The 2024 Republican National Convention is almost here. Taking place July 15-18 in downtown Milwaukee, the RNC will be one of the largest and highest-profile events the city has ever hosted at a time when the state of American politics seems more divided than ever – and the eyes of the world are watching. Politics
The 2024 Republican National Convention is almost here. Taking place July 15-18 in downtown Milwaukee, the RNC will be one of the largest and highest-profile events the city has ever hosted at a time when the state of American politics seems more divided than ever – and the eyes of the world are watching. Politics aside, local leaders who helped lure the RNC here – including Mayor Cavalier Johnson – have touted the event as a huge boost for the city’s economy and notoriety. And over the past two years, RNC organizers have emphasized their efforts to channel convention-related business to Milwaukee- and Wisconsin-based companies. This special report previews some of the business-related, non-political aspects of the convention – and what to expect during its four-day run – and profiles some of the local businesses that are capitalizing on the occasion. Also included is an analysis by BizTimes editor Andrew Weiland examining the high stakes of such a high-profile event for the city of Milwaukee.
Read individual profiles and analysis here:Getting on the bus: RNC provides boost to local group transportation industryFrom barn parties to podcasting: New Berlin-based Exciting Events to produce array of events for RNC groupsBrazen Standard Hospitality holding out for last-minute bookingsWithout weddings, are Airbnbs, boutique hotels missing out?Analysis: All eyes on Milwaukee
[caption id="attachment_592149" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The stage on which Donald Trump is expected to accept his party’s nomination at Fiserv Forum will span 26 feet tall and 60 feet wide. It will be mounted against a backdrop of nearly 1,200 high-density LED panels that can be programmed with graphics, lights and colors to fit the theme of each day.[/caption]
High profile, high security
The RNC’s designation as a National Special Security Event puts the U.S. Secret Service in charge of planning, coordinating and implementing its security operations. Over the past year, the Secret Service has worked with the Milwaukee Police Department and 15 other city agencies – as well as federal agencies like the FBI, FEMA and the EPA – to create a comprehensive security plan for the convention, including traffic management, business and community impact and maritime security. The plan’s most visible – and impactful – measure is the multi-layer secure perimeter surrounding the convention complex, which includes Fiserv Forum, the Panther Arena and the Baird Center as the main venues.
The map below shows the areas that will be impacted by an outer “vehicle screening perimeter” (shaded in yellow) and a higher security “pedestrian restricted perimeter” (shaded in red). There will also be maritime restrictions on the Milwaukee River (lined in red). Commercial and recreational vessel traffic will not be permitted on the river between Cherry Street and Michigan Street from July 14 through the early morning of July 19. Road bridges will remain down. Read more about the RNC safety and security plan here.
Local vendors highlight Convention Fest
Each day of the RNC before the start of official sessions, delegates and other visitors will enjoy a taste of Wisconsin, at Convention Fest. The daytime street festival, to be held outside the Baird Center, will feature live entertainment and more than 100 local vendors selling food, drinks, handmade goods and 2024 RNC collectibles, such as challenge coins, buttons and pins. For participating businesses, the festival is an opportunity to showcase their work and get in front of thousands of new customers. Admission is free for all ticketed RNC guests.
"Our delegates love to eat, our delegates also love to shop, and they love to shop local. … It’s not unusual for people to bring an extra suitcase or duffle bag to fill up with things they purchase at Convention Fest. I always bring an extra bag to bring things home for my Republican friends.” – Anne Hathaway, chairwoman of the RNC committee on arrangements
[caption id="attachment_592144" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Anne Hathaway, chairwoman of the RNC committee on arrangements[/caption]
Getting on the bus
RNC provides boost to local group transportation industry
By Hunter Turpin, staff writer
[caption id="attachment_592143" align="alignleft" width="530"] Dean Brown[/caption]
The 2024 Republican National Convention will be one of the largest events in Milwaukee’s history, and Dean Brown is ready.
Brown is the general manager of Milwaukee-based Lamers Bus Lines, which will be one of several local companies responsible for ensuring that transportation of the RNC’s estimated 50,000 guests goes smoothly. Planning for the RNC’s complicated transportation logistics started more than a year ago, Brown said, and has included everything from getting the company’s 120 buses in tip-top shape to applying for security credentials for the company’s entire staff.
“I’ve been sitting at this desk for 39 years,” Brown said. “I’ve been here for a long time, and these are the things I live for. The big, high-profile events are my expertise.”
Organizers say that it will require roughly 400 buses, shuttles and golf carts to pull off the RNC, and about one-third of those will be supplied by local vendors, including Lamers, Oak Creek-based Go Riteway Transportation Group and Oak Creek-based KB Excursions.
Lamers estimates around 35 of its coaches will be in use for the RNC, while Go Riteway is setting aside 45 coaches.
