When Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced that the party’s 2024 national convention would be held in Milwaukee, one of the first people she acknowledged was Peggy Williams-Smith, the president and chief executive officer of VISIT Milwaukee.
“If I were any city in the country, I’d be trying to steal her away, she’s amazing,” McDaniel said of Williams-Smith.
There were several people who played a vital role in Milwaukee’s successful bid to host the 2024 RNC, but none more significantly than Williams-Smith, who was involved in the process from start to finish. For her efforts to win the bid for Milwaukee, Williams-Smith is the BizTimes Milwaukee 2022 Best in Business Community Leader of the Year.
The journey that led Milwaukee to land the 2024 RNC perhaps began with the city’s surprisingly successful bid to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Expected to be the biggest event in Milwaukee’s history, the 2020 DNC was a bust for the city when it became a mostly virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Milwaukee’s work to host the 2020 DNC left it prepared to make a successful bid for the 2024 RNC.
Hoping for a re-do, Milwaukee officials had planned to bid on the 2024 DNC. But in September of 2021, Williams-Smith received an RFP for the 2024 RNC. She called then Mayor Tom Barrett’s office, which had also received the RFP, and they said Barrett wanted to pursue the event.
So, Williams-Smith began working to pull together all of the information needed to complete a bid and started to assemble a bipartisan group of business and civic leaders to back the bid.
Gerard Randall, vice chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and a VISIT Milwaukee board member offered his assistance. He went with Williams-Smith to Washington D.C. for a two-day “interested cities” event for civic leaders to meet with RNC officials about the 2024 convention.
Barrett was in Washington at the time and joined them at the event. About a dozen cities were interested in hosting the 2024 RNC at that point.
After that, Williams-Smith gathered more support for the bid, including former Gov. Scott Walker, current Gov. Tony Evers and former Trump administration chief of staff Reince Priebus. Her team submitted Milwaukee’s bid. Milwaukee was picked as one of the finalists and was invited to present at the RNC’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City. A large group of Milwaukee business and civic leaders made the trip.
That was followed up by a site tour, organized by Williams-Smith, for the RNC site selection committee to see Milwaukee. The tour included stops at Fiserv Forum and the Deer District, the Wisconsin Center, the Riverside Theater, the Summerfest grounds, State Fair Park and dinner at Lake Park Bistro.
“We were able to showcase true Milwaukee hospitality,” Williams-Smith said.
Later, smaller groups of RNC officials came to examine Milwaukee’s facilities.
Williams-Smith and her team then made one more trip to Washington, D.C. for a final pitch.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson were all part of that meeting.
“It was surreal,” Williams-Smith said. “I had to take a moment and step back because I had the biggest Democrats in our city with the Republican senator, and we were all talking about why Milwaukee should be chosen. It was just amazing.”
The RNC narrowed its final options down to Milwaukee and Nashville and ultimately picked Milwaukee.
Now, Williams-Smith is working to pull off the 2024 RNC, while still promoting the city as a destination for other events.
VISIT Milwaukee estimates the economic impact of the 2024 RNC will be between $180 million to $200 million, but it’s also a huge opportunity to showcase the city on a global stage, Williams-Smith said.
“I think the biggest impact beyond the parties that will be thrown throughout the week, is that there are journalists coming from all over the world. And when they’re not covering the convention floor, they’re going to be exploring our city, and they’re going to be telling stories about our city. That is where we think we come out on top after the convention leaves,” she said.
The $456 million expansion of the Wisconsin Center will be complete in time to be used for the 2024 RNC and the event will help promote Milwaukee as a destination for other conventions, Williams-Smith said.
“To secure this convention the year we open the (convention center) expansion is just huge for us,” she said. “I’ve spoken to my counterparts in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Minneapolis (that have all hosted national RNC conventions). It truly does boost lead generation for other meetings and conventions.”
