VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

When the National Football League announced the Green Bay Packers would host the 2025 NFL draft, there was little doubt Packers fans would show up. A party in the shadow of Lambeau Field with no cost to get in?

By the end of the night, the NFL announced attendance on the first day hit 205,000 people.

“The draft is really like an all eyes on us moment for Wisconsin, and that’s really important because we are turning football fans into Wisconsin fans,” said Secretary Anne Sayers of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

She noted that not all of these football fans are local — fans in attendance were wearing jerseys representing all 32 teams in the league, and even some of those wearing Packers jerseys traveled from out of state.

Wisconsin spent more than $2 million to help prepare for and promote the event.

“We have been preparing for a really long time. We knew we could do it, and so I think people are going to have a seamless experience and that’s what it’s all about,” Sayers said.

“We booked an Airbnb in Appleton like a year ago,” said Aaron Leonard, who traveled from Illinois with his wife Trisha and their two young children.

They were surprised to find activities for their kids throughout the day, like a football skills event.

“I was just thinking about I was doing pretty good,” said Archer Leonard.

“It’s been a great experience, especially for a 5- and soon to be 3-year-old,” Aaron Leonard said. “It’s been great for the kids.”

The Leonards have been to Green Bay for games before, but for others this trip was a first.

“This is awesome, I’ve seen every fan base, it’s a beautiful area — hotels are nice,” said Cody McKeown, a Cleveland Browns fan from Ohio.

“I’d love to come back and watch a Packers game sometime, it’s on my bucket list,” said Johnathan Grubbs, an Indianapolis Colts fan from Indiana.

Wisconsin is on a hot streak when it comes to hosting large events, and Sayers said the key is turning those visitors into repeat customers.

“I think we’re making an impression. We hosted the RNC, we’re now hosting the draft, we were showcased through Top Chef recently, we have a lot of marquee moments happening in golf, we were welcoming Indy Car back. I think it’s just showing Wisconsin can do this, we can absolutely host. People have a great time, they go home with stories, they actually want to come back for their family vacations — that’s what it’s all about,” said Sayers.

“Just to drive up here, it was cool to look at all the things we could do. We thought maybe we’ll bring the kids here, maybe we’ll do this, maybe we’ll do that,” said Heidi Wallace, a Denver Broncos fan from Iowa.

While a cloudy day in April may not show off Wisconsin at its best, the food is always good and there were long lines for standards like burgers and cheese curds, but also food trucks like The Frybread Shack.

“Frybread is our special recipe that we make with our dough,” said Ezra Leoso, who along with his team of chefs are from the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

“We’re an Indigenous food truck., There’s not too many Indigenous foods out there. It means a lot —- we’re honored to be out here on behalf of natives across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan. We’re from northern Wisconsin — the Bad River reservation. So we’re very honored to be a part of this, to be accepted in here and share our culture with everyone,” Leoso said.

“We are showcasing our amazing culinary food traditions, our outdoor recreation — which is world class — our unique accommodations, our unexpected attractions,” said Sayers. “So many of these things that we know travelers are looking for, we have it in Wisconsin and the draft is just giving us a stage to show it all off.”

The NFL draft is one of the rare sporting events where every fan can walk away happy, none more so than the crowd of Packers fans when the team finally made their selection.