Share:
Personal observations, interesting facts from DNC convention
Sometimes the stuff not talked about is as interesting as the stuff that is
Seen from above, a view of the writing press stands set up for daily news platforms. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
August 5, 2016
More than a dozen cellphone charging stations were set up throughout the arena. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTO
Story Location:
3601 S Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
United States
3601 S Broad St.
Walking around the convention, a person couldn’t help but wonder about what went into making the event possible or make personal observations that weren’t being reported. In anticipation of those questions, the following statistics and information were provided in the media guide.
Convention statistics
• 400 buses from the region were used
- 95 contracted hotels with more than 15,000 rooms, including 27 hotels specifically for state and territory delegations
- An estimated economic impact of $300 million for the Philadelphia region
- Around 6,000 delegates and alternates
- 10,000 volunteers
- Between 30,000 and 50,000 convention participants
- Between 15,000 and 20,000 members of the media
- 400 national allied organizations, nongovernmental organizations and labor unions
- More than 400 foreign dignitaries were invited
Wells Fargo Center statistics
- 2,170 seats taken out for stage
- 1,324 seats put on convention floor
- 1,090 signs were added to the arena complex
- 120,000 square feet was created for media pavilions
- 38 media suites and 5 locker rooms were changed into office space
- About 475 working staff per day
- 750 miles of cable run and 125 miles of fiber cable
- 1,250 desk phones and cell phones deployed for staff and vendor use
- 310 TVs installed
- 300 wireless access points
- 1,500 media parking spots
- 385 credentialed foreign news outlets
- Convention staff had ownership of the building since May 28 and moved in full time the week of the convention.
Personal observations:
• Sometimes it’s too late to make changes – Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepped down as Democratic National Committee chair in the hours before the convention began. Unfortunately, the convention’s official program featured her on full page welcome and convention credentials still had her name on them.
• Things need to be paid for – Speaking of the DNC’s 58-page convention program, there are three full-page ads. One of them is from Fox News.
• Did they have to get Secret Service clearance too? – Members of the media were strongly encouraged to go through the clearance process of the U.S. Secret Service. Set up within the secured perimeter was an Uber pickup area, while all other modes – Lyft, taxis – were outside the perimeter, nearly a quarter mile away.
• Wearing nice shoes is a rookie move by a delegate – Women in nice dresses and sneakers. Men wearing nice suits and sneakers. The folks in the know realize cameras are only going to be shooting from the waist up.
• Be patient; it’s all a waiting game - It was a three-month process to get credentialed. An hour-long process to pick up credentials each morning. A half-hour long process to wait in line for food.
