The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee begins one year from Saturday.
At businesses around northeast Wisconsin, there is a hope that the economic impact of the RNC travels far from downtown Milwaukee.
"We're just saying, 'RNC, bring it on,'" said Raymond Woznick, who co-owns Mr. & Mrs. Catering in Fond du Lac with his wife, Julie.
Julie left her regular job and is focusing on their catering business full-time.
That means the potential financial boost from the RNC could have a real impact on the Woznicks.
"It's very meaningful for our family... we're counting on being able to get those bigger events in the area," Raymond said, also mentioning the NFL draft coming to Green Bay in 2025.
45,000 Attendees Expected
The group Visit Milwaukee expects 45,000 attendees on peak days during the RNC.
Greater Milwaukee has about 25,000 hotel rooms, according to the group.
Anyone looking for a room could also look for one in northeast Wisconsin, and a hotel general manager in Two Rivers has already received calls in connection with the RNC.
Jim Van Lanen Jr., the general manager at the Lighthouse Inn, said while the RNC will occur during the busy summer season, he hopes the convention will mean a boost for the hotel's business.
"...[Y]ou're never full seven days a week, so this will give us the opportunity to bring some more people up here."
Fifteen minutes south, there is another hotel where the theme is based on the water.
And an echoed hope that some RNC visitors will be guests.
"We're hoping that the traffic also comes north, just not stay in Milwaukee, but definitely come here," said Amy Noll, guest services specialist at the Harbor Town Inn in Manitowoc.
Traveling even farther south from Manitowoc along I-43 to Cleveland, Wis., Elle Kaderabek, the owner and innkeeper at the Highland Lodge, hopes that a single group will buy out all of the lodge's ten rooms during the RNC.
"I'm really excited to see how many people it's going to bring," Kaderabek said.
Neither Visit Milwaukee nor the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee had specific estimates for hotel spending for the RNC.
But in the most recent RNC before the pandemic, in Cleveland in 2016, average downtown hotel rates more than doubled, compared to the previous two years in that city, according to a group at Cleveland State University.
And for anyone who needs transportation back and forth from the Manitowoc area to Milwaukee, Johnnie Key is ready to help.
"When it comes, me and my team... will be ready," said Key, who is part-owner of Key-Way Transportation, based in Manitowoc.
The family-owned company is less than a year old.
Key hopes people who might commute from northeast Wisconsin to the RNC will become Key-Way customers.
Visitors' impact on local taxes
Even those not involved in the tourism industry can benefit due to the taxes paid by visitors.
An example comes from Destination Door County.
To replace taxes paid by visitors to Door County in 2022, each household in Door County would need to be taxed an additional $2,000, according to Destination Door County.
Choosing Wisconsin for the RNC
Wisconsin is a presidential election battleground state.
"I tell people, we're not a red state, we're not a blue state, we're an interesting state," said TMJ4's Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson.
If 2024 is another close race in Wisconsin, the GOP hope is that holding the RNC in Milwaukee could provide a boost in Republicans' favor, Benson said.
Host Committee Perspective
In general, while Milwaukee will be the home base, the economic impact of the RNC should be felt across the state, said Alison Prange, chief operating officer of the Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee.
She hopes that RNC visitors will arrive early in Wisconsin and stay late.
The expected economic impact for areas on the fringe of Greater Milwaukee is "...hard to tell... it just depends on the visitors and where they want to go," Prange said.
"We know summer in Wisconsin is where people want to be, and northeast Wisconsin's obviously got some amazing areas, when you look at [the] Door County Peninsula, you look at Green Bay, you have some amazing landmarks that people from around the world know about."
Security Staffing
Another northeast Wisconsin industry that could see a business boost from the RNC is private security.
David Marrero is the CEO of Tri-Bolt Global Security in Brown County.
"It's a big opportunity for most security companies in Green Bay, Wisconsin in general, to kind of pitch in," Marrero said.
"There's going to be a lot of work protecting different establishments [and] people."
Private entities and businesses in the area of the RNC are going to see "...a lot of foot traffic, potentially more crime, [and] are going to require private security services," Marrero said.
Another way to benefit
A tourism booster in Manitowoc has another idea on how northeast Wisconsin's economy could still benefit from visitors who stay in downtown Milwaukee for the RNC.
The hope is that visitors might arrive in Wisconsin before the Convention begins or stay after it ends and "... spend some time up in Manitowoc," said Courtney Hansen with Visit Manitowoc.
"We're really hoping to do some targeted marketing to attract a lot of those delegates, their families, and the other guests to come up for a day when they have free time or make an extended trip out of it," Hansen said.
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