Charlotte, North Carolina is a Contender to Host Democratic National Convention in 2012

Hotel rooms, that is, if the Democratic National Convention decides to come to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2012. The Queen City hopes to beat out Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis for the honor of hosting the convention.

According to Charlotte in 2012, the official website for Charlotte's bid to host the convention, 35,000 people, including delegates, politicians, and news media from across the nation and throughout the world would swarm into the city.

An article in The Charlotte Observer quoted Molly Hedrick, spokeswoman for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority as saying Charlotte could accommodate the visitors. Hedrick noted that Charlotte has hosted other events, such as the annual Quail Hollow golf tournament, NFL playoff games, CIAA and NCAA basketball tournaments, and the National Rifle Association convention, which took place earlier this year and drew 72,000 people.

The Democratic National Convention will take place in September of 2012, and will require 15,000 hotel rooms nightly. Charlotte and the surrounding area has 32,000 hotel rooms, with 4000 of them located in the center city.

Hotels aside, is Charlotte ready to host the Democratic National Convention? I say that Charlotte is willing and able to be the hostess with the mostest. I live in the shadow of Charlotte, in the surrounding areas, but I like to see good things happen to Charlotte because of the trickle-down effect. Indeed, the convention would be a boon to the Charlotte areas, bringing in an estimated $150 to $200 million. The cost to host the convention is approximately $45 million.

Charlotte, though, struggles with its image at times. Yep, even with a population of 716,874 that balloons to 1,725,759 when counting the surrounding towns of Gastonia and Concord, not everyone knows Charlotte like I know Charlotte.

A family member who lives at the beach on Oak Island about 30 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina told of acquaintances who visited and said they'd just driven through Charlotte. Impossible, since Charlotte is 200 miles inland; turns out they'd traveled through Shallotte NC, a town in Brunswick County of approximately 8,500 people.

Nonetheless, Democratic Party officials scouted the city in mid-July, touring the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the Convention Center with Mayor Anthony Foxx and other city representatives. The final decision on which city will be the host will be made before the end of the year.

Charlotte is, without doubt, a banking center. According to the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte has banking resources of $2.3 trillion, second only to New York City. Additionally, Bank of America's world headquarters are located in Charlotte. Bank of America is the largest bank in the U.S. and the second largest in the world.

Charlotte counteracts the business persona with arts, culture and fun things to do. Check out Discovery Place, an interactive museum, NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened in May, and Carowinds, an amusement park located on the border of North and South Carolina.

If you want more information on Charlotte, North Carolina's bid to host the Democratic National Convention in 2012 or want to join the rally, visit www.charlottein2012.com

www.charlotteobserver.com
www.charlottechamber.com
www.charlottein2012.com
www.city-data.com