The home of the Packers will also be home to an expansive new event venue by January 2021. Resch Expo, a 125,000-square-foot, column-free exposition center, is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, adjacent Lambeau Field in the city’s entertainment district. Together with the existing Resch Center — which opened in 2002 and hosts events from concerts to trade shows — it will make up the new Resch Complex.

More than 700 hotel rooms and a dozen restaurants are within easy walking distance of the complex, complementing the city’s more than 4,500 total hotel rooms.

Design of the non-union Resch Expo is centered around natural light, as well as views of the iconic football stadium (though, the Green Bay Packers games will not host fans at home games until further notice, according to the Greater Green Bay CVB). The main floor has ticketing/check-in offices, pre-function space and concessions, all connected to an outdoor plaza.

The exhibit hall floor can be divided into event spaces in a three, two or one-hall design; using the entire space allows for more than 600 10-by-10-foot booth spaces. Each exhibit hall has its own event planner office, as well. Six breakout suites on the second level of the building have independent audio/visual and temperature controls. In addition to plated, buffet and quick service food service, the venue offers an upstairs cocktail bar for more intimate parties.

As an added incentive to book a meeting in Green Bay, properties in the city are offering zero attrition and zero cancellation fees on groups booked by Dec. 1 and held by May 1, 2021.

Wisconsin does not currently have limitations on group size. For example, if a group of 300 were to book inside Green Bay’s 80,000-square-foot KI Convention Center this fall, it would likely be set in a room that would normally accommodate 1,000 people, with staff following the city’s Guide to Hospitality Cleanliness standards for a safe event, say CVB officials. However, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a public health emergency for the state in September, as the state is currently experiencing another spike in COVID-19 cases.

Looking ahead, however, the city is optimistic about future opportunities to host events in their newest venue.

“While the pandemic has brought uncertainties to the events industry, our hospitality community has committed to safety and cleanliness of facilities, hotels and airport operations,” says Brenda Krainik, director of marketing and communications for the CVB. “We’ve worked closely with our county to communicate and execute our commitment to safely host groups in our events spaces, including the new Resch Expo.”