The 2008 Democratic National Convention
Dates: August 25-28, 2008
Attendance: 50,000 including delegates, visitors, politicians and media
Hotels Being Used: The Convention is using 17,200 out of 40,000 hotel rooms in the Metro Area.
Economic Impact: $160 Million
Official Websites:
The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC): www.demconvention.com
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee: www.denverconvention2008.com
Media: Click here for the DNC Press Room.
Get Involved: To volunteer, get in the Vendor Directory, or ask questions, visit www.denverconvention2008.com
Pre/Post Planning: Click here for exciting pre/post opportunities and special offers.
Hotels: Click here for hotel availability during the DNC.
Organization & Planning
The Democratic National Convention will be the largest event in Denver’s history, attracting 50,000 people and generating $160 million in economic impact. There will be between 17,000 and 20,000 domestic and international media in town to cover the event, as well as numerous popular movie and television entertainment celebrities. Rumored guests at this year's event include Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and others.
Based on past conventions, it is likely that the network television morning shows and network evening newscast programs will be in Denver, so you can expect to see Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Matt Lauer and many other top newcasters broadcasting live from sites around the city. The satirical news show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will tape a series of shows at Denver University's Newman Center. There will also be will thousands of international media, feeding stories to cities around the world. There are more than 100 private parties and functions on the opening night alone and an estimated 1,500 events during the convention. The largest welcome signage program in Denver’s history will decorate the downtown streets for the Democratic National Convention and there will be great excitement throughout the city.
The Democratic National Convention was held only once in Denver, exactly 100 years before in 1908.
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Most likely not because the majority of the events will take place in the 46-acre Pepsi Center Complex. The Pepsi Center parking area will house a 220,000-sq.-ft. media facility that will be erected just for this event. Delegates will arrive at the complex on foot or by bus and need credentials to be admitted. It is important to remember that 50,000 is less than the number of people that come downtown for Rockies’ Opening Day or for a Broncos game. Denver has hosted games in all three downtown stadiums at the same time, involving close to 150,000 people. The Convention visitors – who won’t all be downtown at the same time – will spend most of their time inside the Colorado Convention Center, Pepsi Center and other event venues. Downtown restaurants will be open for business – and should be able to easily accommodate local diners as activity on the Convention floor takes place between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The City of Denver and convention planners are working diligently to minimize traffic impacts and ensure that the public is able to carry with the usual daily activities as well as be able to participate in planned events that celebrate this special occasion. While there will be some additional screening procedures and security measures in some locations, all downtown residents will be able to access their homes and parking garages. Downtown businesses will be able to remain open with access to employees and customers. When people talk about a “security perimeter,” what they are really talking about are areas around the Pepsi Center that may require additional screening or security measures. More updates will be provided to businesses and residents near the Pepsi Center in the coming weeks. While there will be some modest traffic impacts in the downtown area during the Convention, it will not tie up the downtown. Downtown workers should not have difficulties getting to or leaving work, particularly since the main hours of Pepsi Center activity (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.) do not correspond with standard morning or evening commute times. The bottom line is: Downtown will be accessible. Get much more information on the city's plan here.
City offices and facilities will of course be open and operational during the Convention week, and the city does not anticipate any interruptions to City services. By engaging law enforcement officers from neighboring jurisdictions to assist during the Convention, the city will have the staffing to cover Convention-related security needs as well as the City of Denver’s standard operational and safety needs.
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The Convention is using 17,200 hotel rooms out of the 40,000 hotel rooms in Metro Denver. Downtown hotels are completely sold out, however hotel rooms may be available in suburban areas. August is generally one of Denver’s busiest months for hotel rooms and hotel prices are traditionally higher during major events.
The Democratic National Convention Committee has contracted with approximately 95+ metro Denver hotels. The DNCC has assigned all state delegations, a majority of the media and Democratic family. This is a work in progress and they will be assigning groups throughout the coming months. There are seven cluster areas of hotels throughout the metro area to include: Downtown, Cherry Creek and Colorado Blvd., Stapleton/Quebec, DIA, Southeast and Tech Center, West, and North I-36 corridor. Click here to see a map of the DNCC hotel clusters in the Denver Metro area.
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The delegates’ time is occupied by a considerable amount of activities, and consequently, they will not likely frequent local restaurants on a large scale unless they are participating in special events. Some downtown and metro area restaurants will be booked for private parties, however most downtown restaurants will be open and have regular availability. Downtown Denver shopping, dining and entertainment will all be open, accessible – and exciting during this historic event.
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For the first few days, the general public will not be directly involved with Convention events. However, in a n unprecedented move, the final Convention event -- Barack Obama's acceptance of the nomination -- will take place not behind closed doors but in front of 75,000 onlookers at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Get more info on this historic occasion here.
The convention is attended by delegates from all 50 U.S. states as well as delegates from American dependencies and territories such as Puerto Rico. They are here to nominate and confirm a Democratic Party candidate for President and Vice President, and adopt a comprehensive party platform. The Pepsi Center Complex and parking lot will be closed off and it will require Democratic National Convention credentials to be admitted to this area. There will also be hundreds of Democratic National Convention private parties and functions staged throughout Denver that will be closed to the general public.
That said, there will be numerous events associated with the Convention open to the public, including: Dialog:City, a citywide arts event; The Presidential Experience, an interactive exhibit at Invesco Field at Mile High; Cinemocracy, a Democracy-focused short film competition; America: Live and In Person, which allows citizens to tell the world their stories of what America means to them. Get more information on these events and more here.
