Introduction
Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and the State
of Minnesota are the ideal venues for the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
It is a partnership with enthusiasm and experience that has hosted virtually
every major U.S. event in the decade of the 90s. The community resume includes:
-
1990 U.S. Olympic Festival
-
1991 U.S. National Figure Skating
-
1991 U.S. Open Golf Championship
-
1991 Hockey's Stanley Cup
-
1991 International Special Olympics
-
1991 Baseball World Series
-
1992 Super Bowl
-
1992 NCAA Men's Final Four
-
1993 Lions Club International Convention
-
1994 NCAA Women's Final Four
-
1995 NAACP Convention
-
1998 World Figure Skating Championships
Future major events of note that Minneapolis
will host include:
-
1998 International Telecommunication
Union Plenipotentiary Conference
-
1999 International Gay Lesbian Travel
Association
-
2000 Quentennial International Convention
of Alcoholics Anonymous
-
2001 NCAA Men's Final Four
No other community has the event resume of
Minneapolis and the Twin Cities.
Each of these notable events has required
significant community support both financially and in volunteerism. Minneapolis
has a metropolitan database of more than 6,000 volunteers. While all groups
required financial support, the financial support for the International
Special Olympics was the most comparable to a national political convention.
In 1991 the local host committee raised $22 million in cash and in-kind
of which $10-12 million was raised by local fund-raisers. Minneapolis and
Minnesota have consistently exceeded the expectations of the sponsoring
organizations.
Facilities
The Minnesota Host Committee is proposing
a choice of two venues: the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the Target
Center. Both are located in Minneapolis.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, built
in the mid-1980s, is home to the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Vikings
and University of Minnesota football. It is a multipurpose facility which
has hosted numerous general assembly conventions, trade shows, the 1990
visit from the USSR president Gorbachev and will be the site of the 2000
international convention of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Target Center was completed in 1990.
It is also a multipurpose facility and home of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It has hosted non-athletic events like the NFL Super Bowl Saturday Night,
the 1993 Lions Club International Convention as well as smaller events
including Minnesota political conventions.
Accomodations
The Twin Cities metro area has nearly
25,000 hotel rooms. The furthest rooms are located no more than a 30-minute
commute from the proposed venues. The Greater Minneapolis Convention &
Visitors Association has housed 65,000 attendees for the 1992 Super Bowl,
35,000 attendees of the 1992 NCAA Men's Final Four, 30,000 delegates of
Lions Club International and will be hosting 75,000 projected attendees
of the 2000 International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Transportation
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport
is an international gateway with eight major airline serving 165 cities
with nonstop service. Once in the Twin Cities, nearly 300 buses will provide
convenient shuttle service to hotels no further than 15 miles from Minneapolis.
Attractions
In 1984 the renowned travel expert Arthur
Frommer described the Twin Cities as one of the top ten destinations in
the world because of the variety, quality and affordability of area cultural
attractions. Since that time we have added the Mall of America, Broadway
production at the renovated State and Orpheum Theaters, the Minnesota History
Museum, and the Science Museum. With 133 golf courses, dozens of lakes
and the nation's best park system, opportunities abound for activities
when the convention is in recess.
Finally, there is summer in Minnesota...the
land of 10,000 lakes and 100,000 vacation opportunities.
Financial
Other factors to consider are the fifteen
Fortune 500 companies that call the Twin Cities home, the private sector's
willingness to contribute, and the AAA bond rating of the City of Minneapolis,
a distinction it has consistently held since the early 60s. Minnesota is
the birthplace of the 5% Club and the 2% Club of corporations who give
that percentage of pretax profits back to the community.
Selecting a host city for a national political
convention is a leap of faith involving some risk. That risk is minimized
by selecting Minneapolis and Minnesota.
Summary
Minnesota, the Twin Cities and the host
city of Minneapolis meet all the specifications to host the Democratic
National Convention. There is a choice of venues, hotel room totals exceed
requirements, the attractions of the Twin Cities offer an excellent variety
for delegates and their families, and most important, Minneapolis offers
an experienced team with resources to meet the requirements. Mayor Sharon
Sayles Belton was reelected this past fall to another four-year term as
mayor of Minneapolis. The stability of city government through the planning
and implementation phases of this convention is important to its success.
You can be assured that the city is committed and dedicated to the 2000
Democratic National Convention. |