I attended a meeting early this week at the Pfister that featured Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as the speaker. He shared Philadelphia's experiences hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and hoped Milwaukee could use some of the information. He shared some interesting statistics: 
*$129 million spent in Philadelphia by the local host committee.
*67% went to minorities in the neighborhoods.
$230.9 million was the economic impact in the city.
19,250 press were credentialed
26.2 million media impressions
6,600 Airbnb reservations were made - most locals didn't leave town.   
Opportunities for Milwaukee::
*Restaurants can offer discounts during off peak hours from 7:00-11:00 pm to draw in people while the convention goes are at Fiserv Forum.
*Have a watch party outside of Fiserv Forum for the public during the DNC.
*Give attendees something to explore our city, making it fun and instagramable. Philadelphia placed donkeys around the city, visitors made a point of finding the different donkeys while discovering the city.
*Legacy projects that will help spruce up Milwaukee and when the DNC is gone, it will continue to help improve the city.
*Make sure transportation runs smoothly.   

Another Milwaukee venue recently renovated their meeting space and restaurant along Milwaukee's Lakefront. It's Coast Restaurant and the Miller Room, operated by Zilli Hospitality Group. I took a tour recently and found both places to be bright, airy and have outstanding outdoor patio space overlooking Lake Michigan. Coast restaurant can accommodate 150 for a seated dinner and The Miller Room can hold 200 seated (8 per 60'' round). Both venues have extensive lounge furniture that is available for an outdoor reception. Coast Restaurant also has a small meeting space behind the bar with AV. Groups have brought in giant sized checkers or Jenga games and played them on the green space immediately adjacent from both venues. They offer all inclusive pricing and have packages to meet all budgets.
#zillihospitalitygroup