Key event planning takeaways from the Democratic National Convention 2024

Regardless of your politics, from an event planning point of view, the Democratic National Convention - held from 19 to 22 August 2024 in Chicago, USA - was an impressive exercise in event and conference planning. It was a triumph, thrown together in a very short period: a month ago the convention was going to be run as a celebration of rumour-riddled Joe Biden, and the fear was the atmosphere would be more convalescence home than ballroom glitz. The planning committee had a very short period to switch that vibe to match the energy and hope attendant in the Democrats selecting the first woman of colour as their Presidential Candidate. An all-out party, then. Most event planners will not, alas, have access to the budget, enthusiasm, speakers, and performers the DNC was able to call on. It would make life much easier to be able to rely on having the Obamas, Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, or John Legend show up to make a conference sparky and dynamic. Regardless, several pertinent takeaways from the DNC can apply to all event planning. THE LOGISTICSThe conference itself - a series of speeches and performances - was held over four days in McCormick Place, during the day, and the United Center during the evening. Each day the DNC hosted 50,000 visitors, 20,000 media, and 5,500 delegates. But it spilled out across the greater Chicago area in the form of multiple parties and events designed to incorporate the people of the city into the celebration, as well as reflecting the diverse people of Chicago. WHAT THEY DID RIGHT - KEPT IT LOCAL, BUT DIVERSEFor all the auxiliary activities, the host committee put a call out to local agencies, and selected five companies, based on the firm's experience, incorporation of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods into programming, cost of services, and relationships to Chicago and the surrounding region. They also worked to ensure the inclusion of minorities, women, persons with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+ owners and work force when reading proposals. In the end, they chose five hospitality vendors to produce events welcoming convention attendees and other festivities: Juan and Only, elemento L2, All Terrain Collective, Revel Global Events, and 5423 Productions. All are run by either women or minorities.The convention is estimated to have created $200 million of direct economic impact for Chicago - everything from construction at conference sites to hotel stays and restaurant spending.By utilising local suppliers from diverse backgrounds, the hotels, restaurants, and venues chosen have had grassroots local Chicago ties, rather than being run by a conglomerate. That means more money being injected directly into the events and hospitality industry within Chicago.DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE BOLD With the Supreme Court overthrowing Roe V Wade in 2022 - which enshrined a woman's right to an abortion in the constitution - both contraception and reproductive rights are key issues for the Democratic party in 2024. And while candidate Kamala Harris has been openly vocal in her support of 'reproductive freedom'. one auxiliary party at the DNC made a media splash by putting words into action. Planned Parenthood set up a mobile health clinic eight blocks from the United Center - a vinyl-wrapped trailer with an examination bed and ultrasound machine — to perform vasectomies and administer abortion medication to those who need it. A controversial action but eye-catching, and demonstrates their commitment to the issue. AT THE EVENT - KEEP IT PERSONAL The moments that have gone viral from the DNC aren’t just the big performances or barn-stopping speeches. Social media has been sparking up in praise of Gus Walz, the son of Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, who was filmed crying with pride and mouthing 'That's my dad!' as his father took to the stage. People were deeply moved by Walz's son's pride and show of emotion. The lesson is simple: regardless of your topic, attendees will warm to deeply human moments. Think about ways in which you can facilitate this for your speakers. WHERE THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER - TIMEKEEPINGOn the first night, the featured speaker, President Joe Biden, was scheduled to speak at 10:30 EST. However Biden ended up taking the stage more than 90 minutes late - meaning he spoke long past midnight for East Coast viewers, losing the primetime viewership for those watching from home. While the convention officials explained the delay was caused by ‘raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker,’ the day's first speaker took the stage an hour and a half late. The DNC addressed this by moving up its programming for the rest of the convention. THE LESSONS BUFFER TIMES Incorporate buffer time into between segments to accommodate any slight overruns. Similarly, be prepared with filler content in the case of a lag. But also pay attention to the energy of a room. If a speech or event is truly resonating, it can be more advantageous to the crowd to let it overrun than to stick to strict timekeeping. With luck, the buffer time will allow for this, if not, shorten other segments on the fly - things such as ice breakers or networking breaks, not another speaker, of course. PREVENT OVERAGES WHERE POSSIBLEBe tactful but encourage your guests to rehearse - and time - presentations. The likelihood of applause being as raucous as it was at the DNC is unlikely, but do advise them to build a little space for applause/questions. COUNTDOWN CLOCKSIt's uncertain if the DNC had visible countdown clocks - but a digitally-faced clock easily visible for speakers is crucial to helping with time management. IBE FIRM WITH SPEAKER GUIDELINESAsk your speakers to stick to time limits, and to be punctual. Check if there are any elements such as PowerPoint for their presentation - advise them to keep the number of slides succinct and punching to avoid going over.

Key event planning takeaways from the Democratic National Convention 2024

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