In addition to coaches, Go Riteway is budgeting to use several of its vans, SUVs and sedans for smaller groups and one-off trips, according to Brad Wallace, Go Riteway’s director of sales and marketing. The company is even bringing in a few coaches from its subsidiaries in Indiana and Michigan.
While a bulk of Go Riteway’s RNC-related business is contracted directly by the RNC’s transportation broker, Maryland-based Transportation Management Services, the company has also set aside some of its vehicles for groups that need transportation outside of the convention’s afternoon and evening hours. For security purposes, most vehicles travelling into the highly secured RNC venue complex – which includes Fiserv Forum as the primary venue, along with the Baird Center and UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena – will be parked there during non-convention hours.
“There are some delegations that want to go to Lake Geneva or the Harley-Davidson Museum … and they’ve contacted us directly,” Wallace said. “That was really an outgrowth of the RNC vendor show last year where we established contact with some of these delegations.”
Although both Go Riteway and Lamers have dedicated a significant chunk of their commercial fleets to the RNC, both said they will still be working with other clients this July.
For instance, Lamers’ buses will be circulating throughout the region for the National Eucharistic Congress, which will draw an estimated 80,000 visitors to Indianapolis the same week as the RNC in Milwaukee. Lamers will also have several buses running between northern Illinois and northern Wisconsin for summer camps during those weeks.
“That’s the business that’s there year after year, so even when a group comes in that’s highly important and you want to do everything in the world to get them, you still have to keep your regular customers in mind,” Brown said.
“There’s definitely a lot more business this July than normal, the RNC is a one-time event, so we definitely wanted to make sure that we get our unfair share of what’s available,” Wallace said.
Between regular summer business and the additional business provided by the RNC, Lamers and Go Riteway are anticipating they will be at full capacity during the RNC, plus a few days on each end, with very few – if any – vehicles parked on lots.
As specific transportation assignments aren’t typically given until closer to the convention date for security reasons, both companies are getting everything they can done ahead of time.
“You don’t want to have breakdowns, you don’t want to have issues with any group, but when you have a high-profile group, you’re on the main stage and you want to have your best foot forward,” Brown said.
Further, as driver shortages plague the group transportation industry nationally, Lamers and Go Riteway are beefing up their part-time staff during July.
“Everybody’s been notified, no days off, things of that sort,” Brown said. “There’s a very serious driver shortage in this country, so it makes the larger events harder to handle than what they were even a few short years ago.”
In an industry that’s still recovering from the pandemic, Brown and Wallace agree the RNC is a welcome boost. While an initial slowdown in the travel industry held the group transportation industry back in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, staffing-related challenges have made a full recovery difficult.
“The RNC is going to be a shot in the arm for the industry without a doubt,” Brown said.
However, being at capacity isn’t rare for many of southeastern Wisconsin’s bus companies. Wallace said Go Riteway has been at capacity already this year, but Brown said business for Lamers is slower than pre-pandemic, making the RNC an opportunity to woo new customers.
“Many of the people on our buses or in our SUVs have never been to Milwaukee before, so we’re focused on making sure all of our groups are greeted with our ‘Wisconsin nice’ and come back either for leisure or corporate travel,” Wallace said. “When Milwaukee looks attractive for future visitors, that’s going to benefit us in corporate travel, group travel, leisure trips, so we’re looking at this as a four-day commercial for Milwaukee.”
From barn parties to podcasting
New Berlin-based Exciting Events to produce array of events for RNC groups
By Cara Spoto, staff writer
[caption id="attachment_592142" align="alignleft" width="530"] Todd Scheel[/caption]
If you’ve ever been to a Bucks game and seen a handmade gatling gun send a sausage rocketing towards the stands, then you are familiar with the work of Exciting Events.
While the aptly named “Bratzooka” is the creation of Exciting Events subsidiary FX in Motion, the parent company is known for no less dizzying production skills.
In addition to creating fanatically fun gear for sports teams, the New Berlin-based event production company puts on dozens of events across the state and country on an annual basis, including a bevy of galas and seven different national ballroom dance competitions.
This July – in addition to handling its typical seven to eight events per week – the business is in the running to put on around a dozen events related to the 2024 Republican National Convention, which is expected to draw more than 50,000 delegates, media professionals and politicos to Milwaukee.
As of press time, Exciting Events has signed on to produce a fundraising fair at Malchine Farms in Waterford for Washington D.C.-based political strategy and fundraising firm WinCo Fundraising LLC and has been contracted to create a custom podcasting and radio broadcasting booth for iHeart Radio at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, where much of the 15,000 members of the media covering the RNC will be stationed.
For the farm fair, the company will be doing traditional decor, audio/video production, lighting, custom graphics and a stage set.
