Along with TV cameras and funny hats, the 45,000 Democratic and Republican convention-goers will bring something more important to Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul: their credit cards. Each US political convention is expected to generate $150 million to $250 million for its host city, a river of cash that will flow to downtown hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and tourist spots - not to mention city tax coffers.
Local brewers are rolling out convention-themed beers. Artisans are churning out convention-themed clothing, buttons and trinkets. Greenhouses are doing a brisk business in red, white and blue flowers as homeowners spruce up their yards. "The only thing you could host that is bigger is the Olympics," said Kris Johnson, president of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.
The conventions are marquee events in the presidential race, allowing both parties to showcase their candidates for the November 4 election to a national television audience. While the TV cameras will focus on the sports venues where Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain will speak, most of the action will take place elsewhere as political activists and media types mingle in night-clubs, restaurants and riverboat cruises.
The Denver host committee estimates 1,200 events tied to the Democratic convention, while a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul committee estimated "hundreds" of events. Both cities are putting on their Sunday best for the 15,000 journalists expected to fly into town, offering parties and scenic tours. The Twin Cities are highlighting their vibrant music and arts scene, while Denver is emphasising its revitalised downtown and seeking to brand itself as an environmentally friendly city.
Already, that has translated into a wave of positive profiles in newspapers and travel magazines, Denver host committee spokesman Rich Grant said. "This year we've gotten the press that Paris and Tuscany normally get," Grant said. "For a major tourism area like we are, that's priceless."
The two conventions come at a typically slow time for tourism in both cities. The Denver convention, which starts on Monday, falls after summer vacation season, when local schools have started again, yet before the three-day Labour Day weekend. The Republican convention begins on Labour Day, September 1, as the mammoth Minnesota State Fair winds down.
"Typically being a holiday week it's a slower week, so it's a great fit," said David Miller, general manager of the privately held St. Paul Hotel, which is a block from the Republicans' convention hall. Miller said he was adding about 25 staffers to help clean the fully booked hotel's 254 rooms and handle the 35 lunches, dinners and other events the hotel will cater.
The Mall of America in nearby Bloomington is also anticipating a boost in business for its 520 stores and 50 restaurants. While the mall is hosting only five events related to the convention, fewer than it anticipated, it also will be busing delegates from St. Paul for shopping trips, spokesman Dan Jasper said. The preparations have not been seamless. Few St. Paul bars and restaurants have opted to pay a $2,500 fee that would allow them to stay open until 4 am, two hours beyond their usual closing time. Many say the fee is too high.
In Denver, the host committee was widely ridiculed earlier this summer after it published 28 pages of guidelines encouraging caterers to use healthy foods that would include "at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white." The guidelines do not rule out unhealthy deep-fried foods if that is what convention-goers want, Grant said. "We have no problem with becoming the butt of green jokes," he said, "because you're the city that people go to when they think of serious green topics."
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