City files bid to host Dems’ 2020 convention
In 600-page document, leaders emphasize recent history of accommodating top events
The city of Houston has officially thrown its hat into the ring to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The 600-page document details how Houston is the perfect venue to host the presidential nominating convention.
The city has made it a point to show that hosting events is its specialty, even in the aftermath of the Hurricane Harvey flooding.
Houston has hosted the 2017 Super Bowl, the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the annual Offshore Technology Conference, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and Comicpalooza.
Houston council members supported the bid at a meeting earlier this month. It would be the first time for the city to host the convention since 1992.
“This city has changed quite a bit since 1992,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said on June 8. “This is about showcasing our city. It’s about inviting people from all over the globe to our city. It’s intended to be a bipartisan effort being presented saying, ‘This is Houston.’”
According to the city, Toyota Center and George R. Brown Convention Center would provide the main gathering spaces for the July 13-16, 2020, convention.
With the Metro light rail system, two international airports and about 24,000 hotel rooms near the the convention sites, Houston’s infrastructure can support the influx of people looking to attend, city leaders said.
“I am confident that we are the right city and this is the right time to bring the convention to Houston,” Turner said in letter to DNC Chairman Tom Perez that introduces the bid package.
“Houston is a proven event town and has excelled in hosting high profile national events,” the mayor said in the letter. “Whether celebratory, such as the Super Bowl, or somber, such as the recent memorial events for former First Lady Barbara Bush, we meet the producer’s goals while exceeding expectations with seamless execution and constant attention to public safety.”
The city hosted the Republican National Convention in 1992 and the Democratic National Convention in 1928.
In the official bid, Houston leaders highlighted the city’s strengths and most recent accomplishments. Houston will face off against a competitive slate of cities making a play for the opportunity to host, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., and Milwaukee.
Other cities possibly looking to make a bid include Denver, New York, Miami Beach and San Francisco.
“The inclusion of Houston in this (bidder) group of elite destinations is a recognition of the outstanding job that our community does in hosting major events,” said David Mincberg, board chairman of Houston First, which promotes the city and manages its premier entertainment venues. “It is Houston’s diversity, robust economy and newly transformed convention campus, Avenida Houston, that will set us apart and leave a lasting impression as we strive to secure the 2020 Democratic National Convention.”