Election Season Brings VIPs to CCs

Presidential election campaigns can be exciting – and this one is no exception – especially for convention centers that host the candidates or other political VIPs and their events, rallies and speeches.

Regardless of the challenges that come with those special guests, the attention the venue receives from the visit can be an added bonus.

“The fact that they recognize that our facility is a world-class facility, and that ... they want to have either their events (here) or they're comfortable coming to our facility gives us quite a bit of prestige,” said Greg O'Dell, CEO and general manager of the Walter E. Washington (D.C.) Convention Center. “(With) the fact that we're in Washington, D.C., the capital of the free world, we're pretty much expected to have guests like that in our building, so we're certainly prepared for that.”

The long list of politicians and presidential candidates the center has hosted recently includes U.S. Sens. Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson at events for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have made multiple appearances.

In addition, the Washington CC, O'Dell said, is the site of many state-hosted presidential inauguration balls. In 2005, he added, six of the nine balls were held there.

With the 2008 election quickly approaching, candidates and their spouses once again are making the convention center rounds. In September, the Greater Richmond (Va.) Convention Center hosted both Sen. Joe Biden and Michelle Obama at a working-womens' forum, McCain visited the Tampa (Fla.) Convention Center for a rally and both Biden and McCain spoke at the 130th National Guard Assn. of the United States General Conference at the Baltimore Convention Center.

“It's always good to have opportunities to be able to host events like this for our community,” said Robert Rose, director of the Tampa Convention Center. “It gives our residents an opportunity to see these individuals in person and get a chance to somewhat have an interaction with them.”

For all the benefits that come with hosting these special guests, preparing for them, usually on short notice, demands a prepared staff. Rose said that typically the staff assigned to these events have worked on similar functions.

“We've hosted (the) president of the United States (and the) vice president of the United States in the building, so we kind of know what the scale is,” he added.

Getting a convention center ready for a political VIP involves a lot of set-up and security. Lori Coyne, director of sales and marketing at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, said during the 2008 primaries, President Clinton attended a rally for his wife's campaign there. She said they were informed at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday that Clinton would speak at a noon Saturday rally, and that he wanted bleachers for the audience and a dais decorated with blue velvet pipe and drape – neither of which they had. The convention center, she added, called on a local source for both.

“We were able to get the bleachers and the pipe and drape and all of that here in time,” Coyne said.

She added that the closest they have come to a snafu in Richmond was a Republican Party dinner at which actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson was scheduled to speak. The very tall senator had a special request.

“They wanted the podium elevated – put up on blocks for him – so he didn't have to bend over to speak,” Coyne said. “Then ... we realized the other speakers weren't going to be able to reach (it), so we had to build ... a little platform ... for the other speakers.”

Robert Parker, director of building services for the Baltimore Convention Center, said his team has a plan in place for short-notice bookings, but there still are as many planning meetings held beforehand as possible to prepare.

Security is one headache centers don't have, Rose said, with presidential candidates and added that often is the case with other high-profile figures: The Secret Service will take over the building, providing most of the security for the politician, often coordinating with local law enforcement.

“Our ... Tampa Police Department was actively involved, along with Secret Service and other federal agencies that provided security for their team,” Rose said of McCain's visit.

Getting the guest in and out of the building is another task to be handled. O'Dell said that for the inauguration balls, not only is the building impacted, but also the community around it. “There may be a couple-block radius where Secret Service will pretty much close the streets down around us,” he added.

For Clinton's visit to Richmond, Coyne said, the rally was held in the registration lobby and, although there was no event in the exhibit hall, one was in the middle of its set-up phase.

“To make things simpler for the Secret Service, we opened the loading dock doors to our exhibit hall,” Coyne added. “When they brought the motorcade in, they just drove right into the building. We parked them in the exhibit hall, closed the doors behind them and then we were able to bring (Clinton) right into the registration lobby.”