Spanning 60 feet long and 20 feet deep, the iHeart Radio booth will feature several designated podcasting/radio broadcasting areas: one three-person desk in the center for iHeart-branded content and two spaces on either side for affiliated radio stations, said Todd Scheel, president, chief executive officer and founder of Exciting Events.
“So, at some point there could be five podcasts all going on at the same time in this one booth,” said Scheel.
Exciting Events is also in talks with The Washington Post to turn DOC’s Smokehouse, located at 754 Vel R. Phillips Ave., into its operating hub for the convention.
“We’re putting graphics on every window in this space and building a custom stage set where sponsors’ logos can be pulled on and off, depending upon what podcasts they’re doing,” Scheel said. “The cool thing about that is the owner of the bar was like ‘just do whatever you want.’ He’s allowing us to come in and take all his branding off the windows and put up the other branding. So, we’re taking care of him – doing a couple of things for him on the side – and he’s taking care of us. And at that point there, when you got people willing to do that, it’s like, ‘Yep, we’re taking that job all day long.’”
Being selective
Scheel said he and his staff will be busy with plenty of RNC-related events, but not so many that the company is forced to give less attention to events for its longtime clients.
“We’re being really selective and the reason being is there’s so much opportunity and limited time and labor,” he said. “And we are busy with other regular clients, too. Things aren’t shutting down in Milwaukee, other stuff’s happening.”
Around the time of the RNC, Exciting Events is putting on a national ballroom dance competition in Las Vegas.
“That’s a client we’ve had for eight years,” said Scheel.
He said the firm had originally wanted to nail down two major contracts for the RNC, but that didn’t work out. In the end, Scheel realized that given the resources one or two larger events can eat up, it’s more advantageous to do three medium-size events instead.
The firm was also careful not to bid on work too far inside the RNC’s preliminary security zone, which would mean real headaches for covering any last-minute needs or snafus.
“There’s a ton of business to be had,” he said. “I’m more than happy with what we have, and we’re definitely going to have a full plate, but we’re making sure we’re not overpromising. We would rather deliver a great product and be happy with what we did than overpromise and be caught by security lines and not be able to produce it.”
Being prepared
With that in mind, Scheel and his 40 employees aren’t leaving anything to chance. In fact, the company is overstaffing for the week of the RNC.
“We call it all hands on deck. There are weekends where I’m working, my wife’s working, friends are working, employees’ friends are working,” Scheel said. “I need to overstaff … Everybody knows what it’s going to take to pull it off.”
And fortunately, the companies Exciting Events is looking to work with understand that a major political convention presents a unique situation, he said.
Typically, the event planning process requires “spending a lot of time with the client to figure out what their wants are, and it takes a while to get to the end result,” said Scheel. But for RNC-related events, there’s a much shorter timeline, so the team has had to be more forthright, asking about expectations and budget right off the bat.
“And we’ll tell you if we even want to quote the thing,” he said. “It gets to the bottom line fast.”
Overall, Scheel is happy about the way the company’s RNC business is shaping up.
“It’s going to be a busy seven to 10 days, but nothing is stacked directly on top of each other,” he said. “It’s actually been an absolute blast.”
Brazen Standard Hospitality holding out for last-minute bookings
By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer
[caption id="attachment_592147" align="alignleft" width="530"] Dan Nowak[/caption]
While the 2024 RNC brings the promise – and hype – of big money for the local economy, the nature of a major political convention also presents a unique set of planning and operational challenges for some businesses looking to cash in.
It’s been a bit of a waiting game for West Allis-based caterer Brazen Standard Hospitality, which so far – as of press time – has six large-scale events under contract for the week of the convention, in addition to some parties the weekend leading up to it. But only less than a month out from the July 15-18 event, the company still has another six events stuck in the proposal phase, according to chief executive officer and owner Dan Nowak.
The hope is to get those pending contracts locked in soon because, based on Brazen Standard’s current book of RNC business, the catering company has capacity for another six to 10 large-scale events and/or several small-scale events of less than 100 people.
Brazen Standard, which is the umbrella company for Tall Guy and a Grill, The Crafted Tavern and The Dessert Cart, could get its wish as it expects an influx of last-minute business to come its way in these final weeks leading up to the RNC. That timeline aligns with general sentiment and forewarning Nowak received from some Cleveland business owners about the experience hosting the 2016 RNC: “Be prepared to get inundated with requests four to six weeks out.”
Nowak noted there’s been a lot of feet dragging and “tire kicking” by some of the out-of-town groups, such as state delegations and media outlets, in finalizing event bookings – not only with his company, but also with other caterers and venue operators he’s talked to recently.
For example, Brazen Standard will send out a proposal, the potential client will initially respond with something to the effect of, ‘This looks great, we’ll get back to you,’ and then the caterer won’t hear from the group for weeks.
