Frozen Tundra Hockey Provides Winter Boost

GREEN BAY, Wis.
February 17, 2006

Green Bay, WI – Take a historic football stadium that’s idle most of the winter, build a hockey rink on the field, then add a game featuring one of the top collegiate hockey teams and you end up with a great event with a significant economic impact.

More than 40,000 people ventured to venerable Lambeau Field on Saturday for a hockey game, the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic. When the final horn sounded, the Wisconsin Badgers had defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 4-2, and fans had dropped nearly $3 million dollars into the area economy.

“Whether you were at the game or checking it out on the cable broadcast, you could see this was something very special for Lambeau Field and all of Packer Country,” said Kari Sliva, President & CEO of Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau. “Winter is typically our slowest tourism season, so to have this caliber of event occur during the off-season was a tremendous boost for local businesses. The Green Bay community showed their appreciation by welcoming Badger fans with the same warmth as they do football fans.”

The Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau calculations put the total fan and visitor spending at more than $2.8 million for fan spending outside the stadium. More than 1,300 hotel rooms were booked in connection with the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic.

“The game’s economic impact is quite significant,” Sliva said. “It’s probably about three-quarters of what we would see for a typical Packers game during the regular season. But this is spending that would not have occurred if not for the hockey game.”

For more information on events and activities in Packer Country, visit www.packercountry.com.

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Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau is the regional destination marketing organization committed to improving the visitor experience and increasing the economic impact of tourism to its communities. For more information call 888-867-3342 or visit us online at www.packercountry.com.