When the city of Denver was able to land the 2008 Democratic Convention, it was a major coup. By taking the most evasive measures, Denver was able to beat out cities like New York for the right to host the convention. This year, as much as ever, the Democratic National Convention is a major event that will provide both an economic boost and a ton of exposure to greater Denver and the surrounding areas.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the economic impact on Denver will be large and profound. The city estimates that almost 35,000 people will be in town for the event, including many of the most prominent figures in American politics. When that many people come to a city for what amounts to a fun event, they are going to be spending money and pumping more life into the economy both in the city of Denver and in the seven surrounding counties.

At last count, just over 17,000 hotel rooms had been booked for the convention. Though the daily meetings will be held in downtown Denver at the Pepsi Center, the economic impact will have a far reaching effect on hotels and restaurants outside of the city. The city of Denver estimates that only 7,800 of those 17,000 rooms are within walking distance of the Pepsi Center, so that means that almost 10,000 hotel rooms are booked in the surrounding areas. This obviously means good things for the hotel industry, but it also means that other businesses will benefit. Restaurants, for instance, will see a huge increase in those areas, as all of the people staying in hotels will have to eat out. In addition, there will be a large increase in business for the city’s many fine entertainment opportunities. Those businesses, both downtown and in the surrounding areas, are expecting a nice boost in numbers as a result of the convention.

In order to see an estimated economic figure for this event, one only has to look back to 2004, when the democratic convention was held in the city of Boston. The economic impact there was just over $163 million. Denver officials expect at least that much, with an outside chance at as much as $200 million in economic gain.

The economic side of things is just one part of the equation, though. This election is extremely important and because of that, it is being covered by the media with more fervor than perhaps ever before. With two extremely viable candidates on the democratic side, there will be a lot of national attention on the convention, especially since the race could come down to the last few days in Denver. That type of national media attention is good for the city, especially since the city’s officials have done such an extensive job of planning and making sure that it has all of the bases covered.

Denver has an opportunity to prove itself as a city that can handle major events, which will likely lead to more opportunities in the future.

 Share