St. Louis 2012 Convention Host Committee

St. Louis 2012 Convention Host Committee
Fact Sheet, July 2010

General

• The Democratic National Committee has named St. Louis one of four finalists for the Convention on 30 June 2010. Site visits to all finalist cities will take place during the summer.

• St. Louis' world‐class convention facilities, central location, 38,000+ hotel rooms, strong transportation infrastructure, numerous civic amenities and unified regional support make us a strong contender for 2012.

• To prepare the bid, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay asked Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, and Brian Wahby, chairman of the St. Louis City Democratic Party and Missouri’s At­‐Large DNC member to organize the St. Louis 2012 Convention Host Committee.

• The Host Committee includes more than 100 leaders from throughout Missouri and Illinois committed to bringing the Convention to St. Louis. It is led by Mayor Slay, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (MO), US. Senator Dick Durbin (IL), U.S. Senator Roland Burris (IL), and U.S. Congressmen Russ Carnahan (D­‐MO), William Clay (D­‐MO), and Jerry Costello (D‐IL). The Committee also includes St. Charles Mayor Patricia York (R), Twitter and Square founder Jack Dorsey, Urban League President James Buford, SEIU Vice President Nancy Cross, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, St. Louis Post Dispatch Publisher Kevin Mowbray, and St. Louis Business Journal Publisher Ellen Sherberg.

• The St. Louis bid also enjoys the support of the entire Missouri and Illinois Democratic congressional delegations.

• The 2012 DNC is an opportunity to build on St. Louis’ success in hosting major national events, including the 2009 MLB All-­Star Game and 2010 men’s Final Four Midwest Regional and the 1999 Papal visit that drew more than 100,000 people to St. Louis, at that time the largest indoor assembly in American history. Even that historic record would be shattered by the crowd drawn to the Gateway Arch in October 2008 to hear candidate Barack Obama. In 2007, a record attendance was set in St. Louis for the Annual Convention of the National Rifle Association, which has re-­booked St. Louis for 2012 based on their success.

• The last national political convention in St. Louis was the 1916 Democratic Convention, which nominated Woodrow Wilson for a second term. Including 1916, St. Louis has hosted 5 national party conventions, 4 Democratic and 1 Republican.

2012 Host Committee Goals

• Produce a winning bid for the entire Missouri/Illinois St. Louis region.

• Generate a significant economic return to the region.

• Create an event that showcases St. Louis’ unique attributes as a family-­friendly metropolis in the American heartland.

• Encourage civic engagement by providing diverse opportunities for public participation.

• Emphasize inclusiveness by reaching out to diverse communities and businesses, with a specific focus on involvement and outreach to minority, women, disadvantaged and disabled communities.

• Showcase St. Louis’ commitment to a sustainable, clean environment by hosting a green Convention.

Economic Impact

• The CVC has secured more than 15,000 hotel rooms (from the region’s 38,000+) to house the delegates, guests, staff, media, etc. The 2012 Host Committee estimates the need for 77,000 total hotel room nights for the Convention.

• St. Louis can expect an overall impact similar to Denver’s experience hosting the 2008 Democratic National Convention, though our location in the center of the country, along with President Obama’s incumbency, may generate greater numbers for St. Louis.

• The 2008 Convention generated a $266 million regional economic benefit to Metro Denver, of which $153 million occurred within the City and County of Denver.

• The Denver 2008 Host Committee was responsible for raising a minimum of $51 million in cash and in-­‐kind donations to fund the Convention activities.

• Approximately 80% of the funds were raised outside of the Denver metropolitan area.

• The Convention attracted 50,000 people to Denver, including 6,000 delegates, 18,000 national and international media, and 26,000 dignitaries, delegate family members, and other guests.

• The City and County of Denver hosted more than 120,000 people at community events in more than 17 locations.

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St. Louis 2012 Convention Exploratory Committee Fact Sheet, April 2010