Milwaukee DNC 2020: Here's Where To Host Your Party, Gathering

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee will be host to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and many groups will be looking for places to host their parties, gatherings and social outings.

Milwaukee DNC officials have created a portal, showing the top 400 venues in the greater Milwaukee area so out-of-towners can get a detailed look at some of the best places our area has to offer.

According to the DNC, the list includes only businesses that have "identified their support for the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee's mission and are working to promote the Milwaukee metropolitan region and the Host Committee’s community outreach efforts."

Information included in the portal includes the venue's point of contact, and a venue description, including capacity, event spaces, ADA accessibility, union designations, square footage and other details.

You can view the Venue Portal Here and the approximately 400 businesses.

The businesses come in all shapes and sizes. For Example, the Bel Air Cantina at 1935 N. Water Street, is described as specializing in fusion Mexican Pacific coast food. "Belair Cantina offers unique and delicious takes on tacos, burritos, appetizers and more! We have a selection of over 100 tequilas and provide fresh, hand made craft cocktails and margaritas. Our casual and laid back atmosphere is perfect for a quick bite to eat at lunch or a gather place during Happy Hour and beyond."

Milwaukee Is The One

Milwaukee beat out finalists Miami and Houston for the honor of hosting the 2020 convention. According to media reports, hosting the convention here is going to cost up to $70 million to stage, with private donors raising the money.

Watch Milwaukee's announcement:

Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum reportedly figured into the decision-making process of DNC officials.

The new multipurpose arena seats 17,500 for basketball and 18,000 for concerts. Construction on the new arena broke ground in June 2016 and opened in Aug. 2018. The arena cost $524 million to build, and is considered one of the premier NBA arenas and overall entertainment venues in the U.S.
"The Fiserv forum is the crown jewel of the recruitment pitch. We think it’s the best arena in the country," said Alex Lasry, bid chair, Bucks Vice President in a FOX-TV report.

Related Reading:

Our First Look at the Fiserv Forum

POLITICO was the first to report that Milwaukee was the odds-on favorite to land the 2020 DNC, saying that DNC Chairman Tom Perez's connections to Milwaukee and the Democratic Party's need to win Wisconsin in 2020 after losing the state in 2016 were both big factors that pushed Milwaukee to the forefront of the minds of DNC decision-makers.

The Convention will undoubtedly be a financial windfall for the Milwaukee metro area, which will host nearly 50,000 attendees in the event which runs from July 13 to July 16, 2020. According to reports, the Convention is expected to have a financial impact of between $200 million and $300 million throughout the state.

According to a Wisconsin Public Radio report, Downtown Milwaukee, where the convention would be held, has approximately 5,500 hotel rooms, and the surrounding metro area has 17,884 more. That figured is compared to 91,494 rooms in Houston and 57,282 rooms in Miami.

Yet Milwaukee also had some advantages when it came to weather and climate: when compared with venues in both Houston and Miami, Milwaukee is expected to be more comfortable from a day-to-day weather standpoint, while also being well out of harm's way of any hurricanes or tropical storms.