Green Bay area stands ready to welcome WIAA teams and fans
By: Millaine Wells
Updated: March 11, 2013
Ashwaubenon, Wis.(WFRV)--Final preparations are underway as the Resch Center gears up to host the Girls State Basketball Tournament for the first time.
It's all hands on deck all across the community, to make sure the red carpet is perfectly in place for the WIAA and its teams.
The moves from Madison is a two year test drive of sorts.
Resch Center organizers feel prepared, and say the field of teams is just about perfect.
There are enough local teams to really drive ticket sales, yet enough traveling from around the state to fill hotel rooms and drive other tourism-related spending.
The final pieces are falling into place for the Girls State Basketball Tournament.
PMI Entertainment Group head Cora Haltaufderherheid, "It's game time, bring it on. It's great that the field is now set, we know who is coming. "
With the teams set, local printers could get to work.
Tracy Boyd, Marketing Coordinator, The Elite Group, "It's a very quick turnaround, high volume, quick turnaround. "
The De Pere business, "The Elite Group" is handling 1500 pieces of apparel.
Says Boyd, "The colors are fantastic, every kid who is there will hopefully will want to walk away with a sweatshirt or sweatpants."
Already, more than ten thousand tickets have been sold, in addition to the 500 tickets alotted to each team.
Cora Haltaufderherheid - COO PMI Entertainment Group, "There's big excitement, we got phone calls from a team this morning who had run out of tickets already! It makes all the work worth it."
Teams are assigned to one of 17 local hotels.
The General Manager of the Hampton Inn, Lawry Larson stands ready to welcome Milton to town.
"We're putting posters behind the desk, banners from the ceiling, balloons, and we are decorating the rooms that the girls are going to be staying in."
Fan space is also filling fast, which will help boost the economic impact of the tournament.
Says Lawry, "Our team is coming in a day early. They're probably going shopping, going to restaurants, going to Lambeau Field, probably take the Packers tour, so on and so forth. "
While high school players may be getting butterflies, event organizers have some words of advice.
Brad Toll, Greater GB Convention and Visitors Bureau, "You're only nervous when you're not prepared, and we've been preparing for this for months."
The Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau is giving out signs for free to local businesses that want to show their support.
It's all part of the effort to make visiting teams feel at home in Titletown.
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