Milwaukee organizers upbeat after 2020 convention site visit

Alex Lasry called a site selection visit “a resounding success” Wednesday as Milwaukee continued its push to land the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

“What this showed is that Milwaukee can throw a great national convention,” said Lasry, chair of the local bid committee, after a Democratic Party technical advisory group wrapped up a visit to the city.

Milwaukee, Houston and Miami Beach are the three finalists seeking the convention, to be held July 13-16, 2020. Democrats will make their selection by early next year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 16member committee toured sites, including Fiserv Forum, the Wisconsin Center, UWM Panther Arena and Discovery World, and held breakout sessions with top officials to discuss security, transportation and housing.

During a welcome dinner Monday, top Democratic donors from Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles met with leadership of the site selection group to offer assurances that Milwaukee’s committee could raise the funds necessary to hold the convention.

A winning bid will require the local committee to raise around $70 million to stage the event. Local organizers said a Milwaukee convention will attract 50,000 visitors and create $200 million in economic impact.

“I think the visit was exactly what we wanted,” said Lasry, an executive with the Milwaukee Bucks. “We wanted them to leave here saying, ‘Wow, Milwaukee is a viable city to host the convention, and we would have a great convention if we came to Milwaukee.’”

Lasry said a Tuesday night reception involving 200 business and community leaders showed the visiting Democrats there is local support for the bid.