It could be just a few months until the Democratic National Committee announces its selection for the 2020 convention host city, and Milwaukee’s bid committee is preparing to once again show off the city’s best assets.
DNC chairman Tom Perez and a group of party officials will spend half a day next week in Milwaukee, touring Fiserv Forum, the Wisconsin Center and area hotels, said Alex Lasry, who is chair of the local bid committee and senior vice president of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Our hope is again to show the committee what Milwaukee has to offer, tell our story and give them another sense of how Milwaukee will be the city they want to come to,” Lasry said.
It will be the committee’s second visit to Milwaukee in four months as it deliberates between Milwaukee, Miami Beach and Houston as potential host cities. A larger group of officials first visited Milwaukee in late August to survey the city’s amenities and meet with local business leaders.
Lasry said he anticipates all three cities will negotiate a contract with the DNC before the selected city is announced in January or February.
The local bid committee has long touted Milwaukee’s diverse population, growing economy, accessible location, and transportation and hotel accommodations for large-scale events– not to mention the Bucks’ new $524 million arena which would be the convention’s main venue.
Lasry remains confident they’ve gotten the message across.
“I think what makes our bid unique is we’re the smallest of the three cities, so when you come here, you are really taking over the city, you become the real focal point of the city,” he said. “So, here it becomes our soul focus to make sure the convention will be put on properly, and in a way that makes Milwaukee proud and shows Milwaukee in its best light.”
The event, which will take place from July 13 to 16, 2020, would attract about 50,000 visitors to the city and would generate about $200 million economic impact to the area, Lasry said,
The bid committee is currently seeking local, diverse businesses– meaning minority-, women-, LGBT-, service disabled-, or veteran-owned– interested in contracting its products or services with the convention and its committee if Milwaukee is chosen as its host.
Suppliers interested in participating in the committee’s Supplier Diversity Initiative can register via an online portal.
“That’s where we believe the convention will make the biggest impact,” he said. “The money coming in that otherwise wouldn’t be coming here is going to be spent and used on local small businesses and that is something I think is really powerful.”
