The Republican National Convention is set to take place from July 15-18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
The GOP in August announced Milwaukee as the host city for its next presidential nomination convention, and the dates of the event were announced Wednesday.
The 2024 RNC is expected to generate $250 million in economic impact and bring 45,000 visitors to the region, including politicians, delegates, lobbyists, dignitaries and members of the national and international media.
Responding to the announcement, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released a statement saying the city “is ready to show the world that we are open to business, conventions and tourism. The presidential nominating convention is a historic opportunity to present the phenomenal place that Milwaukee really is.”
RNC chair Ronna McDaniel also released a statement: “We look forward to continuing to work with the beautiful city of Milwaukee to make this convention week a success. Republicans will unite in Milwaukee in 2024 to share our message of freedom and opportunity with the world.”
The 2024 RNC will mark the second major political convention to take place in Milwaukee, over the span of four years. However, it will be the first to take place at full scale. The Democratic Party held its national convention here in 2020, but the shift to a mostly virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic robbed Milwaukee of almost all economic impact, plus the benefit of national media exposure that would have come with hosting an in-person, full-scale event.
Milwaukee now has another opportunity to take center stage.
“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,” said VISIT Milwaukee president and chief executive officer Peggy Williams-Smith in a recent interview with BizTimes.
Williams-Smith played an integral role in the city’s successful bid to host the 2024 RNC, and her organization is leading efforts to help the local business community prepare for the influx of visitors and economic impact of the four-day event.
Fiserv Forum will house the convention floor and main stage, with the remainder of the event taking place at the Wisconsin Center, which is currently undergoing a $456 million expansion and is slated for an early 2024 completion. There will also be hundreds of ancillary events taking place across the area leading up to and during the convention.
