re not getting big city prices on food and things around the community. People are going to be immersed in the history of Green Bay and football in Green Bay, along with a little spice of our culture and how we live and what makes our city great.”