Successful Meetings - July 2008 - (Page 48)

07.08 PLACES SPACES & Political Power M. Stanley Sr., an emergency management veteran who has been hired as head of emergency management for the convention. Anticipating that the primary race might extend to the convention, hoards of media members signed up to attend well in advance. With some 17,000 national and international media representatives attending—7,000 more than attended the Winter Olympics in the Rocky Mountains two decades St. Paul, Minnesota ago—it’s a tremendous opportunity to show Denver off to the world, Grant says. Though perhaps less dramatic politically, the 2008 Republican National Convention will bring plenty of excitement September 1-4 to the 18,000-seat Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. About 45,000 visitors will fill 20,000 hotel rooms at nearly 100 properties in both St. Paul and Minneapolis, making the group among the largest the Twin Cities have ever hosted. What’s more, special events are being planned at more than 70 venues. There is plenty for delegates to do while visiting the Twin Cities. Minneapolis’ museum and performing arts scene has heated up in the past three years, following the infusion of a half-billion dollars in new arts infrastructure along the Mississippi waterfront. The new buildings were designed by internationally recognized architects and commissioned by the city’s arts organizations. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts celebrated its grand reopening in June 2007; its three-story atrium culminates in a third-floor reception hall that accommodates 300 guests. And perhaps some of the 30,000 protesters expected to arrive in the Twin Cities for the RNC will be able to enjoy the local arts scene after a busy day of marches. Groups of protesters have already announced their intentions to close down the bridges leading to the convention center, and city officials mimegasite.com JULY 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS Before the red, white, and blue confetti streams down and the official nominees are announced, national Democratic and Republican convention host cities Denver and St. Paul are busy preparing for an invasion of delegates, media, protesters, and one potential future president. Political conventions confer the media spotlight, political star power, and a chance for host cities to show off on a global stage. But for as many benefits as political conventions bring to the local economy and in Denver, Colorado attention to local issues, there are a thousand concerns over safety and security, social responsibility, and putting the city’s best foot forward. “We have more rooms than has ever been booked in a single room block,” says Rich Grant, communications director for the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. “There are lots of difficult things that need to be done at the last Inside minute.” PAGE 100 > Birmingham In August Denver plays host to the > Kentucky PAGE 104 2008 Democratic National Conven> Georgia & PAGE 108 tion, 100 years after the last national the Carolinas political convention was held in the PAGE 113 > Hong Kong Mile-High City. CVB officials attribute a > Melbourne PAGE 116 $7 billion investment in convention and tourism facilities made during the 1990s and early 2000s for the win. With the drama of a prolonged primary season, attendance estimates for the DNC have spiked from an original 35,000 to 50,000. An estimated 17,200 hotel rooms will be needed for conventioneers, and all those delegates are expected to bring $160 million to the state. The profits will be hard won. Security needs are high, and Denver is paying $225 per hour—$9,000 per week—to Ellis 48 http://mimegasite.com

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Successful Meetings - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Industry Trends Suppliers Newsmakers On the Record Technology Newsmakers Calendar Planner Spotlight Management Matters Meetings Law Websites of the Month Mouth for Sale Pre-Event On Site Tools of the Trade Pre-Event Initial Success Strong Medicine Risky Business Places & Spaces Birmingham Kentucky Georgia & the Carolinas Hong Kong Melbourne Gurus

Successful Meetings - July 2008

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