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All Eyes on Denver in August
By: William Ng
MiMegasite Magazine
June 20, 2008
Just two months from now, a staggering 35,000 people are expected to converge on Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28.
"All eyes will be on Denver," noted impassioned Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO Richard Scharf. "It will be our opportunity to tell the story of Denver, surprise people with all our offerings, and leave a lasting legacy beyond the convention."
"The 2008 DNC already promises to make history, with Senator Barack Obama to be anointed the nation's first-ever African-American presidential candidate from a major party. But the Democrats' mission is also to produce the most environmentally friendly political event. The convention committee began a multi-pronged green campaign as early as a year ago, opening a Denver office that recycles and embraces energy-efficient and sustainable practices.
The Pepsi Center, the 18,000-seat arena that will serve as the main DNC venue, will be partially powered by solar energy, while host facilities Hyatt Regency Denver and Colorado Convention Center will have a percentage of their power supplied by wind energy through renewable energy credits. The convention will track and minimize its carbon production, employ sustainable construction practices, and divert 85 percent of its waste from landfill. Designated hybrid buses will shuttle delegates, but walking and public transportation will be promoted.
"The takeaway we want is to be the greenest convention ever and promote green meetings to planners and groups," said Scharf. Some 15,000 convention media members will be made aware of the numerous green efforts, especially Greenprint Denver, the citywide green action plan began in 2005. The outreach effort by the city and county governments has been educating residents and businesses in all facets of sustainability in hopes of reducing Denver's greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent and landfilled household waste by 30 percent by 2011.
Earlier this year, the Denver Metro CVB began a citywide hospitality training program, called Go the Extra Mile, designed to create lasting experiences for visitors. Like Greenprint Denver, it is a grassroots initiative, with road shows, learning videos, certification training, and rewards/recognition for front-line hotel, restaurant, retail, and transport workers.
"Denver is already known as a friendly city," Scharf said,"but the Go the Extra Mile program is taking that to the next level."That includes cab drivers, restaurant servers, and hotel front-desk agents energetically greeting visitors, taking the time to listen to them, and asking what else they need, signaling proactive hospitality as opposed to reactive.
"Nearly 19,000 of the city's 42,000-room hotel inventory has been blocked for the DNC, according to Scharf, but he said what will set the convention apart from other large events that have been held in the city will be the amount of security and media present—both Senators Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will have Secret Service entourages. The room block is 7,000 more accommodations than what Boston partitioned out for the 2004 DNC, according to Denver, and a significant number of rooms are double-occupancy, so the city doesn't expect housing or crowding issues.
Having hosted such high-profile bashes as the NCAA basketball tournament, Scharf noted Denver has a turnkey operation in place involving the police and fire departments and more than 30 other civic agencies.
Further smoothing things along is the Pepsi Center's location on thoroughfare Speer Boulevard and off Interstate 25. The venue is also accessible by light rail, and the I-25's arena exit will be cordoned, easing traffic around the building.
The Democratic Party's decision to stage the DNC mainly at the Pepsi Center also logistically frees up the Colorado Convention Center to welcome move-ins by exhibitors at the 30,000-attendee Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association Expo, Sept. 3-7. Scharf said, "We're very fortunate that the DNC is using the Pepsi Center, so the convention center is pretty open. CEDIA will move in while the DNC wraps up."
Long after the DNC has ended, Denver will be energized by its green and hospitality commitments. Future groups will benefit from the legions of hotels, taxis, and restaurants that will already be fully immersed in the city's environmental mission. Meeting planners can expect a comprehensive green toolkit given by the Denver Metro CVB at site inspections, and they can look forward to working with a full-time sustainability manager at the Colorado Convention Center.
Reporting by Lori Morris. Originally published June 16, 2008
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