Buffalo Business First Article: Buffalo and the NFL Draft

[Draconator]

This is a in-depth article about what Buffalo needs to land the NFL Draft, using Green Bay for comparison. It's behind a paywall but I'll post the article here. 

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2025/09/25/buffalo-bills-nfl-draft-economy.html?utm_source=st&utm_medium=en&utm_campaign=me&utm_content=BU&ana=e_BU_me&j=41723169&senddate=2025-09-25&utm_term=ep4&empos=p4

 

A playbook for Buffalo
Green Bay’s decade-long journey to hosting the NFL Draft offers lessons for the Bills and the region

 

As Brad Toll walked into NFL Draft Theater, he turned around and took in the 200,000 people who showed up to the first night of the 2025 draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Hosting such a monumental event had been a decade in the making. It exceeded organizers' expectations and was a moment the CEO and president of Discover Green Bay will never forget.

 

“On game day, there’s the home team and the away team. Somebody’s going to win and somebody’s going to lose," he said. "The draft, when you get it — all 32 teams are there. Nobody’s going to win. Nobody’s going to lose. We’re just celebrating a game that we love to watch.”

 

Green Bay, however, did win. The city had anticipated about 275,000 in attendance over the three-day event but ended up with over 600,000, the second-most-attended draft in NFL history.

 

As the Buffalo Bills vie to host an NFL Draft here, Green Bay – the NFL’s smallest market — offers a glimmer of hope and a few lessons.

 

Landing on the draft schedule would mean being able to showcase Buffalo on an international stage, plus added jobs and millions of economic dollars being pumped into Western New York. The long-term impact could range from regional collaboration to increased potential as a destination for future national events.

 

“An event like this — not only is it going to have significant economic impact, it's going to show that Buffalo can handle these types of opportunities,” said Pete Guelli, Bills and Sabres chief operating officer.

 

Still, there’s a lot to consider, from the budget for hosting such a large event to the logistics needed to get selected by the NFL. While Green Bay is a smaller market, the area also has some differences – like development built up around its historic stadium – that play in its favor.

 

‘To buy that coverage could have cost us $50 million’

There are many ways to slice and dice the economic benefits for a region hosting an NFL Draft: the number of out-of-town visitors, how much the NFL spends in the local market, the media coverage. They all add up.

 

As the Bills prepare to open the new stadium next season, the team has publicly expressed interest in hosting the draft in 2029 or 2030. The team also formally provided the NFL an expression of interest in hosting for two consecutive years, step one of the process that a team renews every year, according to Guelli.

 

ABOUT BUFFALO UNLOCKED: How far can the region’s transformation go, and what’s holding it back? Buffalo Business First is continuing to examine how the region can capitalize on strengths and address weaknesses, improving both the local economy and quality of life for the people who live here. We want to hear from you. What must be done to unlock Buffalo’s potential? What assets should be utilized? What issues must be addressed? Email Editor-in-Chief Editor Michelle Cioci Adams at mcadams@bizjournals.com. Comments may be used in future stories.

 

The next step would be the league's asking the Bills to formally submit a bid. The NFL has not yet provided a timeline on that, but the team has been in “constant contact” with the organization, he said.

 

“The one thing you can’t really get a handle on just yet is how competitive it’s going to be,” he said. “The draft has become such a major event. … We're going to make sure that our bid is as strong as anybody's and do everything we can to secure the event.”

 

For Green Bay, hosting the 2025 Draft had a roughly $72.9 million impact on Brown County and a $105 million effect on Wisconsin, according to a study spearheaded by Experience Greater Green Bay, a tourism research and education nonprofit. The study was conducted by Sportsimpacts, a sports consulting firm.

 

Patrick Rishe, director of sports business at Washington University's business school in St. Louis, estimated the impact on the region at $56 million. He’s also the founder and president of Sportsimpacts.

 

That figure includes new income for local businesses and employees and any tax revenues created in the region.

 

From NFL staff to media partners and vendors, the league had 2,000 to 3,000 staff on site during the draft, according to Toll. In addition, the NFL hired about 1,200 locals.

Then there are more intangible factors — the promotional value — that economic development reports don’t typically include.

 

Of the more than 600,000 attendees in 2025, about 362,600 were unique attendees, meaning individuals who participated, regardless of how many times they showed up during the three-day event, according to Sportsimpacts’ research.

 

The publicity spans beyond just those who attended the event: The NFL reported the 2025 draft was seen by an average audience of 7.5 million viewers across multiple channels for the three-day event, making it the second most-watched draft on record.

 

That’s millions of people seeing shots of the Green Bay area.

 

Discover Green Bay used Muck Rack to track how many times its organization’s name and “NFL Draft” appeared in news articles nationwide in April. The total was 776, with an average reach of 6.1 million potential viewers per story.

