What to know about the delegates' hotels and protest prep, from organizers of the RNC

With the Republican National Convention about 130 days away, two of the lead organizers for the international-scale event took the stage at Marquette University Law School Thursday to talk about everything from protest preparations to the pecking order for delegates' hotel assignments.

Elise Dickens, the chief executive officer for the Republican National Committee team that's organizing the event, and Alison Prange, MKE 2024 Host Committee's chief operating officer, said it's an honor to be part of putting on a convention in a state where both have deep personal connections.

Dickens, a Wisconsin native, said many people from elsewhere don't know much about Milwaukee or the state.

"They don't know what they don't know, so I'm excited to showcase what a wonderful place this is," she told Derek Mosley, director of Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education.

The convention will take place downtown from July 15-18 and is expected to bring tens of thousands of people to the city.

Here are the highlights from their comments:

RNC already bringing visitors to Milwaukee

While the economic impact for Milwaukee during the convention is often highlighted, Prange said that impact started in 2022 and will continue at least through the actual convention.

She said convention cities like Cleveland, which hosted the Republican convention in 2016, are still feeling the economic effects because of the way the city was showcased to huge numbers of people.

More: Milwaukee's compact footprint a key consideration for Republican National Convention planning

Here's how delegations' hotels are assigned for the Republican National Convention

Organizers have contracted with 111 hotels in Wisconsin for the RNC, and delegation hotel placements will start soon, Dickens said.

"The delegations lobby all of us to try to get the ideal hotels, as you can imagine," she said.

Figuring out who goes where is partly a game of Tetris. The New Jersey delegation, for instance, requested 250 rooms with event space and other requirements.

Organizers also try to keep the members of each delegation together in a hotel or in neighboring hotels for reasons including the ease of transportation and camaraderie, she said.

It's also partly politics.

"Who are good supporters? Who is doing good work in their states? Who are the good actors? Who is working hard? Who is meeting certain deliverables and benchmarks in their states?" she said.

And then, she said, there are personalities — people who may be mixed and others who would prefer to steer clear of each other.

Once delegations learn their hotels, likely in April, delegations will begin booking with vendors and venues.

Organizers are preparing for protests during the RNC

Protests are always expected but Dickens noted the lack of incidents during the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee in August.

"I think it went really, really well," she said. "It was a great dry run, the debate was, to have it here and work with the city and the mayor's team and the Host Committee on what that looks like in terms of communication."

Former President Donald Trump, who is on track to clinch the Republican nomination, did not take part in the debate.

Prange also said that the convention is a national security event, meaning the Secret Service is in charge.

"You're in probably the safest place in the country for a week," she said.

Alison Dirr can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about RNC protest prep and politics of delegates' hotels