SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — After the news broke about the NFL draft coming to Green Bay, many nearby communities started preparing for the influx of people coming to the entire state of Wisconsin.
In fact, communities like Sheboygan, which is just an hour away from Green Bay, expect to bring in many visitors in 2025.
Parker John’s BBQ and Pizza in Sheboygan said it’s looking forward to the Draft coming to Wisconsin. Parker John’s is known as the official caterer for the Green Bay Packers, and has many locations throughout the Fox Citifies.
The Sheboygan location knows it will also see a boom in business.
“I thought it was super cool,” Parker John’s general manager, Tim Bartz, said. “I thought it took too long for the draft to come to Green Bay.”
Bartz said the team is looking forward to the overflow of visitors to stay in their city for the Draft — as they have done for huge events like the PGA Championship.
“It’s exciting to know we are going to get some spillover,” Bartz said. “There’s a lot of big things that have happened in the past 10 years in this area, and we have been more than ready to handle the challenge.”
All of those potential tourists will need somewhere to stay, especially with the relatively small amount of hotel rooms located in the Green Bay area.
The Blue Harbor Resort said it has already signed up to be a host location with the NFL.
“We are looking forward to it,” Blue Harbor Resort group sales manager, Delaine Reichert, said. “We are going to see a great tapestry of people that get to see Sheboygan and Wisconsin in a different light and hopefully return and enjoy everything we have to offer here.”
While the Draft is still two years away, excitement is brewing and preparations are already underway in the hospitality industry.
“I’ve watched it every single year,” Bartz said. “To know that is going to be a week of awesome things coming to Wisconsin.
Green Bay expects over 240,000 visitors during the draft week with an approximate $94 million dollar statewide economic impact.