The
2024 Republican National Convention will be one of the biggest events in Milwaukee’s history and probably the most high-profile event that the city has ever hosted.
The same things were said about the 2020 Democratic National Convention until the COVID-19 pandemic turned it into a virtual event. Joe Biden didn’t even come to Milwaukee to accept his party’s nomination.
The 2024 RNC gives Milwaukee a do-over, providing the city another chance to shine on the biggest of political stages. While the public’s main focus will be on convention activity, the nation and the world will also see that it’s happening here. About 15,000 members of the local, regional, national and international media are expected to cover the RNC, which will expose Milwaukee to a massive global audience.
That represents a huge opportunity for Milwaukee. But it’s also a big challenge, and a major risk.
The most obvious benefit to Milwaukee for hosting the RNC is that thousands of people will come here and spend money at hotels and restaurants. Visit Milwaukee says the expected economic impact of the RNC on the Milwaukee area, including direct, indirect and induced spending, is $200 million. Such economic impact estimates are always dubious, but it’s certainly fair to say that the RNC’s economic impact will indeed be significant. The RNC estimates that 50,000 attendees will be in Milwaukee on peak convention days, including delegates, family members of delegates, corporate sponsors and members of interest groups.
Besides hotels and restaurants, there are many businesses from other less obvious industries that will benefit from the RNC. We have profiled some of them in this special section.
It’s highly unusual for a city and metro area the size of Milwaukee to host a national political convention. Milwaukee is only the 40th largest metro area in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The three previous RNC sites were Charlotte, Cleveland and Tampa. Those are not huge metros like New York or Chicago, but they are all larger than metro Milwaukee.
Therein lies the challenge for Milwaukee. Can a metro area of our size pull off a massive event like the RNC? Will the city’s hotel inventory, ancillary event venues, restaurant scene and transportation infrastructure be sufficient to make the RNC a success logistically? Milwaukee is used to hosting big events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival. But a national political convention is different. It brings an incredible number of high-profile people and a massive security requirement. Most of the western half of downtown will be within a tightly controlled security area.
If the logistics don’t go well during the RNC, Milwaukee could end up embarrassed looking out of its league.
However, if the event does go smoothly, the RNC could be a springboard for Milwaukee to grow its tourism and hospitality industry. While Wisconsin is often thought of as the frozen tundra, it’s usually wonderful during the summer. If the weather cooperates, thousands of people, including journalists from all over the nation and the world, will get an impression of Milwaukee that will be shared exponentially with others. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Milwaukee to raise its brand image.
Many outside of Milwaukee became familiar with Fiserv Forum, the main venue for the RNC, and its surrounding Deer District during the 2021 NBA Finals. A national television audience saw massive crowds in downtown Milwaukee celebrating the Bucks championship. Milwaukee looked like a pretty fun place to be.
Now, downtown’s newest jewel is the Baird Center, with a recently completed $456 million expansion. The RNC is the perfect opportunity to show off the city’s new and improved convention center and help attract more conventions to Milwaukee. While not considered a top convention destination, Milwaukee’s central location and affordability relative to other big cities give it some key advantages that – combined with a larger, upgraded convention center – could make it extremely competitive with other cities trying to host big events.
But will all the visitors coming to the RNC really like it here? Will Milwaukee make a strong impression on them, or will the city get bad reviews? In particular, what will the media say about the city? Some here haven’t forgotten the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star game in Milwaukee, a debacle that ended in a tie game and with Sports Illustrated reporter Tom Verducci bashing the city, writing “Keep the (All-Star) game out of Milwaukee… Milwaukee might be equipped to host porcelain bathroom fixture conventions, but an All-Star Game? Forget it.”
Milwaukee has changed a lot since 2002 and in many ways is far more cosmopolitan. Hopefully it makes a stronger impression on the media covering the 2024 RNC and on all who attend.
But the RNC isn’t a game. It’s a high-profile political event being held at an extremely politically charged time. Donald Trump is one of the most controversial figures in the history of American politics. He elicits strong passions from his biggest supporters and from his harshest critics. Both will have a big presence in Milwaukee during the RNC.
Hopefully the protests are peaceful and any interactions between protestors and Trump-supporters are civil. Some business owners have raised concerns about having a free speech zone for protestors at Pere Marquette Park. At the same time, the city has banned people from bringing dozens of items into the RNC security zone, but firearms will be allowed because state law prevents the city from banning them.
Allowing people to exercise their First Amendment rights while still maintaining order must be a top priority to make the RNC in Milwaukee a success.
Let’s hope things go smoothly, protests remain peaceful, the weather cooperates and Milwaukee shines in the spotlight of the RNC.
