Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

5-MINUTE EXPERT:

Blueprints for holding a national political party convention

Donkey sculpture

Associated Press

Hawk Krall, an artist coordinated by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, paints a donkey sculpture that will be placed in Philadelphia for the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Las Vegas boasts 320 days of sunshine per year, 150,000 hotel rooms, more than 10.7 million square feet of meeting space, world-class dining and a diverse population.

Nevada Republicans touted those selling points several years ago when trying to lure the GOP’s national convention to Las Vegas. It almost worked.

The city was among a handful of finalists vying to be host, but in May 2014, Nevada leaders withdrew their bid, citing too little time to prepare. Chief among their concerns: Las Vegas’ lack of an arena at the time. (The 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena opened this spring on the Strip.)

Ultimately, Cleveland was chosen to host the Republican National Convention, and Philadelphia landed the Democratic National Convention — both happening later this month. Nevada leaders, however, vowed to try again in 2020.

So what can our desert city learn from this year’s host cities? Here’s a look at how Philadelphia and Cleveland are prettying up their downtowns and preparing for an avalanche of politicians, delegates and media attending the presidential nominating conventions.

CLEVELAND, Republican National Convention, July 18-21

• Venue: Quicken Loans Arena, home to the Cleveland Cavaliers

• Capacity: 20,562 - 856 seats that will be temporarily removed to make room for the stage + 2,472 seats that will be added to the convention floor for delegates = 22,178

• Logistics: When the GOP chose Cleveland as host city for the 2016 Republican National Convention, LeBron James had not announced his triumphant return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fast-forward two years later and James led the Cavs to the city’s first sports championship in 52 years. The NBA playoff and championship run threw a wrench in RNC preparations because the Cavs still needed their home basketball court. The Cavs’ win meant RNC crews had roughly four weeks to prepare for the convention as opposed to the normal six.

• Accommodations: The Cleveland Host Committee reserved 16,600 rooms, all within a 35-mile radius of downtown. 26 food trucks and 36 restaurants will participate in an RNC welcome party thrown by the Cleveland Host Committee.

• Decorations: 1.4 million LED twinkle lights were donated by GE Lighting and will be hung by convention crews throughout downtown Cleveland. 135 planters filled with greenery and flowers were donated by Scotts Miracle-Gro and Petitti Garden Center. The decorative planters will be distributed in downtown Cleveland and at regional airports. 125,000 balloons are waiting to fall from the ceiling of the Quicken Loans Arena. That’s in addition to 1,000 pounds of confetti. “We the People Welcome You to Cleveland” is emblazoned on banners that will greet visitors entering Cleveland for the convention. Nearly 1,000 banners will be placed throughout the city, some featuring the faces of 50 Cleveland residents.

• Impact: Officials from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport embarked on multiple improvement projects ahead of the RNC. After all, the airport will be the primary entry point for many conventioneers. The largest project, which cost roughly $24 million, modernized the appearance of the main terminal, with more natural light and a larger canopy over the passenger drop-off area. New heating and cooling systems, brighter lighting, updated directional signage and modern revolving doors also were added. A spokeswoman for Cleveland Hopkins said the airport expected a 20 to 25 percent jump in flight volume during the RNC. Cleveland officials aren’t making an economic impact projection, but both cities will release reports after the conventions.

PHILADELPHIA, Democratic National Convention, July 25-28

• Venue: The Wells Fargo Center, where the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers play

• Capacity: 21,000 - 2,170 seats that will be temporarily removed to make room for the stage + 1,324 seats that will be added to the convention floor for delegates = 20,154

• Logistics: 750 miles of cable will be run for power and broadcast media at the DNC. 400 buses and 125 ADA shuttles will transport people to and from the DNC.

• Accommodations: The Philadelphia Host Committee has reserved more than 15,000 rooms at 95 properties throughout the region.

• Decorations: Philadelphia will be sporting ample doses of red, white and blue for the Democratic National Convention. 600 white banners — with a blue DNC logo and touches of red — will grace light poles along main thoroughfares. Skyscrapers are joining the fun, too, and will be lit up in American flag colors. “It’s a top-to-bottom dressing up of the city,” said Alex Styer, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Host Committee. $659,700 was spent by the city of Philadelphia on beautification efforts such as adding bus shelters and painting existing ones, removing graffiti, repairing potholes and improving intersections. 57 fiberglass donkeys have been installed around Philadelphia. The iconic symbols of the Democratic Party represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five territories and Democrats who are overseas. A Philadelphia-based artist painted the donkeys, which will be on display for two months.

• Impact: The DNC is projected to pump $250 million to $300 million into the greater Philadelphia region.

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