Is it worth it?
Boston faced that question in 2004 when it hosted the Democratic National Convention. Now it’s Denver’s turn.
The answer is the same for both cities: It depends on the definition of success.
If the convention is a logistical success, it will boost Denver’s image as open and ready for business, just as it did Boston’s.
“It gave people the opportunity to see that Boston could do a big event. That clearly has helped going forward. Denver will see the same benefit,” predicts Patrick B. Moscaritolo, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
But pure economic success is a different measure. The rosier the projections, the harder it will be to meet them.
Denver is in that awkward run-up phase, as less-than-sunny headlines surely promote skepticism about the wisdom of hosting the event.
According to news reports, convention costs are rising and fundraising is lagging. There are contract problems. Even the daisies aren’t cooperating. A special variety planted last April is declining to bloom in time to wow delegates.
Boston feels your pre-convention pain.
To win the prize of convention host, the city’s business and political leaders put aside old turf wars and long-simmering feuds. They sold a modern city on a hill as the perfect stage for favorite son and Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry.
Afterwards, self-doubt nibbled at the city’s psyche. Could the “new Boston” hold together long enough to pull off a major convention? Could it overcome perceptions linked to old Boston racial tensions?
Boston’s first-ever national political convention was also the first national political convention held after the attacks of 9/11. That put extra pressure on everyone. Local law enforcement officials crossed swords with the Secret Service, and security took priority over freedom of expression.
Media cynics wondered whether Boston-area hotels could really accommodate 20,000 delegates. Traffic nightmares were predicted for a city that encounters them even when convention delegates aren’t wandering around Boston’s convoluted streets.
Even worse, a bitter contract dispute divided the city and Boston police. Right up to the convention, the city’s frontline public safety workers threatened to form informational picket lines, which top Democrats pledged never to cross.
The contract dispute was settled at the last minute. Thanks to then-Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, Democrats didn’t have to choose between a party they wished to attend and their party’s longstanding commitment to labor unions.
When they finally arrived, delegates discovered a city bedecked with hanging flower baskets and devoid of traffic.
Indeed, downtown Boston resembled a ghost town, as residents and commuters took dire traffic warnings to heart and took convention week off as vacation week. Many restaurants and small shops were almost deserted as regular customers stayed away.
But, when the last balloon dropped, Boston deemed its overall convention experience a success, as well as a tremendous learning experience.
Among the lessons:
• Don’t oversell the economic benefits.
A pre-convention study commissioned by Mayor Thomas M. Menino predicted a national convention would bring $154 million in benefits to the local economy. But a post-convention analysis by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University concluded that the convention, overall, netted only $14.8 million — actual economic benefits of $156.7 million were offset by $141.9 million in lost business owing to displaced events and lost tourist and commuter spending.
• Don’t overestimate the last-minute demand for hotel rooms. Moscaritolo, of the convention and visitors bureau, said it was Boston’s strongest week for hotel occupancy, ever. He said a late-breaking demand was fueled by “Hollywood types,” who decided the Democratic convention was the hot place to be — and that happened without a rock star candidate like Barack Obama.
• Don’t underestimate the opportunity to sell your city’s story.
The international media are especially open to positive story lines. The national media will spend more time comparing your city with the host city for the Republican National Convention. In 2004, that pitted Boston against New York, before the Sox reversed the curse of the Bambino and won their first World Series since 1918.
• Put your best foot forward. But expect pushback, especially if you go overboard in trying to hide the less positive stories about your city.
You know that plan to give Denver’s homeless tickets to movie theaters, zoos and museums? It will undoubtedly play out as a heartless scheme to sweep the less-fortunate off the streets.
• Don’t scare away the local populace like Boston did. Local merchants and restaurateurs will hate you for it.
The expectations for Denver are at least a mile high. But no pain, no gain — and no glory.
Joan Vennochi covered the 2004 Democratic National Convention for the Boston Globe.
