NFL and local partners brief council on operations, access and safety plans for 2025 draft in Green Bay

Representatives of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers and local partners presented detailed plans to the Common Council on March 4 for the 2025 NFL Draft campus, operations and community engagement.

John Barker, head of global event operations and production for the NFL, described draft staging at Lambeau Field and the surrounding campus, saying the league aimed to make the event “your draft” for Green Bay. "The inspiration of this stage design is from your stadium," Barker said, pointing to set elements that reference Lambeau Field.

The presentation covered a three-day schedule: Round 1 on Thursday, April 24 (gates and fan experience open at noon, theater production beginning around 7 p.m.), rounds 2–3 on Friday, April 25 (gates noon; theater 6–11 p.m.), and Saturday, April 26 (fan gates and experience open at 9 a.m.; theater production beginning around 11 a.m.; footprint closes at 6 p.m.). Ashley Hamilton (production) and Nikki Yule (experience) outlined hours and the draft’s “Draft Experience” fan festival, which will be free to attend but requires registration through the NFL 1 Pass app.

Organizers described the campus footprint anchored by a temporary draft theater in Lot 3 at Lambeau Field, general-admission viewing areas, hospitality spaces and back-of-house operations concentrated around the Resch Complex. Jen Marks and Kelsey Pietrangelo described a phased build that begins March 29, with staged road closures and a mid‑April full campus takeover. Organizers said they would limit early closures where possible and reopen roads during load-out as soon as safe.

Transportation and parking planning was presented by Mike Whitty and Nick Meisner of Discover Green Bay. They described neighborhood parking zones, shuttle and charter plans, dedicated rideshare drop-off points, and a parking-registration tool on DiscoverGreenBay.com and in the NFL 1 Pass app. Meisner said nearly 300 responses had already informed a public parking map and that shuttle operators and motor-coach providers were being coordinated.

Ralph Dennis (NFL Security) summarized threat assessment, perimeter protections, magnetometer/X-ray screening and explosive-detection canines. He said federal, state and local partners were continuously monitoring for threats and reported no credible threats at the time of the briefing. Dennis emphasized a temporary flight restriction during event dates to prohibit unauthorized drones.

Belinda Gardner described community inclusion work, including local food vendors and supplier opportunities, efforts to deliver a “handcrafted” Green Bay identity in on-site branding, and legacy initiatives intended to outlive the three-day event. The organizers also said the local hospitality and restaurant partners keep 100% of concessions revenue and that locally curated food would be featured on campus.

Council members asked for follow-up communication work for residents and businesses. Organizers said a locally based liaison, Gary Baranowski, would coordinate direct outreach to neighboring property owners about access, deliveries and tailored needs during closures. The 1 Pass app (nfl.com/draftaccess) and experience.support@nfl.com were listed as channels for fan information and registration.

No formal council action was required; the session functioned as a briefing and public update.