City's image is on the line when Dems come to town

Hot media spotlight can boost business but also poses risks

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Friday, May 9, 2008

Javier Manzano / The The Rocky

The Democratic National Convention will bring unprecedented media attention to the city, says Richard Scharf, president of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. He hopes Denver makes a good showing.

Aside from logistical hurdles, transportation issues and security challenges, Denver faces a formidable task during the upcoming Democratic National Convention: Impress the press.

An estimated 17,000 reporters, photographers, commentators, bloggers, support staff and other members of the media are expected to swarm the city in August, ranking as the largest media conglomeration in Denver's history and one of the biggest worldwide this year.

Denver's previous high? About 3,000 during the Summit of the Eight . . . in 1997.

With the intense media spotlight comes a significant opportunity for Denver to shine, which could help boost tourism, lead to new business investments and lure more high-profile conventions.

But there's some risk involved, as well.

If Denver botches any aspect of the convention, rest assured it will be beamed out to TV sets across the world and written about endlessly on the Internet. That could tarnish the city's image long after the camera crews have packed up and left.

"I can't think of a larger event that has come to Denver with the potential for this much publicity," said Garrett O'Keefe, professor of journalism at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "The downside is that there's more scrutiny on the city because of all the press. If you've got images going out of excessive transportation delays, overpriced food, not enough hotel rooms, all those issues, it might not be so good."

City and tourism leaders, as expected, are confident that won't happen. They point to intense planning and training efforts involving various city agencies, community organizations and downtown businesses, as well as a solid infrastructure. Denver also has had previous success hosting big-name events such as the Summit of the Eight, the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and a visit by the late Pope John Paul II.

"Obviously, for a city the size of Denver, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (to showcase) what we offer," said Mayor John Hickenlooper. "But almost always when there's a great opportunity, there's some risk. We're spending a huge amount of time and effort making sure the police are thoroughly trained, making sure that we have enough buses and enough limousines . . . to make sure everything goes smoothly."

This year's Democratic National Convention is expected to garner much more interest than past large events here and previous Democratic conventions elsewhere. The nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has captivated the nation and parts of the world, offering Denver a coveted marketing opportunity no matter who comes out on top.

"What's different from other big conventions we've hosted is the media attention and the sphere of influence of the people that will be here," said Richard Scharf, president of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. "These are people involved in changing the world we live in."

Scharf and others hope Denver comes across as a vibrant, up-and- coming city with great mountain views, an ideal business climate and a thriving arts and entertainment scene.

Much of the media coverage will focus on the convention itself. But Denver will figure prominently in other ways.

"The entire world is going to be looking at Denver as a backdrop, as a context to what's going on," Hickenlooper said. "Many interviews are going to have the (Rocky Mountains) in the background. They'll be shooting sunsets and sunrises. They'll feature the climate and the way of life."

There's already been a flurry of pre-convention press. Numerous magazines and newspapers, including National Geographic Traveler and Town & Country Travel magazine, have written travel-related stories about Denver, tying their articles to the choice of Denver as the location for the DNC. Travel site Frommers.com lists the city as one of its top destinations for 2008.

That coverage has benefited dozens of local restaurants, hotels and other businesses that were featured in the articles.

"You usually have to fight really hard to get those people's attention, to get any ink or airtime," said Wendy Aiello, president of Aiello Public Relations & Marketing, which represents about two dozen business, including several downtown hotels and restaurants. "Those folks write about the world and trying to get space for little Denver, Colorado, is hard."

That type of coverage helps turn people on to the city, travelers who never before would have considered it as a vacation destination. And there are a lot of those people out there. While Denver is well-known in the region, the city is still trying to make a name for itself on a larger scale.

"I don't think that there's a general realization across the country that Denver has got a lot more than the mountains and the Denver Broncos" football team, CSU professor O'Keefe said. "It's not that the city has a negative image or a positive image. I think it's a matter of it not having much of an image at all."

Aside from tourists, Denver could attract more convention business - and even company expansions - if it successfully handles the DNC.

Officials in Boston, the site of the 2004 DNC, said that's exactly what happened there.

But the greatest benefit was a bit more intangible. The media coverage tied to the event helped alter a widely held perception that the city was stuck in its past, said Pat Moscaritolo, head of Boston's convention and tourism bureau.

"Yes we are steeped in history, and we have a reputation tied to our universities, but we are a very modern city and people outside of this area didn't realize that," Moscaritolo said. "The convention gave us a unique opportunity to speak to worldwide audiences, to tell them we are a very vibrant area."

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744

• May 10, 2008

  7:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rick writes:

  One would think that AT&T would also care about its image. Take a look at the mess on the sidewalk inside the iron gates on 14th St across from the convention center. AT&T has allowed that pile of trash to accumulate for several years. I wonder if the inside of the building looks as bad. In any case, I hope someone cleans it up before the convention.

• May 10, 2008

  8:36 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  SASQUATCH writes:

  Hick and Ritter better make sure thay have ample supplies of water cannons, tear gas, tasers, National Guardsmen, riot supression experts and hostage negotiators. R-68 has promised riots and mayhem if the Dems superdelegates select HRC over their BO. The Florida delegation has also promised civil disobedience if not seated this August. The Civic Center will reflect poorly on Denver's image if it looks like the first 20 minutes of "Saving Pvt. Ryan" on national televison.

• May 10, 2008

  10:19 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Gene writes:

  Now if Mrs. Clinton would just cooperate and get lost.

• May 11, 2008

  9:43 p.m.

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  MichaelClark writes:

  I wonder about this article. The writer seems to project Denver as a small, somewhat out of touch community in the contemporary scene. I'd say that's pretty far from the truth. Denver and Boulder became new age centers beginning back in the hippy times in the 60's. New age type avante gard business leaders, weird religionists and liberals of all stripes began immigrating here en mass around that time, thus radically modifying its demography since then. The true old westerners who used to predominate here, like you might still find today in Wyoming and Montana have been fairly outnumbered and even converted themselves, to a large degree, to this new global thinking and being. Granted, a strong conservative element remains in the state to support some of the more conservative values that have been legislated in the past few decades. But, without question, Denver has been "hip" for some time, whether it be socially, politically, in commerce or in virtually all other areas. It is really quite well suited for this God-less political convention that is about to take place by those who would change our world. Lord have mercy upon us!

• May 12, 2008

  10:19 a.m.

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  Withheld_99 writes:

  I only disagree with Sasquatch on one point: R68 wants to raise hell no matter who gets nominated (see their website.)
  The "Denver has an opportunity to be a real big city if only everything goes right" theme of the story is getting old, too. Every time a major event comes to this city, some writer gets the job of writing the same, old stuff like we see here. Get over it. People know about Denver all over the world already. Having this bunch of dimwits (conventioneers and protestors) come to town for their ritual is not going to make or break anything, other than our patience.