Branding for next year’s Democratic National Convention is displayed on the scoreboard at the United Center in April 11. The convention will be held Aug. 19-22.
Scott Olson, Getty
WASHINGTON — The first wave of Democratic convention-related business hits Chicago on Jan. 18, when more than 500 representatives from media outlets come to the city for a logistics tour of the United Center, the main venue for the August event.
About 15,000 members of the media are expected for the convention, Aug. 19-22. They are part of the overall 50,000 attendees, including delegates, coming to the city for the expected nomination of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for a second term.
Media logistics range from simple, for a solo print journalist who needs just a laptop and Wi-Fi, to enormously complex for television networks with all sorts of technical needs to support live operations. Major news outlets planning on sending armies of reporters to the convention will be able to get an idea of workspace availability for the temporary offices that will be set up at the Jan. 18 event.
“This will be the first logistical walk-through for media organizations ahead of the convention and will serve as an opportunity to receive detailed information about the logistics for coverage,” the Democratic National Convention Committee said in a statement.
Chicago last hosted a convention in 1996, when Democrats met at the United Center. And as in 1996, it is highly likely that some sort of temporary structure will be built in the United Center parking lot to provide workspace for media outlets.
The Jan. 18 event will focus on the United Center. During the convention, activities will also take place at the McCormick Place complex and possibly other locations.
Media representatives will be eligible for convention rates at the three hotels that the DNCC is using for the event — the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Marriott Marquis Chicago and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Republicans, holding their convention in Milwaukee July 15-18, are hosting a similar media logistics briefing Nov. 30. The GOP convention will be at the Fiserv Forum, with some events at the Panther Arena and Baird Center.
Given that this is an opportunity to show off the city, there likely will be some sort of media welcome reception in Chicago on the night of Jan. 17.
Convention contracts now in play
The DNCC and the Chicago 2024 Host Committee are starting to request bids for a variety of services. A place to find out about potential jobs and contracts and how to bid is Chicago2024.com. At present, job openings have been posted to fill slots for event architect, event management, exposition services and construction management services.
Earlier this month, the DNCC and host committee picked K + P Advisory to serve as owner’s representative for the convention, to be “the in-house expert on design, construction and event contracting and works as a part of the larger team responsible for preparing the United Center and its surroundings,” the host committee and DNCC said in a release.
K + P Advisory is run by Ayse Kalaycioglu and Anthony Pascente, and is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise. The Democrats have pledged to spread around convention business to small and minority-owned firms in the city.
K + P Advisory’s work will be supported by, according to the DNCC and host committee, “a diverse Chicago-based team, including SQN Associates, a certified minority- and woman-owned business; Rodriguez Media Communication, a certified minority- and woman-owned business; and the Concord Group, a small business enterprise.”
The group is challenging 66,487 of the 85,509 signatures submitted by the Kennedy campaign, alleging some signers were ineligible and necessary petition fields were incorrect or incomplete “due to likely fraud and forgery.”
If the president stays in the race, as it seems he will, the question will be which Joe Biden will show up in Chicago to accept his nomination — the faltering debater or a president fit to serve?
A coalition of community organizations says the policy still fails to draw a line between crowds protected under the First Amendment and those engaged in illegal activity such as looting.
Pat Cleary, president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, predicted “hundreds” of members would participate in the two-hour march on Michigan Avenue on July 6.
Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ groups won a permit for a 1-mile march Aug. 18 past the Bean, Millennium Park and hotels where DNC delegates will be staying.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said law enforcement groups have been prepping for more than a year and have coordinated with 15 public safety entities — including the Chicago Police Department.
It’s part of a critical voter outreach plan in place since President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and extended into the halls of the White House — as Biden combats Donald Trump and his army of online supporters.
Many Democrats argue democracy itself is in danger this election cycle. This danger demands we fiercely defend the right to protest throughout the summer and the next four years.
The city is required to provide police escorts for all convention committee personnel who are “delivering credentials to state delegations and the media at their respective hotels.” It also must provide “special” security for “delegates and other dignitaries.”
Then-Mayor Richard M. Daley “saw this as an opportunity to show a city that does work — not a city that crumbles under the pressure of protesters,” said Leslie Fox, executive director of the 1996 convention’s host committee. “The stakes were pretty high.”
Lollapalooza is typically the busiest hotel weekend of the year for Chicago. But a Sun-Times search shows average daily hotel room rates during the Democratic National Convention may be nearly $50 higher during its four-day stint in Chicago.
Federal and local officials have repeatedly said they are ready for what could be one of the biggest events to hit Chicago in decades. It’s been described by one Chicago police official as bigger than the 2012 NATO Summit and 1996 Democratic National Convention.
“This is just a target-rich stew for the Russians to try lots of things and see what works,” says Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic International Studies.
Trump and Biden face crucial strategic decisions on how to play the conviction. They’ll meet for their first debate June 27 in Atlanta, Trump will be sentenced July 11 and the Republican National Convention kicks off July 15 in Milwaukee.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg warned that using pepper spray and corralling protesters ‘risks escalating tensions and violating constitutional rights of lawful demonstrators.’
Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022 spoke before state Democratic Party leaders in New Hampshire and Florida, fueling speculation that he was plotting a presidential run in 2024. Since then, he’s repeatedly tamped down questions about his presidential ambitions.
Before the Chicago convention in August, Democrats will hold a virtual roll call to nominate President Joe Biden to a second term in order to qualify for the Ohio ballot, columnist Lynn Sweet writes.
The lack of a defined, public strategy isn’t a criticism of city officials. The goal is to show that Chicago can embrace protest and the exercise of free speech rights.
With 89 days until the convention kicks off, organizers and state and local officials meet with the media and woo influencers who could connect with hard-to-reach voters.
Hay talento sin aprovechar que nuestra ciudad tiene que ofrecer, y es fundamental impulsar más recursos permanentes como los que se están construyendo para la convención.
The Southern Poverty Law Center urged Mayor Brandon Johnson and Police Supt. Larry Snelling to reconsider the decision not to take disciplinary action against eight officers connected to the Oath Keepers, six of whom admitted to joining the group.
On NHL Opening Night on Oct. 8, the Hawks will be the opponent in the Utah Hockey Club’s first game. The following week, the Hawks will host their home opener Oct. 17 against the Sharks.
The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his body and was dropped off at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park where he was pronounced dead, Chicago police said. His name hasn’t been released yet.
Harris arrived in July 2021 from CBS affiliate KOVR in Sacramento, California. He replaced Baker, who had moved to co-host morning news in September 2019.
Groups challenging the law made their bid to the U.S. Supreme Court after last fall’s ruling from the federal appeals court in Chicago, which found that weapons covered by Illinois’ assault-weapons ban don’t have Second Amendment protection.
