PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As construction crews continue to build the NFL Draft campus in Titletown, anticipation for the big event is building all around.
2025 NFL Draft sponsor Associated Bank hosted an event Thursday at the KI Convention Center to kick off the month of the draft. It was open to the bank’s staff and featured leaders from the NFL Draft Green Bay Committee and the Green Bay Packers, who shared their excitement and more information about what the expected economic impact will look like.
“All the work that’s come in — the planning, the diagrams, the renderings — has been exciting, but now to see it actually being built takes that up a notch,” Green Bay Packers Director of Public Affairs Aaron Popkey said.
Popkey said preparations for the draft are going smoothly. The NFL Draft brings with it a unique community impact, as hosting an event of this size is uncharted waters for Green Bay.
“It’s a lot of work. It’s teamwork. There’s a lot of great people working for something bigger than themselves, so I personally have a lot of pride in this,” 2025 NFL Draft Green Bay Committee Chair Mike Haddad said.
Planning for the event has been six years in the making for the NFL Draft Green Bay Committee. They hope it’s something fans will look back on fondly, many years down the road.
“What we want is just to create an incredible memory and experience for everyone, bring people together, unite them in a way that only football and the Packers can really do,” Haddad said.
The NFL Draft is expected to have a $94 million impact on Green Bay and Wisconsin. In Brown County alone, Discover Green Bay says the draft will have a $20 million impact.
Everyone involved hopes the spotlight will bring a big boost to area businesses. Titletown Brewery is just one of those businesses hoping to take home a chunk of the change.
“We kind of anticipate something like a home game weekend juiced up a little bit,” Titletown Brewing Co. General Manager Dan Chojnacki said.
The brewery plans to simplify their food and drink menus and are taking extra steps to make sure they have plenty of staff on hand. They want to be ready for all possibilities.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime economic chance. We hope it’s going to be all that we expect it to be, and I think any business that’s in the community would feel that way with just this chance to have an influx in a small amount of time,” Chojnacki said.
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