The City of Denver supports the rights of people to express their views safely and in a manner that respects the rights of others along with local, state and federal laws. The 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston attracted 10,000 demonstrators. Some peaceful demonstrations are anticipated in Civic Center, Skyline Park and other downtown parks during the week of the Convention. A designated parade route will provide organizations that want to march toward the Pepsi Center a safe means to do so in a manner and timeframe that minimizes mobility impacts on downtown businesses, residents and visitors. The Designated Parade Route will begin at 11:00 a.m. on the north side of Colfax Avenue in the westbound traffic lanes at Bannock Street and proceed west toward Speer Boulevard, where marchers will proceed north on the southbound lanes of Speer Boulevard to Larimer Street. The parade route will end within walking distance of the 50,000+ square-foot demonstration zone located in Pepsi Center parking lot.
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The Democratic National Convention is estimated to have an economic impact of $160 million in direct and indirect spending. Much of that economic activity will be spent on security, transportation, changes to the Pepsi Center, hotels and private receptions, dinners and functions.
Between 17,000 and 20,000 domestic and international media will attend the Convention, providing more television and print coverage of Denver than any other event in history. These stories will help establish Denver as both a business and travel destination. Denver could not buy this level of publicity at any cost.
The convention will use 17,200 hotel rooms, the most ever used by any one group for a single event. There are more than 100 parties on the opening night of the convention alone and many restaurants and event facilities will be booked and busy with events. Some 1,500 private events will take place during the convention.
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There will be exceptional media interest in the Democratic National Convention in Denver because there is no incumbent president running.
This will lead to higher coverage than recent political conventions have received, particularly from international press.
Because the convention is being held in Denver (and not New York, Chicago or one of America’s more well-known cities), there will also be exceptional interest in the host city. International media will be interested in Denver, the people, the emerging power and importance of the West, the recreation available here and what Denver says about America.
The period leading up to the convention will generate many stories in the New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal and others about the logistics of staging the event, the growing political power of the Rocky Mountain States and the growing economy of the region, while travel and general interest magazines and television shows will look at the city, its people, cultural renaissance, attractions and recreation opportunities.
Many feature stories can be expected, much like the coverage around an Olympics or Super Bowl host city.
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Executive Members of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee are responsible for planning the DNC and they include: Governor Bill Ritter, Senator Ken Salazar, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Elbra Wedgeworth and Steven W. Farber, Esq. Mike Dino, CEO of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Host Committee.
The CEO for the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) is Leah Daughtry. The DNCC's Chief of Staff is Peggy Cusack.
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The Host committee and the City of Denver have established four core values to be incorporated into all Democratic National Convention planning. These are:
- Create a distinct experience for visitors and participants that distinguishes our community and enhances our national and international presence.
- Exemplify an inclusive attitude that involves people from across the Denver area, the State of Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain West.
- Plan and implement a set of “Green” standards and activities that align with our vision for a sustainable future and set a new benchmark for events of this nature. Learn more about how the Convention will be the "greenest" of all time here.
- Make the Convention an educational showcase for “Democracy in Action”, so that students throughout Denver and Colorado gain valuable insight into how a convention plays a role in electing our President.
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Visit: www.denverconvention2008.com or www.demconvention.com. More media information can be found at www.denver.org/metro/media.
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Companies offering services that want to be included in the Vendor Directory can sign up at www.denverconvention2008.com
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To sign up as a volunteer or to obtain more information, visit www.denverconvention2008.com or email: info@denverconvention2008.com
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Delegations have been assigned to 27 hotels in one of three clusters – Downtown, Stapleton and the Denver Tech Center – all within 20 minutes of the Pepsi Center. In contrast to previous Conventions, a majority of delegates and participants will have the option of walking from hotels downtown or taking public transportation to the Convention. Every hotel contracted by the DNCC will provide convenient access to the Pepsi Center during Convention hours via the DNCC's transportation system. The delegation hotels will serve as the base of operations for state delegations during the Convention. Each delegation will begin its day by hosting a breakfast at their hotel to preview the day's Convention activities. Delegates will also use their hotels to host receptions and conduct official business including meetings and press conferences. For a complete list of hotels matched with delegations, go here. Click here to see a map of the DNCC hotel clusters in the Denver Metro area.
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The Denver Metro Convention and Visitor's Bureau is maintaining a list of hotels "outside" of the official DNCC contracted hotels, that have indicated they have availability during the Convention. Anyone who calls VISIT DENVER will be directed to our housing department and they will email the hotels on the list. One might also continue to check www.denver.org for any updated hotel availability.
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Each hotel offered rates to the Democratic National Convention independently so there will be a wide range of rates found in Denver during the convention. Historically, August is one of the busiest convention months for Denver so rates are higher than at other times of the year.
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You can buy official Denver DNC merchandise online at http://www.denverdncgear.com/.
DenverDNCGear.com is the official merchandising vendor for the DNC Host Committee and features a wide variety of merchandise for individuals, customized merchandise for groups and events, and additional merchandise for wholesale customers as well.
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DenverDNCGear.com can help you create special gift-packages and even customized items for any sized group or event. Here are some of the services available:
- Provide special package-pricing on licensed Denver2008 DNC merchandise
- Development of special Denver2008 “Gift Bag Packages” customized to fit your needs and budget
- Easy on-line shopping and buying at www.DenverDNCGear.com
- Customized product development with your client’s logo used with the Denver2008 logo (must be approved in advanced by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee)
- Assistance with themed-event planning, including any “Green Initiatives”
- Fundraising ideas and programs using merchandise and apparel
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