PULASKI (NBC 26) — The Pulaski Area Chamber of Commerce held a meeting Wednesday morning to brainstorm community events and activities to draw in visitors during the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
- Get an inside look at the Pulaski Chamber's first meeting about how to pull in tourists visiting northeast Wisconsin for the NFL Draft next spring
- Hear from one business owner who has a positive outlook on what Draft traffic can mean for Main Street establishments like her own
- See what activities were spoken about during the meeting
- Anyone with ideas or who wishes to volunteer for the chamber's "task force" can contact Executive Director Stacey Von Busch through the chamber's website
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story with additional details for web.)
In less than a year, hundreds of thousands of visitors will descend on Green Bay during the NFL Draft and Pulaski doesn't want to miss out. I'm your Pulaski neighborhood reporter Pari Apostolakos here downtown, where plans are being made to draw in the crowds.
Jenny Hanson owns The Cool Place in downtown Pulaski.
"Green Bay, I feel like is already a small town, and Pulaski is a smaller town," Hanson said. "So, like, to get that amount of traffic is going to be great for small businesses."
She says she may start thinking of ways to promote her play cafe during the Draft.
"Pulaski, it's huge for our community to have people come in just because we haven't really had anything out here unless it's Polka Days, so hopefully the Draft can help," Hanson said.
The Pulaski Area Chamber of Commerce met Wednesday to talk strategy and brainstorm events to draw visitors.
"There's a term called 'Slow Travel,' and what that is, is the idea of going into a community for the purpose of getting to know its people," Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stacey Von Busch said after the meeting Wednesday. "Pulaski can really shine a light on some rich Polish heritage."
They discussed a flag football tournament, corn hole tournament, historical walking tours, Draft watch parties, Polka dancing lessons, a Polish market and Polish cooking classes. Things to get people here and possibly make them stay.
Mary Whichmann is the president of Pulaski's room tax committee, which uses part of the revenue from taxes on things like hotel room stays to help promote and put on community events.
"Perhaps we as the room tax committee are a little behind on getting prepared for it, but I think it's going to move quickly," Wichmann said. "There are people that are going to stay here from out of town, and I think it's important for us as a community to show what Pulaski has to offer."
Von Busch says anyone who wants to get involved with planning for the draft can contact the Chamber of Commerce.
