CONVENTION UPDATE
2000 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
September, 1999
MESSAGE FROM RNC CHAIRMAN JIM NICHOLSON...
It is now less than a year until the 37th Republican National Convention opens. This
historic convention will offer our nominee unprecedented communications opportunities -
the television, radio, and print media assembly in Philadelphia will be the largest of the
presidential campaign, and the explosive growth of the internet will allow our candidate
to interact with millions of Americans on-line. By staging the convention in Philadelphia
our nominee will be able to draw upon the values of the past while offering a vision of
leadership for the future. Convention CEO Chip DiPaula and his team are hard at work to
maximize the visibility and exposure for our presidential candidate next summer at the
convention, as well as provide delegates and guests a useful and enjoyable experience.
This newsletter will keep you up to date on the convention as it develops.
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CONVENTION MANAGER CHIP DiPAULA...
My goal is to make sure that when the convention opens next summer, it is a logistically and operationally flawless nomination process. If we do our job right, we'll produce a convention that serves as a powerful political springboard for the nominee going into the fall campaign. The experience we had in preparing the logistics for the 1996 convention - when we turned a bare convention center exhibit hall into a television studio - will go a long way as we prepare a more modern, high-tech arena for our nominee. Everything, including transportation, hospitality, technical support, and media logistics must be perfect. The numbers tell the story of the job ahead of us:
Literally tens of thousands of details for the convention, held July 29
to August 4, 2000, each one geared to give our nominee the biggest
bounce possible for the election three months later.
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COMMITTEE ON ARRANGEMENTS...
The RNC's Committee on Arrangements (COA) met for the first time and elected officers and organized into 12 subcommittees in Philadelphia during the Republican National Committee's annual summer meeting. This 62-member committee, which Chairman Nicholson appointed this spring, will play a major advisory role in convention planning and preparations for our nominee.
COA officers for 2000 are: Chairman Jim Nicholson (Colorado), Co-Chairman Jan Larimer (Wyoming), Co-Chairman & Treasurer Alec Poitevint (Georgia), General Counsel Michael W. Grebe (Wisconsin), Secretary Ione Brownson (Montana). COA Subcommittee chairmen are:
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BROADCAST MEDIA WALK-THROUGHS...
Several hundred press representatives are expected in Philadelphia on December 1 and 2 for a media walk-through of Comcast-Spectacor's First Union Center. Chairman Nicholson chose the First Union Center as the primary convention venue this summer because of the advanced communications technology it contains for our nominee, including two video editing studios and a broadcast television facility. In a first for the 2000 convention, there will be five television networks providing national coverage - ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC. The presence of FOX marks the first addition to national television coverage since 1984 when CNN joined the network pool. The COA Executive Committee, COA News Media Subcommittee Chairman Ron Kaufman of Massachusetts and News Media Subcommittee members Zori Fonalledas of Puerto Rico, Holland Redfield of the Virgin Islands, Linda Shaw of North Carolina and Susan Weddington of Texas will convene a hearing to take media testimony from television, internet, radio and print outlets.
Testimony from the press will allow convention leaders to have the most up-to-date information on media convention plans to create the maximum number of opportunities for our nominee.
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SENIOR STAFF APPOINTMENTS...
Convention Manager Chip DiPaula is pleased to announce two convention veterans have joined the 2000 team. Mike Simon will be the convention's Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing Administration, Personnel, Information Technology and Housing Operations. He'll be working closely with COA Co-Chair and Treasurer Alec Poitevint and Convention CFO Stan Huckaby. Simon was the Chief Financial Officer for the 1996 GOP Convention in San Diego which, with tight financial constraints, came in under budget. His resume includes over two decades of management experience at Arthur Andersen, where he retired as managing partner in the office of federal services. He also spent 18 years in US Air Force financial management, including the position of Deputy Assistant Comptroller. Ellis Kitchen will be Assistant Convention Manager for Logistics and Site Operations, drawing upon over three decades of telecommunications management experience with AT&T, including support for the '96 GOP convention, which required 10,000 additional dedicated phone lines. Kitchen has also advised the White House and the State Department on overseas telecommunications options and assisted numerous statewide political campaigns. Kitchen will oversee design and construction, security, transportation, telecommunications, and First Union Center site operations. Senior staff will report to Deputy Convention Manager Maxene Fernstrom, herself a veteran of the '96 convention and numerous national political operations.
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FAQS...
Delegates: Based on the formula established by the rules of the Republican National Committee, the delegate count for the 2000 convention has been tentatively established at 2065, with an equal number of alternate delegates. The 1996 delegate total was 1990.
Hotels: Approximately 20,000 hotel rooms in the convention block, comprising over 100 hotels, have been organized into five clusters and linked by shuttle for delegate and guest travel convenience.
Transportation: The city and surrounding region are coordinating special convention-only lanes on freeways and major thoroughfares to facilitate travel at peak times. An 18 hour-a-day shuttle system with 21 different routes means that for delegates and guests, travel between hotels, the convention, and related festivities will be accessible, convenient and flexible.
Convention planners for the first time have arranged free shuttle transportation around the region to all convention guests, one reason Philadelphia rose to the top during the site selection process last year and was selected from a record field of eight cities to host the 2000 convention.
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Pennsylvania Partners...
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge serves as an honorary chairman of the Philadelphia 2000 Host Committee, and is working with three Philadelphia business leaders who serve as Host Committee co-chairmen to direct the committee's financial, organizational and promotional tasks. The three co-chairs are: David F. Girard-diCarlo, managing partner of Blank Rome Comisky and McCauley, LLP; David L. Cohen, chairman of Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll, LLP; and Brian L. Roberts, president of Comcast Corporation, which is involved in cable television operations in 21states, principal owner of QVC, Comcast-Spectacor and Comcast SportsNet,and has a controlling interest in E! Entertainment Television. The Host Committee is responsible for raising the bulk of convention funding from private sources. The entire financial package for the convention is an unprecedented $65 million, including private donations, state and city in-kind services and contributions, and the FEC funding that both parties receive for convention purposes. Coordinating Host
Committee support activities is Philadelphia 2000 President Karen Dougherty Buchholz, who has several years of business experience in Philadelphia following her work for the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz (R-PA) in his Washington office.
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Where we're located...
2000 Republican Convention
Committee on Arrangements
One South Broad at 1345 Chestnut Street
Suite 1830
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-762-9900 Tel.
215-762-9949 Fax
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BREAKING NEWS...
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