Milwaukee has achieved the rare feat of hosting a major party convention during two consecutive presidential elections. It was set to host the Democratic National Convention in 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in 2024, Milwaukee residents are worried that the Republican National Convention, scheduled to be held July 15-18, will also be a disappointment, according to The Reconvobulation Arena, a Milwaukee-based online publication.
Cities typically clamor for the privilege of hosting a party convention, hoping that the large number of politicians and journalists who attend will have a positive impact on their economies. One Milwaukee-based business owner previously said the Republican Convention could inject $200 million into the city’s economy, a claim later touted by Republican National Committee officials. Now, with less than a month until the convention, business owners and executives say the economic hopes aren’t coming to fruition.
“We were sold a storyline of how this show was going to unfold, and it basically ended up unfolding completely differently than the storyline that was sold to us,” Gary Witt, president and CEO of Pabst Theatre Group, told Recombobulation Arena.
Witt said Milwaukee’s iconic theaters, including the Pabst and Riverside Theaters downtown and the Vivarium and Fitzgerald on the city’s east side, will likely remain empty during the convention. He added that the Pabst Theater Group has heard similar dire outlooks from “everyone else in the city.” He said the Republican National Committee is entirely to blame for overpromising and underdelivering.
“Nobody is willing to take responsibility and improve. They are now trying to avoid it and say, “We never promised you anything.”” he continued, calling plans for the Republican National Convention “disappointing” and a “failure.”
As hopes for benefits from the Republican National Convention fade, some businesses and venues are pivoting to other events. Rave cut his losses; Host a concert for the band Thirty Seconds to MarsWith venue co-owner Leslie West He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that “silence” continues. Regarding booking the RNC.
Restaurants also must contend with a potential drop in sales as much of the city is closed to diners trying to avoid Republican National Convention attendees during the convention, who don’t seem interested in booking private events. Lupi & Iris, a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant in America for 2023, closed reservations for convention week but then reversed course when it realized sales wouldn’t surge.
“We haven’t had as many inquiries as we hoped and overall there’s just not as much excitement for the convention,” a Lupi & Iris spokesperson told Recombobulation Arena. “It’s disappointing for Milwaukee. We really wanted this, we really wanted to shine, and we were really excited to be able to host these events.”
Gregory Leon, a James Beard Award finalist and chef-owner of Amirinda in downtown Milwaukee, expressed similar concerns. “I have a hunch that this is going to kill business,” he said, adding that, like Witt, he’s been told he’s been overbooked.
Witt argued that Donald Trump’s impending nomination may have been a contributing factor in their predicament.
“I think the Republican National Convention has a hard time raising funds for a lot of their events because once their candidate is announced — and I’m not saying this as a political choice on my part — their candidate is known as a divisive figure and that makes fundraising difficult,” he said. “And last I checked, the convention is run on other people’s money, so it’s going to be hard to host an event in the city unless people are willing to put money into it.”
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