‘FEELING THE BUZZ’ AHEAD OF DNC
Small local businesses gearing up for convention expect a revenue boost, but say it won’t be a huge moneymaker
Chicago businesses are gearing up for the Democratic National Convention that starts Monday and is expected to draw 50,000 visitors to the city.
Southside Blooms will weave lilies, sunflowers, marigolds, peonies and other flowers into intricate floral arrangements for DNC-related events next week. Yum Dum’s food truck will serve hundreds of dumplings, “kimcheesy” rice balls and sriracha pecan fudge brownies to hungry journalists covering the four-day convention.
South Loop event planner Revel Global Events will be busy hosting receptions — decking out its historic 1936 building, once home to the Illinois Automobile Club and the Chicago Defender newspaper.
Businesses involved with DNC-related events — from food trucks to party planners — expect a strong boost from the convention and are excited to be a part of history.
The last time the convention was held in Chicago was in 1996 at the United Center.
Other business owners hope the surge of visitors will bump up their revenue, but believe it will be mostly business as usual. For them, the DNC won’t be different from other massive events such as Lollapalooza or the Chicago Marathon, which draws more than 115,000 concertgoers and 50,000 runners, respectively.
Revel Global Events is organizing the Volunteer Appreciation Rally before the convention starts for an estimated 12,000 volunteers at Wrigley Field. Revel was one of five hospitality firms selected by the Democratic National Convention Committee to produce events welcoming convention attendees and other festivities.
“This is something that we will be able to look back at for years,” Clint Paton, chief operating officer of Revel, said. “We will showcase it for years in our marketing efforts.”
The party is one of the largest events Revel has produced in terms of headcount, but not the most logistically complex. Paton said the firm has catered to groups of up to 5,000 for several days and transported them around the city, which was more complicated.
In addition to the official DNC events, Revel and other businesses are working with scores of political interest groups and other delegations to host independent receptions, lunches and dinners next week.
Revel said it’s planning several offshoot events for 600 to 700 people at Revel Motor Row, its event space near McCormick Place.
Paton wouldn’t disclose the events’ organizers but said they range from local to national political groups “at the highest levels.”
‘Feeling the buzz’
Jeff Wang, owner of Yum Dum, said his food truck business is “definitely feeling the buzz” of the convention. A media outlet, which Wang declined to name, hired Yum Dum to feed journalists covering the DNC near the United Center.
“Our food truck is perfect for feeding large teams without having to sit down for long, fancy dinners,” Wang said.