Stephanie Selesnick (inset) examines what is in store when a major political convention comes to town.
Along with 63 other countries, the US is holding a general election this year. One of the long-standing traditions of the US presidential election in November is for each political party to hold a formal nominating convention – like a party congress. According to Wikipedia, in the US, “Starting with the 1796 election, congressional party or a state legislature party caucus selected the party’s presidential candidates. That system collapsed in 1824, and since 1832 the preferred mechanism for nomination has been a national convention.
Nowadays, political parties hold state caucuses or primaries to select delegates who cast their votes for president and vice-president during the conventions, along with approving a platform of what they hope to achieve if elected. It’s a (mostly!) straightforward process. Delegates come from all 50 States and six Territories.
The Republican National Convention (RNC) takes place in Milwaukee, WI, 15-18 July.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) follows 19-22 August in Chicago, IL.
I spoke with representatives from Visit Milwaukee and Choose Chicago, the two cities’ convention bureaus, about the impact on their cities and what it takes when a huge citywide event comes in disrupting normal annually booked events. The cities are in the Midwestern part of the US, 92 miles (148 kilometres) apart on the western side of Lake Michigan. Chicago is the third largest city in the US and is home to McCormick Center, the US’s largest convention center. Milwaukee is considerably smaller and ranks 30th. Baird Center, the city’s convention center recently doubled its size, expanding from 189,000 to 300,000 sq feet. It reopened in May.
Both Leslie Johnson (pictured left), vice-president of sales & event experiences at Visit Milwaukee and Eric Kincaid (pictured right), vice- president of sales at Choose Chicago were enthusiastic about their respective cities hosting the political conventions. The bidding process between cities to host these political conventions, held once every four years, began in late summer of 2021 for Milwaukee and 2022 for Chicago.
Milwaukee and Chicago have previously hosted political conventions. As one would expect, local communities, government entities and agencies, politicians and businesses were essential to their respective bids. The roles of the convention bureaus are the same as with other citywide events – to serve as a conduit between clients and local vendors.
Free speech zones
Free speech and political protests are expected at both conventions. Working with the Secret Service, the cities have designated ‘Free Speech Zones’ for those activities to take place. The security perimeter of the conventions is also determined by the Secret Service. They are also going to ‘share’ police forces to supplement security personnel. Milwaukee expects 50,000 visitors comprised of media, delegates, officials, and non-delegates. They have 6,200 rooms downtown, 19,000 in the area, and are working with nearby cities within Wisconsin (the State) to house remaining visitors. The transportation of said visitors is being coordinated through the RNC team. The Fiserv Forum and Baird Center will host most official events.
Fortunately for Milwaukee, their main convention centre was under construction during the bidding process and Covid, so they didn’t have to move any clients or professional basketball games upon being awarded the RNC. Any clients being wooed for spring/summer 2024 were still in preliminary discussions.
Chicago also expects 50,000 visitors. They have 45,000 hotel rooms, so all delegates and visitors will be housed within city limits. Their already fairly robust city transportation system will be augmented, with most events taking place within a five-mile radius.
For Chicago, moving events and clients is more complicated. They began notifying possibly affected clients during the bidding process. Upon winning the bid, they worked with clients to change dates at both McCormick Place and the United Center where the bulk of official activities take place. Choose Chicago also had to consider the many summer festivals scheduled.
Selection process
I asked Leslie and Eric about the official vendor selection process and if there was a mechanism for SME’s, veterans’ groups, and DE&I organisations and companies to get in on the action. The RNC and DNC have intake portals for venues, event companies, restaurants, bars, transportation, floral, security, etc. to sign up to supply official and unofficial events. As of early April, Milwaukee had over 2,000 local companies signed up, and Chicago an insane 17,000.
Eric said their Vendor Directory and Map is a legacy project, already being shared by Choose Chicago to new groups. Milwaukee added Convention Fest, a large outside marketplace near the Baird Center featuring 100+ local vendors to
sell their wares and services on afternoons as delegates arrive for Convention business.
Chicago anticipates the DNC bringing an impact of $150-200 million. Milwaukee estimates $200m as well. The other bonuses for both cities include attracting new-to-town ‘Both Chicago and Milwaukee anticipate the DNC bringing an impact of up to $200m’ visitors who (they hope) will become repeat visitors (and bring their friends and family), hundreds and thousands of affiliate events being held within city limits, sharing the out-of-town spend with businesses all around their cities, as well as world-wide media attention.
My final question was, “What are you most excited about your city hosting the political convention this year?”
“The RNC puts Milwaukee on the world-wide stage, showcasing our abilities to host large events, and see our amazing lakefront and architecture,” Leslie said. ”I’m also excited to see local businesses flourish. I like to say that we have first-tier city amenities without first- tier city challenges.”
Eric added: “I’m excited to showcase the true Chicago – who we are. Our city is used to large-scale events and this city is built for hosting them. This will be the most diverse and accessible event ever.”
This article is taken from EW Issue 3, to get the digital magazine bi-monthly to your inbox, subscribe here: https://www.exhibitionworld.co.uk/subscribe
