City of Festivals is adding another event to this year's calendar: Convention Fest.
With the Republican National Convention being held in Milwaukee from July 15th to 18th, Convention Fest is primarily a daytime event for delegates, officials, members of the media, and other guests who have purchased tickets to attend the convention. It's an experience. It has not been announced where Convention Fest will be held.
The Republican National Committee Coordination Committee and the 2024 Hosting Committee are seeking local food, beverage, retail and experiential businesses to participate in Convention Fest. If you are interested, please apply online by 5pm on May 31st.
It's unclear how much, if any, it will cost companies to participate.
COA said space is limited and participation will be approved on a rolling basis.
“The Host Committee team has built a strong working relationship with Milwaukee's business community over the past two years,” said Host Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. “We couldn’t be more excited that Convention Fest 2024 will be another opportunity to work with local partners to maximize the convention experience while highlighting the best that Wisconsin has to offer. there is no.”
Attendees can expect pop-up booths featuring food, drink and shopping from local Wisconsin businesses. Local businesses can also market their products to guests from all over the country.
“Convention Fest will be a unique and fun opportunity for convention guests from across the country to experience the greatness of Wisconsin,” said COA President Anne Hathaway. “We are confident that Convention Fest, the premier daytime event of the week, will be an unforgettable showcase of Milwaukeeans coming together to help lead our candidate, President Donald J. Trump, to victory in November. ”
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Companies are preparing for the RNC
Beyond politics, local businesses are finding ways to profit from the big event.
Last year, before the first Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, dozens of companies set up booths at the Baird Center to introduce their businesses to potential customers who wanted to use them during the RNC. did.
Candice Lilund's business, Proforma Scout Promotions in Milwaukee, was selected to print merchandise such as T-shirts, hats and wine labels for the tournament.
“We were able to get a lot of information that we didn't have before,” Leland said in August 2023, adding that the RNC has helped her personally and “hopefully it will help other businesses in Milwaukee as well.” “I have,” he added.
Participants will have hotel assignments and businesses are expected to see an increase in requests for services.
“About 50,000 people will be here — I would call them full-time guests,” Priebus, who chaired the Wisconsin delegation to previous conventions, said earlier this month.
“If you think about it, if you're the chair of a delegation…we don't just go to the Fiserv Forum in the evening, watch what we're watching on TV, and go back to the hotel.” he said. .
“What I had to do as chair of one of the delegations was I had to organize the entire week's activities.”
The economic impact on the city is estimated to be $200 million.
The RNC has established a vendor directory for businesses to provide information to delegates and guests from outside of Milwaukee who wish to utilize its services.