 

“To buy that coverage could have cost us $50 million,” Toll said. “That’s staggering. Our total budget for the year is $3 million. What could we possible do that would bring in that kind of visibility and, literally, advertising?”

 

Pulling off hosting the draft – the largest event ever held in Green Bay – boosted the region’s resume when it comes to attracting other big-scale events.

 

“The NFL took a chance and succeeded fantastically,” said Aaron Popkey, the Green Bay Packers’ director of public affairs. “We put that on our calling card.”

 

Behind-the-scenes of applying for and hosting an NFL Draft

 

When the NFL Draft moved out of New York City and started moving cities a decade ago, Toll said he immediately called the Packers to talk about hosting the event in Green Bay.

 

The region then expressed interest to the NFL, including participating in a 2015 NFL survey for markets interested in hosting, according to Popkey. The region started its due diligence on hosting in 2017.

 

“We had a sense of 'we’re not going to get a Super Bowl in Green Bay, but this could be our Super Bowl,' ” he said.

 

The NFL has a bid booklet with 70 pages of questions and factors to consider when applying to host a draft. Green Bay’s bid was over 300 pages, Toll said.

 

The Packers, local event management company PMI Entertainment Group and Discover Green Bay formally submitted a bid for 2022, then again for 2024. The region was bidding for 2027 when the NFL asked if it’d try for 2025 as well, according to Toll.

 

The team got the confirmation in 2023 that it had been selected.

 

Overall, the NFL is in charge of most things inside the campus of the draft. The hosting community is responsible for factors outside the campus, such as traffic, security and public works, according to Toll.

 

Cities that host the draft are selected through a vote by the 32 NFL owners, taking into account the size of the venue and return on investment, NBC Los Angeles reported.

In Green Bay’s experience, the NFL wants information in the bidding process on budget, logistics, hotel capacity and space and facilities available. Green Bay had a budget of about $8.5 million, according to Popkey.

 

“The NFL wants to see you don’t have just one entity writing a check for that,” he said. “They want to know the community is all in.”

 

The NFL did not grant an interview for this story.

 

Green Bay worked with the NFL and its transportation vendor to create a transport plan, as people were getting bussed in from different areas, according to Toll. The event required parking areas for shuttle buses, ingress and egress routes and organized security.

 

Green Bay was already accustomed to providing security for large home game crowds, so different parties like state, city and county staff were accustomed to working together, he said.

 

For hotel requirements, the NFL needed at its peak over 3,000 hotel rooms for its staff and vendors, Popkey said. Green Bay has about 5,000 and the figure goes up when the radius is extended by 30 miles.

 

The NFL needs to know what physical space is available and what facilities are nearby to use, but the league is used to building what it needs. Green Bay had Lambeau Field and the Titletown campus as its draft site.

 

“The NFL works with what you have,” Toll said. “We had a big exposition hall right behind the stage they could use as a green room. If you don’t have that, they’ll build a green room.”

 

How does Buffalo measure up?

 

Securing a slot hosting the NFL Draft is competitive, and applicants must do more than show they meet the NFL’s requirements.

 

“Then it becomes a matter of: Why your community instead of a different one?” said Toll.

 

Let’s start with some of the requirements.

 

Green Bay pointed to its home game attendance when talking about preparedness for handling security and safety at the draft.

 

The Bills had slightly lower average attendance at home games in 2024 (70,700) than the Packers (78,000). That’s based on ESPN’s data on NFL attendance. But numbers-wise, the crowd that security is accustomed to handling at Highmark is comparable to Lambeau.

 

Guelli said the Bills are confident that having so many fans at home games uniquely prepares them for an opportunity like the draft. If the team gets to host in 2029 or 2030, that allows a couple years of operating in the new stadium, which puts it in an even better position.

 

Hotel capacity is another hot topic that comes up when talking about boosting tourism and drawing in events, such as the draft, to the Buffalo region.

 

Green Bay has about 5,000 hotel rooms, and the figure goes up to 10,000 when nearby Appleton is included, reported the AP.

 

Downtown Buffalo has nearly 1,500 hotel rooms, and Erie County has over 10,000, according to Visit Buffalo Niagara.

 

Patrick Kaler, CEO of the local destination marketing organization, referred questions regarding the region's bid to the Bills.

 

The Bills have also spoken with the NFL about the hotel capacity. With the draft being more of a regional event, hotel rooms won’t be much of a challenge, according to Guelli.

 

As far as accommodating visitors, Green Bay had people staying as far as Milwaukee, nearly two hours away. A number of cities in Wisconsin ran motorcoaches to and from the draft site, according to Toll.

