What you need to know about the Packers shareholder meeting, from parking to food
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers annual shareholders' meeting, which effectively marks the start of the new football season, will be Monday at Lambeau Field.
The Packers are the only team in the NFL owned by fans, and the annual business meeting always is held before the start of training camp. Some shareholders and their guests stay the week and take in training camp. Many have been to multiple meetings, while others attend once just to see what it's like.
If you're a shareholder of the team and plan to attend the 11 a.m. meeting, here's what you should know before heading over to Lambeau.
The weather is almost always good. Almost.
The meeting will be held rain or shine. In 2018, the meeting moved indoors because of bad weather. Shareholders watched proceedings on televisions in the concourses and the atrium.
Umbrellas are not allowed in the stadium, so hats and sunscreen are recommended. And water, if it's really hot.
The forecast for Monday is sunny and 85 degrees. Expect it to be warmer in the Lambeau Field bowl, which is all metal benches and concrete.
The Lambeau Field parking lot is open again
Lot 1 at Lambeau Field will once again be open to parking. The southeast side lot on Oneida Street was closed for more than a year to accommodate construction for the expansion of football facilities on the east side of the stadium. Parking is free.
Here's what to expect during the meeting
The meeting will open with presentations by Mark Murphy, president and CEO, who sometimes makes new announcements or talks about recent Packers-related news, and General Manager Brian Gutekunst, who provides some basic information about the roster, but nothing that can be put to any good or nefarious use.
Their appearances will be followed by the leaders of the organization's various committees, including the financial report. It is, after all, an actual business meeting.
The meeting likely will be in the neighborhood of an hour and a half.
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LeRoy Butler is among four nominees for the board of directors
Four nominees for the 43-member board of directors are:
Pro Football and Packers Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler.
Laurie Radke, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Chamber.
Sachin Shivaram, CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, a 115-year-old, family-owned company in Manitowoc.
Christopher Stiles, chairman, president and CEO of Morely-Murphy Co., a 119-year-old holding company in Green Bay whose interests include distributing generators and engines, real estate investments and a charitable foundation.
Leaving the board will be Jerry Ganoni, elected in 2013; Gary Rotherham, elected in 1999; Bobbi Webster, elected in 2020; and Mike Weller, elected in 2007. All will reach the retirement age of 70 this year.
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Atrium, Pro Shop will be closed to the public until after the meeting
Parking lots and ticket windows open at 8 a.m., and gates to the stadium open at 9 a.m. The Atrium is open only to shareholders and ticketed guests until 2 p.m., when the facility opens to the general public. There will be no exit and re-entry once the stadium opens.
Attendees are reminded that Lambeau Field is cashless, so those who plan Pro Shop purchases or Packers Hall of Fame visits should bring credit or debit cards.
Atrium restaurant 1919 Kitchen & Tap will serve a limited breakfast menu from 9 to 11 a.m., and the regular menu from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Packers Pro Shop will be open, with shareholders merchandise for sale, beginning at 9 a.m. Also open for shareholders will be the Packers Hall of Fame, located on the main floor of the Atrium. Lambeau Field Stadium Tours will be available when the building reopens to the public. Tickets can be purchased online at packershofandtours.com.
Attendance for the meeting was more than 8,600 last year
The Packers organization has more than 539,000 shareholders owning about 5.2 million shares. In 2022, the meeting was attend by 8,642 shareholders and their guests. Over the years, typical attendance was 8,000 to 12,000 shareholders and guests. The highest attendance for the meeting was 18,707 in 1998.
The meeting will be streamed for shareholders who are unable to attend. The webcast can be accessed Monday online at packers.com/shareholders. Username and password details were provided to shareholders in the information section of the shareholder proxy statement. The live webcast will be available on most computers and mobile devices.
First training camp practice times released
After the shareholders meeting, it's training camp time.
The first three public training camp practices will be at 10:30 a.m. July 26, 27 and 29 at Ray Nitschke Field. Thirteen practices are open to the public this year, including Family Night at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5.
Tickets are required for Family Night. The other practices are free. Times for practices after July 29 will be announced later.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers shareholders meeting 2023: What you need to know if you go