That’s how things have played out with one potential client – a major news network – who is in talks with Brazen Standard for a large-scale event at a venue near Fiserv Forum’s public plaza. Nowak, who declined to disclose the name of the network or the venue, is confident his business will land that booking, but “until they actually sign our contract, we’re going through all the motions of being ready for it.” That includes obtaining the appropriate clearance to enter the secure perimeter where the venue is located.
Prepping for a slate of RNC events – both contracted and pending – also means wrangling a team of 25-30 full-time and 70-80 part-time employees. Nowak said staff were scheduled for RNC week well in advance, based on the maximum number of events Brazen Standard could theoretically handle in a given day. And management has stayed in constant communication with the team as bookings have come in.
“We’ve got everything charted out behind the scenes because that’s just the nature of what we do in the event industry,” Nowak said. “We’re constantly scheduling staff out a month or two ahead of time because we have to, because we’re doing like six to eight, nine weddings in a weekend, and that’s a lot of trucks, it’s a lot of food, it’s a lot staff that’s moving to and from everywhere.”
Not all of Brazen Standard’s RNC bookings have come in so last minute. The caterer was booked months ago by some local banks and law firms that are convening groups of politicians, elected officials and other dignitaries – mainly for evening cocktail receptions – the week of the convention.
Of course, any business is better than no business, and Nowak is pleased with the RNC-related bookings Brazen Standard has procured so far. Plus, it’s an opportunity to increase brand awareness with local venues as well as local party guests who might be in the market for an event caterer.
However, for a mid-sized metro like Milwaukee, there’s a trade-off for hosting an event like the RNC – one that, for all intents and purposes, is large enough to take over much of the city for a week in the middle of summer. The tradeoff is all the other events, like weddings and corporate picnics, that would have otherwise been booked around that time.
“I think wedding business is probably about a third of what it normally is for us, just because people just weren’t booking downtown,” said Nowak. “All the venues were setting aside their space for the RNC and people naturally, when they were planning their weddings and events, probably stayed away from those two weekends.”
Without weddings, are Airbnbs, boutique hotels missing out?
It should come as no surprise that nightly rates for the few hotel rooms still available in the metro Milwaukee area during the week of the RNC are up to six times more expensive than a normal summer week. However, operators of short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, as well as boutique hotels in the area are wondering whether they’ll see the same kind of financial windfall as many of the larger hotel properties in the region.
That’s according to Daniel Cruz, co-founder of Milwaukee-based washbnb, which provides linen and laundry services for short-term rental owners, property managers and Airbnb hosts. Based on recent conversations with local washbnb clients, Cruz said there’s a “fair amount of disappointment” about lower-than-expected levels of bookings for RNC week.
“I think many people are sort of worried that they’re just not even going to have the standard type of week that they would have in July without the RNC coming,” said Cruz.
He’s seen this scenario play out before with other highly anticipated large-scale events in different cities. A homeowner thinks they’re going to “get rich quick” by vacating their property and renting it out for tens of thousands of dollars.
“But generally, that just isn’t the case,” said Cruz. “It’s the experienced operators and the people that are well connected with this convention that seem to be the beneficiaries as opposed to the neighborhood businesses and the local businesses that I’m seeing.”
[caption id="attachment_592148" align="alignleft" width="530"] Daniel Cruz’s Airbnb property in Walker’s Point.[/caption]
Cruz has a unique perspective not only as the operator of a business who services short-term rentals, but also as the owner of a rental property himself. His three-story luxury duplex in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood sleeps up to 16 people between its two separate units – ideal for large groups, such as bachelorettes and wedding parties. Cruz has also rented it out to groups in town for Northwestern Mutual’s annual conference, which takes place this year July 20-23.
Before the 2020 Democratic National Convention was scaled back to an all-virtual event, the property was contracted by a major media company that had planned to host special events and evening gatherings in the upper-level common space, while sleeping some of its staff in the lower-level bedrooms.
Cruz hoped to land a similar booking for the week of the RNC, but the property – as of press time – remains available. It’s currently listed on Airbnb for $5,000 a night, which is up from a usual mid-July rate of $2,000 a night. He initially tried to rent it out privately, through outreach to RNC organizers and state delegations, but to no avail.
The weekends before and after the convention are also still open.
“If I don’t book those, it would actually be the first weekend dates since 2016 that would not be booked at this place,” said Cruz.
He said fewer weddings booked on those two weekends – due to the RNC – is probably a huge contributor. Wedding-related groups generate about 60% of bookings at the property.
“Not having that business around just for that week or stretch of weeks impacts everybody else that has to play in the space of hosting, hospitality,” said Cruz. “If we’re not necessarily connected to the convention, then other business is harder to come by.”
Still, he remains hopeful the property will get booked; it might just mean lowering the price to its normal rate.
Analysis: All eyes on Milwaukee
By Andrew Weiland, editor
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.