 

To set its bid apart, Green Bay emphasized its history and tradition, its loyal and engaged fan base and its impressive facilities, from the historic Lambeau Field to the nearby development, the 45-acre Titletown campus.

 

Popkey said he sees similarities in the Buffalo market that could make it an appealing place for a draft. The Bills have a passionate fan base that will support its team.

 

But there’s also some differences, Titletown being one of the biggest ones. The campus, development around the stadium that aims to be a year-round attraction, includes Ariens Hill, a sloped green space and makeshift tubing hill; Shopko Optical Playground, a football-inspired play area; a beer garden; game courts like ping pong and foosball; and Hy-Vee Plaza, which has ice skating in the winter months, to name a few.

 

Green Bay used the Resch Expo, a 125,000-square-foot facility east of the stadium, as the green room for draft prospects. The NFL Draft Experience was held at Titletown.

Meanwhile, Highmark Stadium is in a sleepy neighborhood with a few restaurants, a motel and the SUNY Erie campus across the street, for now. There are no hotels, shops, retail complexes or other attractions.

 

Shawn O’Rourke, dean of Canisius University’s business school, said development is needed near the stadium but also pointed out that isn't the only important factor.

“The success of the franchise, the team, the popularity of it — no doubt about it, it’s a big part of it,” he said.

 

It remains to be seen if things will change with the new stadium, which is projected to be completed mid-year in 2026. Ownership of the over $2 billion stadium, as well as the current stadium site and structures nearby like the parking lot and field house, will transfer from Erie County to New York state mid-2026.

 

“There’s always talks ongoing,” said Steve Ranalli, president of the Erie County Stadium Corp. “We’re certainly waiting in both the Town of Orchard Park and Hamburg, who are both looking at zoning codes down there.”

 

When asked if development around Lambeau Field impacted Green Bay getting picked to host the draft, Popkey said he couldn’t speak to that directly. But the region “really leaned” on that in its bid.

 

“What an experience for those rookies to have that right inside of one of the NFL’s most famous venues,” he said. “There was a lot to like that we felt was going to be helpful for us. Look at this space. It’s almost perfect for you.”

 

Development around the stadium “wouldn’t hurt,” but the league is more interested in having the ability to design and build exactly what they want to hold the draft, according to Guelli.

 

“We're still kind of contemplating what this footprint is going to look like long term, but you know, even if it's simply open air, there won't be an issue with the league,” he said. “They can create whatever they need to bring the event here.”

 

Buffalo also has to think about where entertainment options would go. Having them near the event is convenient for fans, according to Rishe.

 

With the new stadium as part of the draw, the team will want to highlight the investment made into the team and its facilities. The site has the Hamburg Fairgrounds four miles down the road, plus added space once the old stadium gets demoed in 2027, he added.

 

“I think if the Bills put forward a bid that’s competitive, they’re going to get it. The NFL wants to reward the Pegulas for the investment,” said Patrick Tutka, clinical associate professor in the health and kinesiology department at Purdue University.

 

Only time will tell.

 

Action items

 

Five ways Buffalo can unlock its full potential by elevating its image nationally.

 

• Talk up the region's diverse attractions. Buffalo has a lot more going for it than just winter, wings and the Buffalo Bills. While those are some of the major factors we’re known for nationally, there are a lot more wins – like our architecture and arts and culture offerings – that people need to hear about.
• Go on the offense. If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation. Lead with perceived weaknesses and turn them into strengths. It’s a strategy groups like Invest Buffalo Niagara have used to turn Buffalo’s weather into a positive as a potential refuge from climate change.
• Learn from others. Whether it’s Pittsburgh’s tech scene or the revitalization of downtown Detroit, the Queen City can take lessons from other metro areas. Although these regions have their differences compared to Western New York, what can we learn from their stories?
• Take big swings. The NFL Draft is just one major event that could bring Buffalo to a national stage. As a city that’s often known for being risk averse, Buffalo has to keep looking for opportunities to take chances to unlock its full potential.
• Welcome new voices. Buffalo’s a small, tight-knit community, but to continue its resurgence, we need fresh perspectives and talent in the region. That could be expats coming back to the area or people discovering Buffalo for the first time. They bring earning and spending potential and new businesses and skills to Western New York, as well as becoming ambassadors spreading word of the Queen City.

 

[Just Jack]

4 hours ago, Draconator said:

The Bills had slightly lower average attendance at home games in 2024 (70,700) than the Packers (78,000). That’s based on ESPN’s data on NFL attendance. But numbers-wise, the crowd that security is accustomed to handling at Highmark is comparable to Lambeau.

 

Well duh, smaller stadium, less attendance. 

[BillsPride12]

I am very confident Buffalo lands the NFL Draft once new stadium opens